Amazon’s latest game is definitely not what you’re expecting

This story is part of our Summer Gaming Marathon series.

After a whirlwind few years, I thought I’d finally gotten a handle on Amazon Games’ style. The publisher has started finding success with games like New World andLost Ark, both of which cater to the kinds of hardcore PC players who love dense RPGs. I figured that would be the company’s focus going forward as it settled into a big genre niche and made a play for a more international audience.

And then I played King of Meat.

Amazon’s latest project is unlike anything the studio has put out yet. Developed by Glowmade, King of Meat is a bright and silly co-op dungeon crawler that feels like a mash-up of LittleBigPlanet and Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout. It’s a family-friendly game about smashing skeletons, collecting gold, and conquering trap-filled dungeons built with an impressive creative suite. Though it’s certainly a strategic departure from efforts like Throne and Liberty, that might be exactly what Amazon needs. King of Meat already has the makings of a multiplayer charmer. It’ll just have to clear some familiar obstacles if it’s going to survive the precarious world of modern gaming.

Dungeon crawling

King of Meat is set in a fantasy world in which corporations have crafted the perfect reality competition show. Warriors are placed into teams of four and sent into dangerous dungeons full of monsters and traps. The goal is to make it out alive while collecting as much loot as possible, which can then be spent on cosmetics and special moves that will wow the audience. It’s a sleek gameplay loop pumped up with shiny progression and reward loops that make each completion feel worthwhile: clear a dungeon, spend the spoils in a hub, repeat.

The project is a big moment for developer Glowmade, a small studio led by industry veterans from Lionhead, Media Molecule, and other. Studio Head Johnny Hopper previously worked onLittleBigPlanet and that influence is immediately