When we previewed King of Meat about a year ago, it already looked like a chaotic mash-up of creative sparks and a co-op brawler’s raw energy. Now that the full game has arrived – developed by Glowmade and published by Amazon Games – it’s clear that the premise has grown into something both stranger and more ambitious. Played across PlayStation 5 and PC, the game delivers on its promise of co-op creativity and community-driven fun, though not without a few bruises from its own meat grinder of ideas.
Set inside a bizarre TV gameshow where players – dubbed Contenders – fight for glory in surreal, flesh-themed arenas, King of Meat revels in absurdity. Its tone is constantly tongue-in-cheek, balancing slapstick humor with bursts of cartoonish violence that never stray into grim territory. The story, as thin as it may be, thrives on eccentric personalities and irreverent dialogue that feel tailor-made for a Saturday night multiplayer session. This kind of self-awareness keeps the game from feeling like a parody gone too far, maintaining a quirky charm even when the on-screen chaos threatens to overwhelm.
At its core, King of Meat is an accessible yet layered co-op experience, best enjoyed with friends. Combat mixes hack-and-slash action with light platforming and puzzle-solving, offering a surprisingly strategic edge beneath all the noise. A wide range of weapons – from bone clubs to energy blades – encourage experimentation, while “Glory Moves” reward skillful play. However, balancing issues mean some encounters lean more toward frantic dodging than thoughtful tactics, and some enemy armor types can occasionally break the rhythm of combat. Still, the underlying sense of momentum and shared spectacle keeps the action engaging, especially in larger fights.
Controls, while mostly tight, occasionally feel “floaty” during platforming sequences, and that slight looseness can be frustrating during the trickier cooperative sections even when respawns are fast. This is partly offset by how creative the level design can be. Arenas are styled as episodic “TV runs,” each filled with deadly traps, shifting layouts, and exaggerated props that echo the absurd spirit of the show. What really elevates the experience, though, is the user-generated content. Players can build and share their own dungeons, fostering a sense of community that extends beyond the base game. The creation tools are intuitive and flexible, and they ensure King of Meat won’t run out of fresh material anytime soon.
Visually, the game is as distinctive as its premise. The aesthetic lands somewhere between Splatoon’s vibrancy and LittleBigPlanet’s handcrafted whimsy, but with a grotesque twist: pulsating meat textures, animated props, and over-the-top character designs that reinforce the show’s surreal flavor. It’s stylish rather than gory, leaning into exaggerated cartoonishness instead of realism. Technically, performance is stable across both PS5 and PC, though load times can be a little long. The sound design matches the visual intensity, with pounding electronic tracks, eccentric effects, and excellent voice acting.
Beneath the noise and nonsense lies a cleverly designed reward loop. A battle-pass-style progression system keeps players hooked, unlocking cosmetic items, emotes, and new weapons that reinforce both individuality and replay value. It’s a structure that fits naturally within the game’s reality-TV theme: the more you play, the more you can perform. While repetition in level layouts and combat pacing occasionally dulls the edge, the game’s personality and constant stream of player-created content keep things lively.
In the end, King of Meat feels like a worthy evolution of the creative-party formula. It’s raucous, inventive, and surprisingly substantial once you look past its initial silliness. The uneven balancing and slightly inconsistent controls don’t spoil the fun – it remains a standout co-op experience, especially when shared with friends who enjoy a touch of the absurd with their action. Glowmade’s debut under Amazon Games might not be flawless, but it’s undeniably memorable and fun – and that’s exactly what a good TV show, or a good game, should be.
Score: 8.0/10
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