Hello again, cat-gang

We’re keying up to reveal some VERY EXCITING news for you, dropping a brand new trailer that will showcase never-before-seen game mechanics including theoretical items and quantum rifts! We’re going to do more of a deep-dive on these mechanics on our social media, so keep an eye on TikTok[www.tiktok.com], Instagram[www.instagram.com] or Shorts for those videos in the near future. 

The core mechanic of the game is splitting Mittens into two quantum ‘positions’. When one of her plausible positions is observed, the other becomes ‘theoretical’. She's not truly there anymore because we already know where the observed Mittens is. This theoretical state lets her move through doors and barriers. After all, she theoretically could have opened them if she’s unobserved. With me so far?

The next logical extension of this idea is theoretical items. When an item is split into two plausible positions, and then becomes observed, what happens to the other plausible item? 

It becomes theoretical too, of course! This allows it to pass through these hard-to-reach areas. 

But there’s a catch. Being theoretical means Mittens can’t interact with items or switches. The same is true for the theoretical items, meaning they can pass through things, but have no practical use when they get there. Ah, foiled again! 

But wait, if Mittens is in a theoretical superposition too, then surely she can interact with those items in a purely theoretical sense. Suddenly, the ultimate science double-bluff bears puzzle possibilities! Exciting, right?

In quantum mechanics, if you entangle two particles they act as one. What if there was a way to entangle two points in space? Could this become some kind of worm hole? 🪱

The answer is yes! Well, in our game if not in reality. Rift Generators create points of 'infinite possibility' which, when connected, form a teleporter from point to point. But only for things already in a theoretical state. Thank goodness Mittens is a quantum pair already!

If you’ve played the demo (and if you haven’t, why????), you’ll be familiar with splitting, fusing, theoretical state, and item splitting. These newly revealed mechanics are just the beginning; there’s more pawesome news to come.

As Mittens ventures deeper into the facility, she'll face new challenges that require creative thinking, from manipulating electrical systems to evading advanced multi-dimensional security measures. We're keeping the details under wraps for now, but let's just say you’ll find creative ways to solve puzzles as the game progresses…👀

Want to contribute to Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar?

If you’ve seen the new trailer, you’ll note how many fun little hats we’re adding into the cat customisation. Have an idea for a hat that we haven’t already included? 

Share your responses in reply to this blogpost and we’ll pick our favourite to add into the game on April 24th! 

We’ll pick our favourite as a team, based purely on subjective humour and creativity. Please note that we’re already adding a huge number (probably too many!) of cool hats and cosmetics based on cat memes and pop media. It may be likely that your idea is already in the game. We just want to call that out in advance. 

• Martin has been pulling his hair out, fixing bugs.

• Ziggy has been sprinkling magic ‘final polish’ dust over various game levels.

• Jas has been making even more hats for you to don and enjoy. 

• Oli has been producing musical hit after hit after hit, as usual.

• The sound team is making really exciting audio for the really exciting finale…

• And the Discord community has been getting stuck into playtesting!

• The team will have even less hair, but the game will have fewer bugs.

• More than one upcoming launch, with our producer Mei-Li soon to have her baby!

• Playtesting continues - interested? Check the Discord[discord.gg]!

• More hats probably! 🎩

That’s it for today’s update! We hope you’re as excited as we are for the upcoming release date trailer! Thanks for following along with Mittens' development journey. See you in the next one!

As always, be cute and do crimes!😼

Play Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar demo NOW and don’t forget to wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111550/Schrodingers_Cat_Burglar/

Hope you’re enjoying playing Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar as part of the Steam Next Fest! 

Are you hungry to learn more of the story behind the mysterious lab and the secret science going on behind the scenes? We previously promised we’d reveal more of the game’s narrative and setting, so here’s your exclusive first look!

The story starts with an anonymous tipoff from an employee of Flagrante Johan Data Processing and Plumbing Solutions who believes there may be more to the company than meets the eye. MITTENS, the world’s greatest cat burglar infiltrates the offices under the cover of darkness, with her ops partner LAZY SUSAN providing radio support. Susan reminds Mittens of the mission: get into Data Processing, hack some computers, and make a hasty exit. Simple. 

The two have a strong bond, developed over years of covert ops together – Mittens on the ground and Lazy Susan acting as the ‘gal in the chair’, hacking from afar and aiding Mittens’ missions. Their industrial espionage operates on a sort of ‘if you need them, you’ll find them’ basis. Think sending up the bat-signal. This particular mission feels off, however and despite the pair’s skills, things quickly go awry… 

As Mittens is completing the mission, disaster strikes - a robotic security hound stirs to life and catches Mittens unawares. Its jaws open and Mittens is vacuumed up into its belly, before being unceremoniously deposited in a pest disposal chute. Mittens awakens in a long-forgotten animal containment room. She works her way around the space to escape, encountering a mysterious shadowy cat in the process.

Digging deeper, the facility gives way to a series of scientific laboratories. Mittens finds an ominous looking machine in the depths - The Dual Event Synthesiser. Could this be a means of escape? Investigating further, it suddenly activates, trapping Mittens inside! We catch another quick glimpse at the strange shadow cat before the machine whirs into life, changing Mittens forever.

Pulled in two ‘quantum directions’, Mittens is granted the ability to exist in both a positive and negative quantum phase at the same time. With some experimentation, she learns she can control this power and soon puts it to use navigating the scientific test chambers that block her path. As soon as Susan learns that Mittens is safe, she switches over into excited technobabble. Because, all things considered, this is pretty cool.

We're itching to tell you more, but for now you’ll have to simply play the latest demo in the Steam Next Fest to catch a glimpse at what lies within the lab. Who is this mysterious shadow cat? 

As we get closer to the release of Schrodinger's Cat Burglar (more info soon!), we'd like to ask for your help in determining the game's price. We want to make sure it's fairly priced while remaining accessible to as many players as possible. If you’ve played the demo, please take a moment to fill out the form below; your input will help us find the right balance:

👉 HAVE YOUR SAY HERE[forms.gle]

That’s the name of the game in 🇨🇳 Chinese. We’re also translating into 🇩🇪 German, 🇧🇷 Brazilian Portuguese and 🇫🇷 French. Mittens in a beret confirmed!* Enjoy the full demo in your native language. We’ve taken lots of care to proofread and test to the best of our ability, but if something feels off to you, please let us know on Discord[discord.gg].*but we can't promise baguettes on backs, I'm afraid

As ever, we’re keen to share a small update on the latest from HQ. Lead dev Martin has been busy working on UI improvements and getting the early segment of the game ready for playtesting. Again, if you want to be a part of the next round, please let us know in Discord[discord.gg]. Ziggy’s work has taken him to \[NAME REDACTED] the final area of the game where he’s been performing a last art-pass, getting everything ready for public eyes. Jasmine has been working on props for the offices of characters in the facility. Some of these folks have some pretty strange items in their collection… Oli has done a fancy rework of the music from the start of the game and expanded much of the general soundtrack. Lastly, Supertonic has completed some fantastic sounds that build the audio profile for \[NAME REDACTED] another area in the game…

Jasmine’s back on the grind with more character props and cat cosmetics. What do you think of this super-snazzy gamer headphones? What cosmetics should we add next? Ziggy’s revisiting the wider game art for further improvements. Martin is expanding his focus to wider areas for future playtesting. Oli and Supertonic are making more musical and sound improvements ready for the final pass, respectively.

See you in the next devlog!

As always, be cute and go do crimes😼

Wishlist Schrodinger’s Cat Burglar now:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2111550/Schrodingers_Cat_Burglar/