Gamescom Opening Night Live was packed with exciting announcements, and Glowmade’sKing of Meatwas certainly one of them. Branded as a4-player co-ophack-and-slasher,King of Meatwill see players slicing their way through a gauntlet of dungeons, all filled with larger-than-life fantasy enemies and over-the-top traps.
Based on the game’s reveal trailer and the animated short that preceded it during Gamescom ONL, it’s clear thatKing of Meathas a very strong and distinct sense of style and humor. Game Rant recently spoke with Glowmade’s Studio Head Jonny Hopper, who gave some interesting insight into two of the biggest influences behindKing of Meat’s style.
King of Meat’s Influences Couldn’t Be More Different
WWE and Labyrinth Are King of Meat’s Primary Influences
When creating a hack-and-slash game set in asatirical fantasy worldin which a deadly gameshow has become the primary form of entertainment, it’s only natural thatKing of Meat’s developer, Glowmade, took some inspiration from other pieces of media like it. But the influences that Hopper revealed during his interview with Game Rant couldn’t be more different from one another:
“The inception of the game was us sitting around, asking what stuff we love. One of the things was David Bowie and Jim Henson’sLabyrinth, the other thing was WWE. This was like six years ago. We thought, what if we made those two things into something?”
Released in 1986, theJim Henson-directed, David Bowie-starringLabyrinthis a rather bizarre cult classic that’s renowned for its camp performances, catchy musical numbers, and plenty of larger-than-life Creature Shop puppets. WhileLabyrinthreceived somewhat mixed reviews upon its 1986 debut, it became a core part of many people’s childhoods, and it’s often cited as a source of inspiration for projects that aren’t afraid to dip their toes into the realm of absurdity.
Of course,WWEneeds no introduction. Televised professional wrestling has been happening for decades now, and it remains one of the most popular forms of sports entertainment due to its ongoing storylines, large-scale events, and iconic wrestlers. It makes complete sense that WWE has influencedKing of Meat.It’s a little eye-catching though that it’s listed as one of the main sources of inspiration right alongsideLabyrinth, as the two are exceptionally different in terms of tone and content.
How King of Meat’s WWE and Labyrinth Influences Can Be Seen in Gameplay
When taking another look atKing of Meat’s reveal trailer, itsLabyrinthand WWE influences become a bit clearer. Vibrant and loud costumes are a focal point ofKing of Meat’s gameplay loop, with its trailer showcasing outfits like a knight babysitter with baby dragons hanging from a carrier, a top hat-wearing, guitar-wielding skeleton, and a squid wearing a lifebuoy, all of which feel like a natural extension of WWE’s costumed wrestlers.
King of Meat’s enemy designs borrow a little bit ofLabyrinth’s fantastical flair, with cutesy skeletons, grinning ogres, and mohawk-wearing floating brains all appearing in the game’s reveal trailer. It’ll be fun to see just how else WWE andLabyrinthhave influencedKing of Meatwhen the game eventually launches, though there’s no official word yet on when that could be.
King of Meatis currently in development for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
