After spending the last few years focused on massive RPG projects, Amazon Games is branching out as a publisher with King of Meat, a new cooperative dungeon-crawling game from UK-based Glowmade. The studio, composed of former Xbox and PlayStation developers, aims to blend over-the-top action, community-driven creativity, and a satirical game-show vibe into one chaotic package. We shall now see if this game has what it takes to sustain in a rather crowded market of similar titles.
Lights, Camera, Survival
The premise of King of Meat is as bizarre as it is brutal. Contestants are forced into a deadly survival game show called Loregok’s only televised hit. As one of these challengers, you and your friends must fight your way through dungeon-style arenas filled with vicious monsters, fiendish traps, and larger-than-life bosses. Survival means more than just bragging rights; you’ll earn sponsor deals, new weapons, abilities, cosmetic outfits, and decorations for your own custom dungeon builds. The game began with a character creator, robust enough to feel satisfying without being overwhelming. I quickly put together a knight wielding a guitar-shaped weapon, while my two teammates built their own eccentric heroes.
The dungeon we tackled was made up of a string of rooms, each escalating in complexity. Early stages threw basic platforming challenges and light puzzles at us, but soon we were clashing with skeletal warriors and dodging deadly traps. The highlight was a boss fight perched on a raised platform, hurling explosive projectiles in every direction. Luckily, explosive barrels scattered around gave us the tools we needed to fight back. After a tense battle, victory came with a tongue-in-cheek celebration sequence, rewarding our survival with a moment of well-earned applause.
The co-op loop was consistently fun, though not without flaws. Controls occasionally felt imprecise, and combat impact could use more punch, as hits sometimes lacked satisfying feedback. That said, the joy of solving puzzles and fighting bosses together more than made up for these issues. With crossplay promised at launch, King of Meat already feels like a title built for friends to laugh, fail, and succeed together.
Enter Buzzworth Billy and the Creator Mode
No modern co-op title feels complete without a way for players to leave their own mark. And King of Meat’s Creator Mode shows clear ambition. Introduced by Buzzworth Billy, a saw-blade-headed mascot that looks straight out of a twisted amusement park, we were guided through the basics of dungeon design. The toolset allows you to chain rooms, add traps, place enemies, and experiment with mechanics before instantly testing them. It initially feels a bit clunky, but it quickly clicked, reminding me of LittleBigPlanet’s creation tools, which makes sense, given that Glowmade includes veterans from that franchise.
One dungeon was completely dark, requiring one player to hold a lantern while others defended them from hordes. This kind of emergent creativity is exactly the fuel that could sustain King of Meat long after launch. Although the focus is clearly on cooperative action, the game offers a surprisingly elaborate single-player mode. This is presented as a kind of episodic structure and takes players into a murder mystery story within the game show world.
Without giving too much away. It’s about behind-the-scenes intrigue, sabotage, and the question of who is really pulling the strings. The missions are more challenging than the standard levels, require a strategic approach, and show that the developers can offer exciting content even outside of multiplayer chaos. The fights, in particular, prove to be a learning experience here. They allow you to experiment with your character’s abilities, from poison attacks and ice whirlwinds to spectacular melee maneuvers, including a homage to the famous Izuna Drop maneuver from Ninja Gaiden. Overall, the combat system feels varied and dynamic.
Rewards come in the form of cosmetic items or new abilities, which provide additional motivation. The humorous writing, quirky characters, and offbeat game show atmosphere prevent the story from feeling too serious or heavy. Instead, the tongue-in-cheek tone is maintained here as well, making King of Meat an unusual but charming experience.
Final Thoughts
My time with King of Meat flew by, which is always a good sign. The cooperative dungeon crawling was both frantic and rewarding, and the Creator Mode hints at limitless possibilities for player-driven content. Minor frustrations like floaty controls and underwhelming hit feedback are present. But with refinement, they’re unlikely to overshadow the fun at the core. Whether King of Meat can carve out a lasting space in the crowded co-op market will depend heavily on Glowmade’s support and the creativity of its community. However, the potential is clear: King of Meat has everything it needs to be a smash hit with players worldwide.
King of Meat is set to launch on October 7th across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.
Disclaimer: Amazon Games provided early access to King of Meat on PlayStation 5.
