A Brutal Battle for the Crown
Sometimes we forget how long games are in development and how much work goes into the fine-tuning and playtesting before a game goes to release.
The average development time for a major title is now somewhere between three and seven years, a massive undertaking that depends heavily on the size and scope of the project.
I was lucky enough, two years ago, to go to a preview event for King of Meat. We sat through a detailed presentation from the developers, and then a team of four demonstrated the live gameplay, for about an hour and a half. Back then, my impression was that it was fun, incredibly action-packed, and looked like a blast to play with others.
Now, the full version of King of Meat is finally here, and I’ve had the chance to spend a lot more time with it, particularly in its solo mode. This is a title that feels designed for a long life, dependent on a healthy and active player base. I have to admit, I do worry about its long-term prospects, but hopefully, my concerns will be proven wrong.
The World’s Most Brutal Reality Show
Films like The Running Man could be a minor influence on the narrative themes of the game. It is set in a bizarre fantasy world where strange creatures are obsessed with watching terrible television. The biggest reality show out there is the titular King of Meat, a brutal gameshow where heroes run a gauntlet of deadly monsters and elaborate traps in order to get through the levels and be crowned the “King of Meat.”
The world-building is fun, and the comedy is very good, reminding me of the Fable series and a bit of Fall Guys. It has some great, colourful characters and some good writing, with a big shout-out to the in-game television adverts. Sadly, once you start getting into the dungeons and the games, you soon realise that this light narrative framing is all the story has to offer, and the experience becomes all about the core gameplay loop and gaining experience points.
Glory Moves and Gruesome Traps
Ultimately, the gameplay is where this game lives or dies. You can play in solo mode, of course, but I believe the most fun is to be had by joining with a team and battling through the dungeons together. When you start a game, you can customise and choose your character from a range of presets. You then pick your initial weapon type, which at the beginning is either a huge melee weapon or a crossbow, and then you’re off into the fray.
Soon, you will also be acquiring magic tricks, called Glory Moves, which include wonderfully absurd abilities like belching poison gas at your enemies. One of the most amazing attacks involves giant horse hooves inexplicably descending from the sky to squash your foes.
Co-op Chaos
Each dungeon is played in the third person. Either on your own or with your team, you will travel through the themed dungeon and try to make it to the end. Along the way, you’ll encounter a variety of moving traps, such as timed spikes appearing on the floor or huge pendulums swinging at you. Then there are waves of enemies that will spawn in stages for you to dispatch.
The combat is quick, with a satisfying hack-and-slash focus that is complemented by trying to lure enemies into the aforementioned traps. If you die in co-op (which you certainly will), a teammate can revive you, but you must make sure the entire team doesn’t die at the same time, or you will have to replay the section. Checkpoints are frequent, though, and at these points, you can heal up and constantly collect new loot.
Success in King of Meat is also dependent on some platforming, such as dodging traps, climbing on ledges, and a teeny bit of light puzzle-solving in terms of finding and activating switches. At the end of the level, you are rewarded with items, gold, and EXP, which you can use to upgrade into new weapons, armour, emotes, and cosmetics. It’s a very familiar gameplay loop, and one that, if you buy into it, is both great fun and highly addictive. However, if that loop doesn’t grab you, I don’t think the game will offer you much more.
The solo experience works perfectly well, but it isn’t as fun or rewarding as working in a team, whether that be with strangers or friends. This is a game that I hope will gain an online audience like Fall Guys, because that is where the future of King of Meat lies.
Building the Legacy
Between dungeons, you’ll return to a central hub world. This is where you can spend your hard-earned EXP points on upgrades and fulfil specific challenges to unlock extra gear and new abilities. It also serves as a social space where you can see other players online, running around the place. Crucially, you can also design your own dungeons for other people to play in. This feature, if embraced by the community, could well give the game a long life well after the initial launch month or so.
King of Meat’s visuals have a clean, colourful, cartoon feel to them, where the world is full of make-believe and fantasy. The dungeon designs are good, but some of them lack a huge amount of variation after a while. However, I like the attention to detail in the characters and the little touches, like seeing a backstage area of the dungeons, which reminds of its in-universe TV show setting. The audio is very good, with some great voice actors that sound like they are having the time of their lives performing the quirky characters. And yes, both the music and the sound effects are excellent.
A Fun Feast That Needs a Crowd
When I first saw King of Meat in action, a good few years back, I liked what was shown. And I still like it now that it has come to full release. King of Meat does a lot of things right, with its fun gameplay and co-op action that provides short, sharp hits of chaotic fun. It’s a game that makes you want to keep coming back. With the promise of more live events and, crucially, a community-driven dungeon designer, there could be lots more levels to play and experience in the future.
My only worry is that, at the time of writing, it’s already getting a bit quieter in matchmaking, and I really hope this doesn’t slow down further. Yes, the solo mode is fine, but playing with others is where the fun of King of Meat truly lies.
Important Links
Who Will Be Crowned King of Meat in This New Co-op Party Platformer? – https://www.thexboxhub.com/who-will-be-crowned-king-of-meat-in-this-new-co-op-party-platformer/
Co-op Dungeon Brawler King of Meat Serves Up an October Release Date – https://www.thexboxhub.com/co-op-dungeon-brawler-king-of-meat-serves-up-an-october-release-date/
King of Meat: The Komstruct Koliseum Awaits – https://www.thexboxhub.com/king-of-meat-the-komstruct-koliseum-awaits/
Buy King of Meat – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/king-of-meat-standard-edition/9NTD7QK32380/0010
Get a Deluxe Edition – http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/king-of-meat-deluxe-edition/9NTQ55CVH7RH/0010
