Summary
King of Meatis an over-the-top, multiplayer dungeon crawler that takes players to the world of Loregok, where the titular reality show is the hottest - and only - entertainment on television. The title comes from Glowmade, which was founded by former Lionhead Studios developers - the company behind games like theFableseries - with Amazon Games serving as publisher.Screen Rantrecently attended a special hands-on event for the upcoming release, which consisted of about two hours of dungeon running with three other players that painted a delightfully chaotic picture of what the title has in store.
The game is inspired by a myriad of sources that inform its wacky, over-the-top nature, like WWE and the work of Jim Henson. As contestants, what players must tackle is multifaceted: overall survival is key, of course, but pleasing a destruction-hungry audience is just as important for overall success.King of Meatboasts over 100 levels designed by developers, but after release those will only make up a fraction of what’s available, as the title features a comprehensive dungeon designer where players can build their own courses and share them online for others to compete in.
10 Best Co-Op Games, Ranked
There have been a lot of great co-op games over the years, and the best of the best cover a wide variety of genres while maintaining the fun.
The King Of Meat Game Loop
Intense Dungeon Running & Shopping Sprees
The gameplay loop was easy to fall into during my time with the title, which alternates between the extreme chaos of the game’s dungeons with leisurely time spent in a communal Ironlaw Plaza full of vendors. Each dungeon varies in how it challenges players - some are more puzzle heavy or focused on tight platforming, while others acquire their difficulty from the enemies that reside there. For example, one of the runs we went on took us through a cog-filled factory, where we had to reactivate machines and navigate moving equipment, while another was all about waves of skeletons.
King of Meatmakes it easy to revive teammates, allowing other players to do it directly on the field or through special machines that dot each course. However, staying alive is arguably not the most important task for players to attend to. True progress is made through the amount of fame and gold earned each run, and the former is an especially integral part of gameplay. The audience loves excess in any form: things like collecting tons of treasure, racking up combos, and using extreme methods like explosives to blow up enemies or barriers will all help keep them happy.
It was clear from the preview that combat inKing of Meathas a few different layers to it that deepen over time. The game has melee weapons like swords and hammers, as well as ranged ones like crossbows. Maining a weapon is encouraged - as players use them more, they’ll be able to improve them at The Golden Anvil, leveling them to achieve more damage and new combo moves. Even in my short time, I was able to add a few new attacks to my hammer, like a fun sweeping circular attack perfect for mobs of skeletons.
Weapons aren’t the only thing players will have at their disposal in dungeons, either. As players level up, Glory Moves will unlock, which are over-the-top special moves that the audience absolutely loves. What these do varies, but they all have a wacky flair, like the Grand Smashional, which calls down a giant hoofed leg down from the sky to literally crush the competition. These can be upgraded over time as well, increasing their efficiency. With how delightfully weird they are, the prospect of an eventually-large arsenal of them is quite appealing.
When players exit the Komstruct Koliseum after each run, the first stop is always a trip to see the local bartender, who’s in charge of doling out rewards for completing specific milestones, like collecting 1,000 gold. After collecting any money and other upgrade materials from him, Ironclaw Plaza has several other useful stops players can make before the next venture. There’s single-use potions that can grant boons on a specific run, like briefly negating hits if health is below a certain amount, weapon upgrades, Glory Moves, and cosmetics that can all be purchased or unlocked around town.
Customizing The King Of Meat Experience
Crafting Absurd Characters & Personalized Dungeons
Customization is a heavily emphasized element ofKing of Meat, both when it comes to players' characters and the dungeons themselves. The hands-on time with the title didn’t include the dungeon builder, but a presentation from developers Jonny Hopper and Mike Green described a comprehensive system that will allow for “joyful creativity.” One stand out detail was the fact that the building mode is specifically designed with controllers in mind, which is a very welcome feature considering that even some of thebest building gamesare too menu-heavy to translate well from PC.
The dungeon builder begins with a room placer, and once a layout is established, players can add in different enemies, decor, and hazards like explosive barrels. Puzzles are constructed via Logic Mode, the specifics of which weren’t elaborated on too extensively, but it seems like a system that could potentially be very engaging, allowing players to set up things like door unlock conditions. If players can complete the course they’ve built, they’ll be able to upload it to the online gallery for other players to use.
Titles likeMario MakerandThe Sims 4have shown that there is potential for huge online communities centered around in-game building, and if the dungeon creator is as in-depth as the presentation made it seem, it could prove quite fruitful for players.
Character customization is just as important, with a lot of emphasis being placed on the cosmetics available during the preview. While this doesn’t directly affect gameplay - as audiences won’t award extra Fame for stellar outfits - it allows for a great deal of delightfully strange self-expression. There are weapon skins and colorful costume pieces alongside decals and decorations that can be freely placed and resized -I adorned my character with giant horns placed on their chest and back, a plague doctor mask, far too many facial feathers, and a weapon skin that turned my hammer into a giant sausage.
Final Thoughts On King Of Meat
A Chaotic, Cartoony Concept With Lots Of Potential
Titles likeMario MakerandThe Sims 4have shown that there is potential for huge online communities centered around in-game building, and if the dungeon creator is as in-depth as the presentation made it seem, it could prove quite fruitful for players. There were a few other features that also have a good chance of engaging groups of players besides building, like the Slay of the Day, a daily challenge of survival with a leaderboard that could encourage some fun competition. The title will also feature crossplay, broadening the potential audience, and allow for party creation and online matchmaking.
King of Meatis certainly a title that encourages fast, creative thinking and elicits a lot of laughs when in multiplayer.My few hours spent with the other players on my team were filled with lots of chaotic fun interspersed with surprised yells at traps and tough enemies, playfully roasting each other - particularly me - over poor platforming skills, and quick strategizing to deal with environmental hazards and destroy as much as possible. Though there’s currently no set release date,King of Meatshows a lot of potential through its chaos and customization that’s worth keeping an eye on.
Screen Rantattended a special event for the purpose of this preview.
