I haven't been completely sold on titles from Amazon Games, with its MMORPGS New World and Throne and Liberty not exactly striking me. So when I was given the chance to check out King of Meat (yes, that's what it's called), my expectations weren't exactly through the roof.
This co-op party platformer from developers Glowmade surprised me with its fun factor, though, as King of Meat has more bite than your average dungeon crawler to play with pals. It's not just bashing through hordes of goblins, skeletons, knights and the like, as there are puzzles to conquer, trap-filled rooms to navigate and even a whole dungeon creator mode to build a hard-as-nails level of your own.
From the five or so hours I got to play, this frantic action-based multiplayer title gave me familiar hints of the breakout hit Fall Guys, with a dash of Fortnite sprinkled in and a helpful dose of the very random, quick-fire humor of those Interdimensional Cable episodes from "Rick and Morty." It's a strange mix I'm not sure everyone will revel in, but the tight combat against waves of enemies and engaging platform puzzles kept me coming back for another try.
No, it won't be winning any awards, and may not take a spot on the best PC games or best PS5 games for now. But for a fun, chaotic and uniquely styled party platformer with plenty of dungeons to crawl (and more thanks to its community-built dungeons), this is a quirky little title to get stuck into with friends and family alike.
King of Meat is set to release on October 7 on PS5, Xbox Series X/Series S and PC via Steam for $29/£24. But if you're tempted, you can get in on the action now with a pre-order for early access.
The meat of the matter
Right from the get-go, King of Meat throws you into its wild world of Loregok. Here, the most popular show ever (and strictly the only one) is the titular game, where a wide range of contestants are shoved into dungeons to come out on top to be "The King of Meat." Why meat? I don't know, but that's what this world is obsessed with.
I was introduced with a flurry of adverts that offer hints of the twisted (and unserious) land of Loregok that's fueled by corporate commercialism, along with a host of mystical creatures. Think ads for "Meat Milk," an "A-Eye" security system that's always watching for your safety, "BattleLAX" being the official licensed laxative for the game show and more. Oh, and an owl presenter named Curved Beak that appears to slurp up a mouse mid-show.
An example of what you're in for:
This type of comedy can edge towards "trying too hard," but that's just my sense of humor. It's similar to the growing crop of adult-animated shows, like "Digman!" or "Grimsburg," and if that's your vibe, then this game will hit its stride with you.
Don't fret, as you won't be hounded with incessant gags throughout gameplay. Once you take control of your customizable character, you'll be locked into more of its easy-to-grasp combat that allows for various combos and relatively tight movement for a platformer.
Fun, chaotic dungeons
After learning the ins and outs of King of Meat in the Audition Gauntlet show, you can take on one of its 100 dungeons, along with those made by the community. Aside from all the cosmetic loot you can grab to change the appearance of your character and weapons, along with plentiful emotes to pull off, it's here where the game shines the most.
I was surprised to see that attacks aren't limited to just "press square to attack." I mean, you can, but you can also incorporate different moves by holding to charge, mixing in some heavy attacks with a shield and more. That comes in handy with the many enemies that can surround you at once, even though they aren't the most difficult to manage — shoving them off platforms is very satisfying.
While I stuck with a sword and shield, which can also be used to parry attacks, there is an array of weapons to try out. That includes gauntlets for rapid attacks, sledge hammers to make foes (and friends) fly and even a stylish electric guitar for area-of-effect damage (rocking it like Dante in Devil May Cry 3). But there's also different side arms, like a pistol to interrupt attacks, a crossbow for those long-ranged blows and a megaphone to keep fiends at bay (especially handy for those bombhead enemies).
There's a lot to mix and match with, and it's nice to see that it caters to different play styles. When it comes to platforming, though, it's one control style fits all. The good news is that movement feels snappy, as I never felt I was short-changed on a jump across gaps or landing precisely on a small ledge that would mean certain death.
With all the moving platforms, spike traps, swinging hammers, explosives going off, blazing fire to dodge, it's important that controls feel smooth, and King of Meat pulls this off. Despite the double jump only giving you extra air time (similar to Yoshi's jump), you'll also get an air dash to traverse even more space, and it's always a blast to pull off.
I wouldn't exactly call the game hard, even with its puzzles and enemies to navigate, but it has its moments that can be tricky, where another player could help out. But there's also Glory Moves that can shift the tide, like bringing down a horse hoof to squash foes in an instant, a mini black hole to suck up anything in the vicinity and a rubber duck that spawns in multiple other rubber ducks that explode on contact. Fun to use, but can easily clear a room.
It's a co-op game first and foremost, after all, and fooling around in the wacky dungeons, like throwing around an ignited bomb to eventually blow up a troll, is where the entertainment factor kicks in.
Puzzles galore
The dungeons of King of Meat are the game's bread and butter (or pâté?), and they can vary from simple walks in the park to a frenzy of madness where there are spikes, fires and enemies trying to attack you as you jump from each platform. Each comfortably deals with more players in one session, and it feels like they are made for just that.
Each dungeon can hold different types of puzzles, which can include moving boxes to reach a higher area, placing batteries in the right sockets to open doors or shooting hoops to raise a bridge. There are some fun spins, too, like essentially playing dodgeball with big goblins to knock them off their ledges. But all in all, these puzzles aren't head-scratchers — more like pit stops to keep you engaged while navigating through dangerous platforms.
That's good for the most part, as it keeps the flow of a dungeon entertaining rather than losing interest by being stuck on a particular puzzle. I can imagine seeing more complex levels from the community-built maps, which give you a full range of tools to create a dungeon that stumps players. Not that I could do this myself, as my creativity when it comes to building levels is, put simply, atrocious.
Speaking of, I did try my hand at messing around with the dunger creator, and King of Meat makes it easy to whip up any type of dungeon you can imagine. Giving you a host of assets to place where you want, including platforms, props, traps, enemies, treasure and more, the creator tool gives you free rein of how complex you want a dungeon to be, and that includes being able to program different mechanisms to operate once an action is taken.
For example, I could set up a big chest of treasure and hide a swinging hammer and flamethrowers around it that would activate once a player opens the chest. Diabolical stuff, but one that's amusing to execute (I wish this were my idea, but it's one I saw from the developers).
If building levels suits your fancy, then King of Meat's dungeon creator will satisfy. Trying out player-created levels can offer some impressive and fun-filled sessions, thinking back to the time of Little Big Planet, especially when navigating them with others. But the original dungeons of the game still offer plenty of chaotic-filled entertainment.
Worth a shot?
Will King of Meat stand the test of time? I've seen several similar dungeon-based games come and go, including Meet Your Maker, but some party-based titles like Party Animals, Gang Beasts and Human Fall Flat stuck the landing by being full of wild antics you can pull off with pals.
There's a lot going on in King of Meat, from the several weapons to try out and simple-to-grasp combat that offers more depth than your average brainless button mashing, to its near-endless cosmetics, puzzle-based dungeons and rapid-fire quirky humor. It may not err on the side of simplicity that can make these party-based titles a hoot to play, but it does offer that fun yet frantic nature to work together to beat a dungeon — even if it means blasting a fellow contestant off a platform.
It's just too bad it doesn't offer couch co-op, as it's geared towards playing online with others and streamers. In any case, for those after their next chaotic-filled platformer fix, King of Meat will happily comply.
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