At first glance, King of Meat seems like the kind of multiplayer game that’s destined for success based on its premise alone. Part third-person dungeon-crawler and part platformer, anchored by an appealing 4-player PvE structure, King of Meat has been billed as a sort of blend between multiplayer party games like Fall Guys and more challenging, combat-driven experiences. And, at least initially, King of Meat delivers on this premise with some fun and engaging sessions across dungeons built by both the game’s developers and the community. It’s only when you start to dig a little bit beneath that surface that the thinness of that premise begins to show, ultimately proving that King of Meat wears out its welcome a little too fast.
The biggest question that most players will be left with after an extended period of time with King of Meat is one that I couldn’t help but ponder during my entire time with the game, wondering just exactly who an experience like this is for. The combat lacks any of the strategic depth or challenge that you would expect from a modern action game, with mindless hack-and-slash combat and a limited selection of weapons pretty much all there is to look forward to. Platforming is similarly bland, with the barest bones of challenge and an unshakable feeling that the dungeon-creating meta-game within King of Meat is wasted potential for something that could (and should) have gifted players more fulfilling dungeons to trounce through.
There’s a progression curve in King of Meat that’s seemingly designed to keep players hooked and completing one dungeon after the next, but the lack of variety among those dungeons, combined with a fairly shallow pool of objectives to pull from for each, results in the gameplay loop starting to feel like more of the same at an alarming rate. Whether playing in single-player or with a group of friends, King of Meat can be relied on for a bit of fun, but the cracks in its veneer surface way too fast to justify it as an essential pick-up when so many other, better multiplayer games exist.
Despite Being Billed as ‘Fall Guys Meets Dark Souls’, King of Meat Brings Big PS2 Energy
King of Meat‘s blending of hack-and-slash combat with chaotic multiplayer platforming led to it getting plenty of nods as a sort of mix between Fall Guys and something like Dark Souls, but the truth is that its inspirations seemingly date back even further. Never mind the fact that it lacks the depth of either of those games, King of Meat feels more like the kind of offbeat genre experiment we would’ve gotten during the PS2 era, and its closest comparison is a game that most players who pick it up likely won’t remember: Capcom’s Maximo. Except, unlike Maximo, there’s no real story hook or connection to a preexisting franchise (in Maximo‘s case, Ghosts ‘n Goblins) to string players along when the gameplay starts to wear thin.
As a multiplayer-centric title, King of Meat opts to sidestep having a structured narrative in favor of a light story premise that covers the major beats: why you’re there, what King of Meat is, etc. It ventures into Running Man territory, with the titular show being a deadly gauntlet of challenges that contestants run through in hopes of obtaining glory, all for the entertainment of a strange realm that blends high fantasy with technological advancements like, well, television. After that brief setup, it’s off to the races, and the novelty of King of Meat‘s premise almost immediately starts to wear thin once you go hands-on with both the combat and platforming halves of its gameplay.
King of Meat is Fun Enough While It Lasts, But Lacks Variety to Keep Players Engaged Long-Term
Building on that earlier PS2-era comparison, gameplay in King of Meat is surprisingly shallow compared to other modern attempts at blending platforming with combat. Controls are floaty and feel imprecise, hit detection feels wonky and weapons lack weight, and the same button inputs are used for each weapon type, regardless of their weight, specific attacks, or progression paths toward mastery. And while you might be able to forgive King of Meat for having some shallow gameplay in exchange for each run being a fun and unpredictable attempt at clearing one of the many dungeons on offer, the reality is that you’ll have seen everything the game has to offer in just a few hours.
Each new run in King of Meat is set up like a television show, with one single run through a dungeon counting as an “episode” and longer, tiered challenges counting as “seasons”. You’ll begin in a hub area where you can chat with King of Meat‘s prior champions, all of whom fulfill some sort of prerequisite NPC role as vendors, quest-givers, or challenge trackers. Once you’ve spent any gold burning a hole in your pocket and secured your desired layout and party composition, it’s time to head into the game itself and take on one of a selection of premade dungeons from developer Glowmade or attempt custom-designed levels from the community.
Regardless of which of these you opt for, though, the core gameplay loop remains the same. Dungeons are split up into various categories based on the composition of their rooms — think “Puzzle”, “Combat”, “Platforming”, or the all-inclusive “Dungeon” — and ultimately boil down to the same kind of challenges across each. Rooms will either focus on wacky platforming challenges (such as dodging massive swinging cleavers or avoiding spike pits), combat challenges (defeating waves of enemies), puzzles (coordinating with your teammates to stand on pressure plates that raise and lower platforms), or a mix of all the above. Though the settings and set dressing may change, the enemy types, traversal options, and level of difficulty never do. You’re supposed to maintain an “approval rating” that grants you increased rewards based on your performance, but once the banality of it all begins to set in, not even a long list of potential unlocks can be enough of a dangling carrot to make repeated runs feel worthwhile.
Even With a Dedicated Multiplayer Group, Your Mileage With King of Meat May Vary
Fortunately, the multiplayer focus of King of Meat makes for the occasional bit of fun and hilarity stemming from players’ ability to unintentionally (or perhaps intentionally) sabotage one another during a run. What was arguably a bit of a slog in single-player becomes much more serviceable with a friend or two to join you, which makes King of Meat a game that, while it can be played solo, absolutely needs a dedicated friend group to really get anything of note from the experience. That said, the emergent gameplay moments that arise from playing with friends can only do so much to cover up King of Meat‘s structural weaknesses.
There’s an entire meta-game at play within King of Meat when it comes to the dungeon creation mode, which is one area where I’d expect the game to have a bit of a longer tail. Players who get enjoyment from titles like Minecraft or even Super Mario Maker will find that King of Meat‘s suite of creation tools gives them plenty of options and is fairly easy to use. But much like the core gameplay loop, this creative mode lacks the depth and complexity of any of the aforementioned games to be something that could keep creative-minded players engaged for more than a handful of sessions. King of Meat is not an objectively flawed experience, but in a year when gamers are practically drowning in one incredible game after another, a title can’t really afford to be this forgettable.
- Released
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October 7, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Glowmade
- Publisher(s)
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Amazon Games
- Multiplayer
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Online Co-Op
- PC Release Date
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October 7, 2025
- Unique premise that blends dungeon-crawling with an endlessly replayable multiplayer party game
- A dungeon creation mode that allows players to contribute designs to the community
- Gameplay wears thin after just a few sessions
- Lack of variety in dungeon design, combat sandbox, and progression unlocks
- Floaty controls and simplistic gameplay systems that harken back to the weakest parts of the PS2 era
King of Meat launches October 7 for PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a PS5 code for this review.
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