🐾 Devlog #1 – Why a Cat + Mech Metroidvania?
Hey everyone!
I'm the developer of Bolt & Whalington, a Chinese indie Metroidvania about a clever cat and a battle mech exploring a floating fortress. We’ve been overwhelmed by the love from the Metroidvania community—thank you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3535270/_/
In this first devlog, I wanted to share how this quirky idea came to life.
As a long-time cat lover (and Howl’s Moving Castle fan), I dreamed of making a Metroidvania with a cat and a flying city. But during early development, we ran into a challenge—solo cat gameplay made it hard to design rewarding exploration.
That’s when we introduced the mech.
Inspired by Gato Roboto and Blaster Master, our dual-form system adds depth and variety:
To manage animations on our small team, we designed a mechanical arm system for the mech—one core rig, many weapon types. Players can freely mix and match gear using a simple four-direction system. No combo stress—just clean, responsive action.
We’ll share more about the dual-character combat system in the next post!
📅 Closed Beta starts June 19 – Join our Discord to sign up
🎥 Watch the devlog video here
I'm the developer of Bolt & Whalington, a Chinese indie Metroidvania about a clever cat and a battle mech exploring a floating fortress. We’ve been overwhelmed by the love from the Metroidvania community—thank you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3535270/_/
In this first devlog, I wanted to share how this quirky idea came to life.
As a long-time cat lover (and Howl’s Moving Castle fan), I dreamed of making a Metroidvania with a cat and a flying city. But during early development, we ran into a challenge—solo cat gameplay made it hard to design rewarding exploration.
That’s when we introduced the mech.
Inspired by Gato Roboto and Blaster Master, our dual-form system adds depth and variety:
- Use the mech to resist wind or break obstacles
- Switch to the cat to glide or navigate tight spaces
- Combine both to uncover secrets and solve traversal puzzles
To manage animations on our small team, we designed a mechanical arm system for the mech—one core rig, many weapon types. Players can freely mix and match gear using a simple four-direction system. No combo stress—just clean, responsive action.
We’ll share more about the dual-character combat system in the next post!
📅 Closed Beta starts June 19 – Join our Discord to sign up
🎥 Watch the devlog video here
