{"rewrite":{"id":"r_59be0fdd9c1059607518bf21","clusterId":"c_6408e7d778f218d9370b2ed0","slug":"ylem-s-cat-blends-outer-wilds-style-discovery-with-cat-behavior-puzzles","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Ylem's Cat Blends Outer Wilds-Style Discovery With Cat Behavior Puzzles","summary":"Diamond Cat, a Guangzhou-based studio formed last October with six members, announced Ylem's Cat for PC via Steam, targeting a 2028 release. The game is a knowledge-unlock action adventure starring a girl and a cat named Mio. The girl's name varies across sources: Automaton calls her Jasmine, while Denfaminicogamer uses Molly; both agree Mio is a shape-shifting cat. Players explore a dying world, seeking the truth behind the silent Three Giants and a missing mother. Mio has three forms: Big Cat, which acts as a mount and crowd-control fighter; Medium Cat, an agile combat partner and puzzle tool; and Small Cat, which hides in the girl's hood. Puzzles rely on cat behaviors, such as pouncing at invisible objects, scratching hidden doors, and hissing at enemies. Combat blends melee and bow attacks, with skill trees for dodging, strong attacks, and long-range shooting. The team cites The Outer Wilds and TUNIC as inspirations, aiming to recreate the feeling of discovery. The trial version included one boss and a hidden boss, with details under embargo. Expected playtime is 15 to 20 hours. The game currently supports English and Chinese, with Japanese not yet supported.","whyItMatters":"The development team's stated ambition is to translate The Outer Wilds' knowledge-unlock feeling into a combat-focused action game, a genre blend that few titles have attempted.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDiamond Cat is a Guangzhou studio formed in October 2024 by six developers who previously worked on a live-service game project. The Ylem\u0026#39;s Cat project itself predates the studio\u0026#39;s founding.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMio\u0026#39;s fur is rendered dynamically, but the team says the effect is managed with LOD controls so it displays properly even on lower-spec PCs.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe combat and exploration split is roughly equal in design weight. The team wants players to find knowledge-unlock content through exploration that gives them an advantage in battle.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThere is no New Game+ or multiple endings. The developers want players to follow their emotions and focus on the main story.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe team is already optimizing ranged attack balance, aiming to let players fight however they like without forcing a style.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout 10-15 special NPCs appear in the game, each with a dedicated story.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCat customization is confirmed, and the protagonist will get alternate skins later.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSome later enemies will react to Mio as a target, a feature not present in the trial version.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew cat forms and techniques unlock as part of the knowledge-unlock progression.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe studio says most members have extensive action game development experience, and they want to explore ideas that were not possible in commercial games before.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"In Ylem's Cat, the cat Mio pounces at thin air to reveal hidden objects, and scratches walls to signal secret doors. The dev team, almost all cat owners, built puzzles around real feline behavior.","twitterPost":"Diamond Cat's Ylem's Cat aims to capture The Outer Wilds' 'wonderful feeling' of knowledge unlocks, but wraps it in combat with a shape-shifting cat. Steam release targeted for 2028.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Diamond Cat unveiled Ylem's Cat, a knowledge-unlock action adventure for Steam where a girl and a shape-shifting cat explore a dying world. The team draws inspiration from The Outer Wilds and TUNIC, with puzzle mechanics based on real cat behaviors. Expected to release in 2028.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Automaton\",\"url\":\"https://automaton-media.com/articles/reportjp/20260825-462457/\",\"title\":\"Giant Cat and Girl's Beautiful Adventure Game 'Ylem's Cat' Is a Game That Borrows a Helping Hand from Cats, Made by a Team Where 'Almost Everyone Owns a Cat.' The Goal Is to Capture 'That Feeling' of The Outer Wilds\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/2608265p\",\"title\":\"Game 'Ylem's Cat' Announced: An Action Adventure Where a Girl Searches for Her Missing Mother with a Mysterious 'Cat'\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":12753,"outputTokens":1276,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1787877472,"createdAt":"2026-08-28T00:34:09.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-28T00:36:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T00:34:09.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_6408e7d778f218d9370b2ed0","canonicalTitle":"巨大化ネコと少女の美麗旅ゲーム『Ylem’s Cat』は「ほぼ全員ネコを飼ってる開発チーム」が放つ、ネコの手借りまくりゲーム。目指すのは『The Outer Wilds』の“あの感覚”","representativeArticleId":"a_7fee27d8342d7b9409f1d829","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Ylem's Cat\"],\"studios\":[\"钻石猫\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-25T05:00:00.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-26T09:56:58.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-28T00:36:44.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/2608265p","title":"少女が不思議な“猫”といっしょに行方不明の母を探すゲーム『Ylem’s Cat』発表。幻想的な滅びゆく惑星で遺跡を探索し、息を合わせて機械兵と戦うアクションアドベンチャー"},{"source":"Automaton","url":"https://automaton-media.com/articles/reportjp/20260825-462457/","title":"巨大化ネコと少女の美麗旅ゲーム『Ylem’s Cat』は「ほぼ全員ネコを飼ってる開発チーム」が放つ、ネコの手借りまくりゲーム。目指すのは『The Outer Wilds』の“あの感覚”"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Ylem's Cat"],"studios":["钻石猫"],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Diamond Cat announced Ylem's Cat for Steam on August 25, 2026, with a release date listed as 'coming soon.'","Ylem's Cat is scheduled for release on PC via Steam in 2028.","The game's development team consists of six members based in Guangzhou, China.","Expected playtime to clear Ylem's Cat is about 15 to 20 hours.","The game does not currently support Japanese, according to Denfaminicogamer."]}