During Summer Game Fest, we went hands-on with King of Meat, a co-op party platformer that channels the chaotic energy of a TV game show. In the game, teams face off across increasingly absurd challenges, all in the name just crazy and stupid fun… and glory.

Like other party platformer games of its type, most notably Fall Guys and Splatoon, this title differentiates itself from the rest by its tools that allow players to create original levels for themselves, test them out, and make them available for other players to try out and have fun with!

The game is published by Amazon Games and developed by UK-based studio Glowmade, helmed by Jonny Hopper, former Lead Programmer and Narrative Designer on LittleBigPlanet at Media Molecule. His influence is evident in the game’s emphasis on user-generated content as a core aspect.

King of Meat Rules Above All!

We spent 45 minutes with King of Meat, diving into both of its main gameplay modes. The session started with a 10-minute character setup segment, where we customized our avatars using an impressively deep array of gear and cosmetics.

While we started out with our basic sword and shield and a ranged weapon, we could choose from the different arsenals that had been provided. From the standard weaponry, we could choose the typical dungeon-crawling weapons, such as two-handed swords, axes, and crossbows. We were also privy to more unconventional gear, including guns, electric guitars, and even megaphones.

I opted for the latter, wielding a guitar-axe hybrid and a megaphone, which felt refreshingly distinct and thematically in tune with the game’s weird and wacky tone. The lobby’s quirky UI further reinforced that playful, LittleBigPlanet-style charm.

Cosmetics were a clear highlight. With in-game currency, we browsed a vibrant wardrobe of wacky outfits, fully embracing the game show aesthetic. My teammates didn’t hold back, fully leaning into the chaos with outrageous combinations that added to the fun.

The lobby also served as a hub filled with missions and collectible rewards, mainly currency and cosmetics, offering a preview of the game’s progression system. Once our crew was geared up, we jumped into the core gameplay.

Platforming leaned on familiar mechanics: dodge spike traps, defeat skeletal guards, and solve light puzzles to progress. It wasn’t revolutionary, but it was well-executed and delivered good fun.

Get Those Creative Juices Flowing!

One of the standout features of King of Meat is its robust Create Mode, which lets players design, test, and publish their custom dungeons for the community. Echoing titles like Dreams and LittleBigPlanet, this mode transforms players into creators, with imagination as the only limitation, setting itself apart from titles in the same genre.

Create Mode starts with the basics: a spawn point and a goal. Everything in between is entirely up to you. With intuitive tools from the dungeon tutorial, we easily added rooms of varying sizes, branching hallways, and decoy paths to mislead speedrunners. An enjoyable mechanic allows using keys, switches, and locked doors, encouraging groups of players to progress.

Before publishing, we playtested the dungeon to ensure everything functioned as intended. Once satisfied, we submitted it for review, eager to see how the community would respond to our little maze.

This blend of creative freedom and community engagement gives King of Meat its unique edge. We’re excited to see what dungeon masterpieces players create when the servers open to the public.

King of Meat will launch a public server on PC and will run until launch.