Off-manifest mission // This game is not set in the Zombienautics universe. Its crew is alive — though not for want of trying.
Mission briefing
Tonight is the Great Harvest. For weeks, the cat god Ulu has whispered to you in your dreams, and now you — a devoted young cultist mouse — finally have your chance to be harvested. There is just one problem: you can’t quite remember how the ritual works.
Explore an old cult manor in isometric view. Talk your way past a grumpy librarian, pester the magister for advice, raid the dining hall for “incense” (stinky cheese will do), and gather what you need to summon Ulu: a burning candle, a raven feather and a circle of invocation drawn in blood.
How you get them is up to you. Ask nicely, improvise with a soot-blackened pillow feather, or deal with the librarian in a much darker way.
Ulu is a picky eater
At the end of the night, Ulu rates the ritual: how well you prepared it, how devout you were and how much help you needed. Six endings await, from a flawless Meowthy Cultist sacrifice to sleeping right through the Harvest. And some of the manor’s residents remember what happened on earlier attempts.
Mission objectives
- Cute, but sinister. Lovecraftian cult rituals with mice, cheese and a giant cat god. Funny, a bit dark, and unmistakable.
- More than one way to summon a god. Every ritual ingredient can be found in several ways, and each choice changes Ulu’s verdict.
- A rating, not a pass/fail. The ending screen awards the ritual a star rating and explains exactly why Ulu was pleased — or disappointed.
- Made to be replayed. 6 endings, 12 achievements (3 of them secret) and 8 hidden Cats of Ulu. Knowledge carries over between runs, and the characters notice.
- Built for short sessions. A single run is brief; the Harvest comes round again and again.
Mission parameters
| Perspective | 2D isometric |
| Locations | 6 rooms: bedroom, hall, library, study, dining hall, ritual room |
| Characters | The cultist mouse (you), the librarian, the magister, Cat Ulu |
| Endings | 6 |
| Achievements | 12 (3 secret) |
| Collectibles | 8 Cats of Ulu |
| Input | Keyboard and gamepad, with input hints that follow the device in use |
| Language | English |
| Engine | Bevy (Rust), levels built in Tiled |
Mission history
ULU began as a 48-hour game-jam entry for the theme “Harvest” and was expanded into a full game. It is playable and feature complete.
Crew manifest
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Michael P. Jung | Story & Software Engineering |
| Tim Markmann | Story & Level Design |
| Manuel Terranova | Story & Dialogue |
| Tom Haase | Music & Sound |
All story, dialogue, artwork, music and sound were made by humans — no generative AI. The game’s code was written with AI assistance (Claude, credited in-game as “Junior Developer”).
