It’s hard out there for new multiplayer games. There have been plenty of examples in the past few years of how tough it is for online live-service shooters to thrive, but the same is true of any game that intends to keep a dedicated group of players around for the long-term. A new wave of silly co-op games have been among the most successful multiplayer titles recently, as a counterpoint to struggling player-versus-player games, making the case that new multiplayer releases need a strong, original premise to survive. In developer Glowmade’s new King of Meat, published by Amazon Games, that premise is a violent but wacky game show to participate in with your friends, and while there’s a lot to recommend it already, it’s hard to imagine it becoming my co-op game of choice for very long.
Before you get to the platforming and combat that define King of Meat, you first need to settle in for a lengthy bit of table-setting. The game takes place on the set of a new competition show that challenges entrants to survive gauntlets of enemies and deadly traps, earning points for how entertainingly they get past it all. That world is set up through a series of cutscenes mostly resembling the aesthetics of a late-night Adult Swim cartoon. King of Meat goes all in on a lighthearted, jokey tone, poking fun at pro wrestling, reality TV, and video games all at once, and for the most part, it works. There were times in playing when I just wanted to get to the actual game rather than sit through more minutes of setup, but the humor in King of Meat lands more often than not, giving the game more of a personality than your typical brawler.
The same idea extends into the multiplayer matches themselves, with mixed results. The tone of King of Meat when you’re actually in its levels can feel a bit relentless, with an announcer quipping about your performance and fountains of loot and random junk exploding out of every treasure chest you break open along the way. Environments in both the levels and the hub between them are so full of environmental jokes that you’re basically always looking at something that’s at least meant to be funny.
That sense of visual overwhelm feels at odds with what is ultimately a pretty standard set of co-op battles and platforming challenges. You select individual levels from the hub world, and you’ll know ahead of time whether they focus on combat or platforming, though most have at least some amount of both.
Of the two main level types, I found the platforming stages a bit more enjoyable, as King of Meat already has some pretty satisfying platforming puzzles in place. You’re given a limited set of moves to get through: a nicely floaty double jump and a dash that turns into a belly flop in midair. Dodging traps and riding floating platforms over pits of lava are common, and levels tend to be absolutely full of hidden paths leading to more treasure and optional collectibles. None of the levels I encountered in the game at launch felt truly remarkable, but I still had a good time jumping my way through them.
Combat is still pretty enjoyable, but it’s clearer here that King of Meat isn’t really doing anything new. You have a basic and special attack for each of its weapons, plus a ranged weapon and the ability to shove foes off ledges and into traps. Combat stages are littered with explosives to throw or knock enemies into to keep things a bit more interesting, especially as you’re rewarded for using a variety of moves to succeed. But while there are no glaring flaws with combat, it doesn’t do much to really feel special, either.
The real downfall of King of Meat so far is how little it seems to matter that it’s a co-op game. Having additional players obviously makes combat easier, and there are a few puzzles in platforming sections that require everyone to push switches at the same time, but the experience of playing in multiplayer feels almost identical to the experience of playing alone. Playing a game with your friends is naturally a compelling idea, because you presumably like spending time with your friends. But King of Meat is far from the most compelling way to do that with so many other options out there.
Despite that, I wouldn’t write King of Meat off entirely just yet. Along with its set of premade levels, the game includes a level editor, with the ability to share the stages you design with other players online. The editor itself is simple and intuitive, with more options unlocking after you complete a tutorial and progress further into the game. Given how wild other games built around custom levels (like Super Mario Maker) have gotten, I’m willing to bet we’ll see some incredible creations coming out of King of Meat if it picks up even a moderately sized fan base.
Live-service games can also suffer in the long term from demanding too much from players to unlock new items or squeezing money out of them for the best options. Glowmade says that microtransactions in King of Meat will be limited to cosmetic items. It will not include loot boxes. As a paid game, it could avoid the worst excesses of the free-to-play market, but it’s worth at least keeping in mind the pitfalls that similar games have fallen into.
Even assuming King of Meat can avoid them, it’s an uneven offering at launch. I enjoyed my time with the game and would be happy to dive back in now and then, especially if the level editor does lead to more interesting creations than the default stages. But as it stands now, King of Meat has more personality backstage than it does when the show begins.
