King of Meat from developer Glowmade and publisher Amazon Games was a big surprise for me at Summer Game Fest this year.
With simple but fun combat and satisfying puzzles to solve with friends, there’s no shortage of zany co-op action to be had in its endless dungeons. Better still, its intuitive and detailed creator mode puts you in charge of making the tricky challenges for other players, a feature set that, like Super Mario Maker before it, could very well find an audience.
It seems like just the ticket if you’re looking for a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but still offers a surprising level of depth and can throw up a good mix of challenge, frustration, and satisfaction.
I’ve spent plenty of time with the game, both as part of my preview session and in an early build provided afterwards, to get a closer look at everything that makes the game tick. I also had the opportunity to quiz the developers to find out just how all its parts gel together and play.
Win the crowd, win your… fame?
At the core of King of Meat is its dungeon-clearing action, where you and up to three friends take part in a variety of levels for the enjoyment of the audience watching the titular in-universe reality TV show, King of Meat.
As a context, your goal is not only to get through each dungeon, but do it in style. Every box you smash up, skeleton you decimate, and platforming segment you overcome is met with cheers and applause, and help you achieve a bronze, silver, or gold rating for your efforts. If you’re entertaining enough, you can trigger Glory Moves to score even higher points.
Even though I didn’t get to try it for myself, one of the most exciting seems to be a rubber duck grenade that explodes into a cluster of smaller ducks when it goes off. In turn, these explode into even smaller duck grenades. Which then explode into even smaller duck grenades… You get the idea.
It’s a simple overall formula, but I’ve found that simplicity is key to having a great time. Smashing up skeleton enemies, or tossing bombs or big red balls to unlock areas or uncover secrets, are all simple yet very satisfying things to do. Even when there are multiple players on screen at once, its straightforwardness shines.
This ease of play means that everything else has plenty of room to breathe too, be that the intricacies of each level, the vibrant and fun art style, or the ridiculous cosmetics and bombastic world that the game is set in.
Devilishly devious dungeons delight
Broadly speaking, King of Meat’s levels are split into three types of dungeon: combat, puzzle, and platforming.
Some of the platforming levels are fun, but these dungeons, for me, have to tread the line of not being too frustrating and channeling those infamous Super Mario Maker levels where progress is super hard, especially if the checkpointing is a little mean.
However, there are also some devilishly devious puzzles that are immensely satisfying to solve together and plenty of moments when players can unlock doors for each other or synchronise actions to progress after a testing bit of danger. Some extra jeopardy also comes from the platforming currently (in the preview builds I have played, at least) feeling a bit slippery. It’s like your character might not stick the landing every time when making a jump.
Combat-focused dungeons are exactly that: levels where smashing the heck out of a variety of baddies is the goal. From what I’ve played, there’s a variety of enemies, though each can usually be taken on with your default – that only comes if you get swarmed by a (rare) enormous group, or if a boss proves to be a powerful one. The real danger comes from the creativity of the level design in combination with the enemies, so you have to juggle your awareness of the environment with that of the enemies, and throw in communication with your teammates too.
As a result of the latter, I’ve found that the most enjoyable dungeons are, maybe predictably, those that sport a hearty mix of combat and platforming. Combat-heavy levels feel like they have a more natural co-op lean than some of the platforming ones I’ve played, and they’re less prone to the frustrations that some platforming levels have.
However, that all ultimately comes down to how the levels are built and how devious the designer was feeling when creating it… I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of evil creations the community will be able to cook up.
Build it and they will come
As well as launching with a host of developer-designed dungeons, King of Meat’s create mode is likely where the game will achieve potential longevity, as it puts the creation of playable levels directly into the hands of players.
And what’s more, it’s incredibly intuitive to get to grips with. A simple tutorial with one of the game’s many colorful characters means you get a short but clear overview of the core mechanics. With that out of the way, it’s over to you, and you can build whatever you like.
You’ll be using the same tools to make your dungeons as the devs, so if you can see something you like in someone else’s stage, you’ll almost certainly be able to make it yourself in create mode.
You link different rooms together simply by dragging and dropping to connect doors- a little similar to the Hideout Mode in Assassin’s Creed Shadows from earlier this year – decide on traps, materials, enemies, tools, and more – the possibilities are nearly endless.
You can even put in destructible floors that will surprise players and have them fall down a layer – something that you can do repeatedly for the sake of comedy, too.
There seems to be so much potential for what can be served up through unique combinations, sheer creativity, and pure deviousness.
But you’re not just crafting levels from a bird’s eye perspective – you can quickly, easily, and conveniently check how parts or even a whole level play, in real-time, while building it. This is an incredibly handy and helpful touch that means your creations can be scrutinised as you go, and altered easily if need be.
When it comes to getting your level online for others to enjoy, you will need an Amazon Games ID. As you would expect, the names of levels will be moderated and each one is checked by devs before going live.
But once you publish it, that’s far from the end. Players who enjoy your level can give you a like – or ‘tip’ – as feedback. The more tips you have, the more visible and likely that it’ll be served up as a level for players to jump into in matchmaking.
What the community and players do with the create mode is a fascinating prospect given what I’ve experienced so far. There seems to be so much potential for what can be served up through unique combinations, sheer creativity, and pure deviousness.
A whole new world
The devs have not just created a game here, though; there’s a whole universe of lore and background that’s been formed, and players can learn more about it through interactions with the various non-player characters (NPCs).
Set in the land of Loregok, the Komstruct Koliseum is the stage for the TV show King of Meat. But rather than just let the dungeon setting be the sole focus for the world, there’s much more surrounding it, which gives it a solid, if slightly ridiculous, setting.
Around the entrance to the Koliseum is a central hub area that players will load into. Here, there are multiple explorable buildings and NPCs who can be interacted with to access different parts of the game, purchase items, and immerse yourself in all things meaty.
The Saturday morning cartoon art style shines in the hub area too, and this flamboyancy in aesthetic very much extends into your own character. You can buy so many cosmetics, including new items for your outfit, weapon skins, and even unique decals that you can place anywhere you please. Customization, then, is key to King of Meat, and this is another area of the game that could really land with players. Everything is done in a witty and engaging way – you can even add googly eyes to everything, and googly eyes just make everything better.
All in all, I had and have been having way more fun with King of Meat than I think I ever expected to have – and I’m absolutely here for playing more when the game fully releases, and gets into players’ hands.
It’s silly and ridiculous, flamboyant and joyous, funny and satisfying, all at once, but it’s also incredibly approachable and easy to play – as well as being suitable for a wide range of ages. I can really see it earning a place in people’s libraries for those who want an enjoyable pick-up-and-play co-op game to have a bit of chaotic fun with their friends.
Although it doesn’t have a firm release date yet, King of Meat is still on the cards to come out this year on PS5, Xbox Series X and Series S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
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rob.dwiar@futurenet.com (Rob Dwiar)
