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CATENA - Chapter I

CATENA is a co-op action-adventure about two players chained together, sharing one body, one life pool, and one weapon. Toss the blade to swap roles and battle mirrored enemies across two realms as one.

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About the Game

One body divided. Two players united.

⚠️ Work in Progress – Not Representative of Final Quality

An asymmetric couch co-op where survival means working as one.

A massive rift has torn reality apart. The sorcerer TABES strikes on two fronts at once:  the Physical Realm and the Astral Plane. To fight back, the echo CATENA splits her body in two. Bound by a chain, both players share one life pool and one weapon.

Choose your character:

🎮 The Physical Catena (Player 1): pure will to live, courage, near-naive optimism. She matches the brutal rhythm of the real world.

🎮 The Astral Catena (Player 2): the sum of her suppressed fears. Cynical, pessimistic, questions every step.

Core Gameplay

⚔️ Asymmetric Combat

Armored husks only take damage in the real world / spirits must be banished on the astral plane. Fight mirrored enemy hordes together - every hit demands coordination.

🔄 The Weapon Toss

Toss the single sword between players to swap roles instantly: one fights with melee combos, the other protects with tactical wind control.

🏄 Windsurfing & Platforming

Slide at high speed across open fields and time your jumps on crumbling rocks.

🗿 Runestones

Activate ancient, humming stones for a lasting healing aura - your anchor point mid-fight.

Explore Ktonia

Step out of the cave into a vast, wind-swept world where the ancestors speak through runestones.

Loot with Impact

Fallen enemies drop powerful boosts: Shield, Time Slow, and Score Multiplier.

The Team & the Project

Made by Team Mouseworks (5 students) in 3 months at HNU as a fifth-semester project, and showcased at Gamescom 2026.