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This party platformer serves up a steady stream of challenges with buckets of content to unlock, ranging all the way from a robust roster of weapons to neat cosmetics that help you run wild in the excellent character creator.

Personalization and customization are consistent highlights in King of Meat, and when you’re not tackling its wide selection of community-made levels, the expansive dungeon maker gives you a powerful but approachable set of tools for crafting your own.

Review info

Platform reviewed: PS5
Available on: PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox Series X, and Series S
Release date: October 7, 2025

It’s a meaty package given the modest $29.99 / £24.99 asking price, but there are some rough edges to bear in mind before you dive in. Its copious animated cutscenes are gorgeous, but the constant parody humor can sometimes grate. It’s perfectly serviceable if you’re willing to regard it with some degree of irony, but hardly entertaining material. The platforming can also be a drag, as it's quite slow and precise - the opposite of what you would usually expect from a colorful multiplayer party game like this.

Pair this with a difficulty level that ranges all the way from a complete cakewalk to unbelievably punishing, depending on the design of your current dungeon, and the experience can often frustrate.

Meat your maker

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Set in the fantasy kingdom of Loregok, everything in King of Meat is centered around the titular in-universe TV show.

Although online play is the focus, there’s a surprising amount of story here and heaps of voiced dialogue. The handful of vendors in its small hub world frequently dispense world-building lines, and there’s even a pretty solid single-player mode that has you traversing through a series of developer-crafted dungeons as little narrative segments play out.

Despite the reliance on rather passé parody humor, it’s certainly entertaining enough and offers a nice little diversion if you’re waiting for your friends to hop on for a multiplayer session. Reaching new high scores in these levels unlocks loads of neat goodies too, including in-game currency and some nifty cosmetics, giving you a good reason to replay each of them a handful of times.

The star of the show is the multiplayer, though, divided into three distinct leagues that can be tackled with up to three other players. The league tryouts are your beginner levels, intended to be immediately approachable to low-level players. Populated by basic skeleton enemies or simplistic puzzles, they’re not particularly thrilling, leading to a rather weak first few matches, but soon give way to the much more exciting Global League playlist and the super challenging Imperial League.

Global League is where I routinely have the most fun, but enjoyment does hinge heavily on the design of the level that you’re playing. Although there is a fairly large selection of developer-made stages (which comprised the bulk of my early testing time), the community also has the power to create new levels that feed into the mix.

Sizzle reel

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

When you’re playing a well-designed level, everything just clicks.

One particularly memorable example had me completing quite complex spike-based puzzles with a team of randoms, all of us communicating through the in-game chat wheel (populated by barks like ‘nice’ or ‘sorry’) and the quick ping feature.

Carefully timing my position on pressure plates to disable traps so the other players could progress and do the same for me was immensely satisfying and had us all frictionlessly working like a hive mind despite the lack of detailed communication.

Going head-to-head with just the right mix of enemies in more wave-based challenges also helps the shockingly deep combat shine. Chaining different combos together to fill up the on-screen audience excitement meter is immediately rewarding, with more elaborate streaks resulting in louder cheers and higher points.

Best bit

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

The specials mode offers up a platter of limited-time challenges, with some aimed at solo players and others geared towards teams. They’re some of the best levels that I’ve seen, with a good mix of devious traps and combat challenges. Competing in them puts you on a huge leader board, and yes I managed to reach number one a handful of times.

There are loads of weapons to try too, with both a primary and secondary slot. Primaries range from your average medieval fare like swords and hammers to magical knuckle dusters and electric guitars, while secondaries include a bomb launcher and, my personal favorite, a literal gun. Completing challenges with each weapon feeds into a large set of skill trees, with unlocks increasing key stats and improving the efficiency of attacks.

Powerful Glory Moves are charged like an ultimate ability as your brawl, unleashing powerful effects, including healing for your team and an amusing burp that sends enemies flying. It’s all very strong on paper, but the issues start to come to the fore when you’re playing a less well-designed stage.

One random choice dumped me in a long, straight corridor that was just overflowing with super powerful enemies - a wildly unfair slog that saw me losing all five of my lives in a matter of seconds.

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Platforming is rather slow and cumbersome, too, which makes some of the more parkour-oriented stages feel unfair. Your maximum running speed is a snail's pace, and your jump is floaty and inaccurate. Throw in some consistent issues with hit direction thanks to server latency, and you have a recipe for annoyance when you’re trying to navigate everything from spike pits to moving platforms - which unfortunately are practically omnipresent.

I’m not exactly sure why developer Glowmade didn’t go for a lighter, faster style of platforming here, as it would easily make everything so much more exciting.

Dungeon master

(Image credit: Amazon Games)

Those with a creative streak will likely be able to forgive this, though, as King of Meat doesn’t fall short when it comes to customization.

The character creator is excellent, giving you loads of control over your armored competitor with a variety of outfit parts, plus decals and accessories that you can place anywhere. The unique, almost-modern-but-still-medieval look is cute too, and means that traffic cones and tracksuit bottoms don’t look at all out of place next to suits of armor.

There’s also the superb dungeon creator. It’s not quite as expensive as something like the level builder in Super Mario Maker, as it fundamentally relies on placing pre-set rooms, but you can achieve an awful lot with it. There are loads of decor items to place freely, tons of enemies, special effects, and a robust logic system for those keen to create more adventurous contraptions and puzzles.

The ability to quickly play your dungeon from the start or your current room in order to spot any sore spots is a blessing and makes creation fun and easy. Uploading your tracks for others to try is simple too, and I personally can’t wait to discover what kind of things players will come up with.

All of this leaves me a bit conflicted about King of Meat. The groundwork is all here for a fantastic experience, and the team behind the game has clearly put a huge amount of care and attention into almost all of its core elements - I just wish the platforming and comedy weren't quite so tedious.

Should I play King of Meat?Play it if…

You’re after a new co-op game
King of Meat is fun with friends and supports playing with up to three of them at any one time. Its low asking price makes it an attractive proposition if you’re looking for something to play on your next virtual game night.

You’re wildly creative
From the character creator to the dungeon maker, King of Meat gives you a wealth of tools to express yourself and run wild with creativity. If you’re the kind of person who loves those systems, you’ll get a lot out of this.

Don’t play it if…

You can’t stand the style of humor
There is a surprising amount of narrative content in King of Meat, and a lot of it is filled with annoying parody humor. If that’s not your cup of tea, I’d give it a miss.

You’re in it for the platforming
Combat is exciting, but the slow platforming is one of the weakest parts of the overall package.

Accessibility features

There are loads of accessibility options in King of Meat. This includes a range of speech-to-text options, including narration of the in-game menus and chat box. Subtitles are enabled by default, and you’re free and customize the size, color, and background opacity of them. The controls can also be customized with a huge range of input options that remove the need to hit buttons.

Photosensitive users can remove the screen flash that occurs when you take damage, or disable a selection of other in-game effects.

How I reviewed King of Meat

I played more than ten hours of King of Meat on PlayStation 5 ahead of the game’s launch. During that time, I played a heap of levels both alone and with other players online.

I also had a lengthy co-op session with a colleague in order to assess the game’s potential when you’re playing with friends. I unlocked the bulk of the game’s content, including most of its weapons, and played with all of the ones that were available to me. I became global number one in a handful of the daily challenge levels and also spent some time as the level creator, experimenting with the tools on offer.

Throughout my time with the game, I played it with the standard DualSense Wireless Controller and an Astro A20 X gaming headset for audio.

First reviewed September 2025

King of Meat has a lot going for it as a co-op party game, but awkward humor and underwhelming platforming disappoint.

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These brass-framed neutral-density filters can slow down shutter speeds for video motion blur, wide-open aperture shooting and multi-second exposure times.

PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II: Two-minute review

The latest product of PolarPro’s ongoing collaboration with hugely popular videographer and YouTube creator Peter McKinnon, the VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II has become an interesting and valuable part of my camera setup over the past few weeks.

First, a quick explanation of what a ND filter does. One of the key principles of photography and videography is the so-called “exposure triangle” – the way that ISO, aperture and shutter speed interact to control the amount of light that hits an image sensor.

By adding a neutral-density (ND) filter – which reduces the amount of light coming in without affecting the color hue – to the equation, photographers gain one extra factor to influence how the camera behaves, and more control over shutter speed and aperture.

For photographers, the ability to reduce light means we can use longer shutter speeds than the lighting conditions would ordinarily allow. That means artfully blurred waterfalls, or night-time shots with streaking, laser-like car headlights. For videographers, control over shutter speed allows for motion blur and wide-open aperture shooting in brighter conditions.

The main selling point of the PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II (also known as the PMVND II) is that it’s a variable ND filter. In other words, twisting the filter allows the photographer to select an ND value from anything between two and five stops, saving them the bother of having to add filters to and them filters from their lens. (PolarPro also sells a stronger 6-9 stop edition of the VND filter, plus mist-diffusion Black Mist versions of both).

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

Because my review sample sits at the weaker end of the range for ND filters, I found that it couldn’t stop enough light to get truly long exposures outdoors on a bright, sunny day. Even at its highest 5-stop setting, and with my camera at its lowest ISO setting, a shutter speed of anything longer than a second resulted in a blown-out, overexposed image. So, if you want to shoot multi-second daytime exposures on sunny days or in bright landscapes (like snowfields), you’ll want to have the 6-9 stop filter to hand. If you’re feeling flush, buying both filters provides a wide stopping range.

On more overcast days, at night or indoors, however, the two to five stop range feels very usable. Even during the day, it allowed me to set a wider aperture than I’d normally be able to use for video, resulting in a shallow depth of field with background bokeh while maintaining an ideal shutter speed (of roughly double my frame rate, as the rule of thumb suggests).

The filter glass is extremely clear and neutral, although it does appear to add a very slight warm color cast when compared to shots with no filter attached. I couldn’t spot a single incidence of ghosting or chromatic aberration, however – two issues that can plague cheaper filters. And it doesn’t seem to affect the sharpness of images at all, which is what I would expect of a filter in this price range.

I also encountered no vignetting when shooting with a wide-open aperture at my lens’ widest field of view (12mm on a Micro Four Thirds camera, equivalent to 24mm on a 35mm or full-frame camera). PolarPro claims the filter exhibits no vignetting right down to 16mm, but I wasn’t able to put that to the test myself.

I also noticed that a small amount of additional contrast could creep into shots as I moved up the ND stop range. That’s a side effect of the variable ND filter design, I think – VNDs require polarized glass to achieve their variable effect, and that will affect the final image slightly. If that’s a no-no for you, you’ll need to use regular, non-variable ND filters instead.

While performance is strong, build quality might be even better. I was sent a 67mm filter to review (it’s also available in 49mm, 77mm, 82mm and 95mm sizes), and used a step-up ring (also by PolarPro) to fit it to the 62mm thread on my Panasonic 12-60mm F2.8-4.0 lens. Both the filter and ring screwed on smoothly and securely, with no awkward threading.

Image 1 of 5

No filter attached (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 2 of 5

ND 2 (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 3 of 5

ND 3 (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 4 of 5

ND 4 (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Image 5 of 5

ND 5 (Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)

The combined case and lens cap (known as the Defender 360) makes fitting even easier – and ensures greasy fingerprints stay well away from the filter glass. The cap features two parts, one metal (aluminum to be precise) and one rubber, with the rubber element gripping around the filter’s frame so that you can, with a twist, add or remove the filter from your lens. When not in use, the filter sits inside the rubber part while the metal screws back on over one side to keep it safe. It’s an ingenious piece of design.

The filter itself feels beautifully precision engineered. The machined ridges or knurls on the edge give your fingers plenty to grip onto, while the subtle 'click' expressed as each ND stop is reached is welcome (and useful) feedback. Of course, some users might prefer a completely smooth turn, particularly videographers who want to adjust the stopping value while rolling the camera. It’s something to note, but I personally found it a clever design touch.

And, while this is a subjective thing, I think the PMVND II looks really classy too, with its two-tone black and brass finish. It’s hydrophobic too, with water beading and running off the glass easily.

Overall, I’m hugely impressed by the quality of the PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II. Yes, it’s expensive – but it’s also thoughtfully designed, impeccably constructed, and works exactly as a variable ND filter should. If you’re looking for an ND filter to expand your creative repertoire, this 4-in-1 champion should certainly be on your radar.

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II: Price and availability

The PolarPro VND Filter Peter McKinnon Edition II is available now worldwide, priced at around $150 / £150 / AU$260 for the 49mm size or around $250 / £240 / AU$450 for the 67mm, 77mm, 82mm and 92mm sizes.

The filter is available in two ND stop ranges: 2-5 (which I'm reviewing here) and 6-9, with both models additionally available in a Black Mist version designed to soften highlights for a different look.

These are high prices for ND filters, but I think the quality and adaptability of the PMVND II makes it well worth the price to the right buyer.

Should I buy the PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II filter?

(Image credit: Future | Sam Kieldsen)Buy it if...

You find swapping filters a drag
As a VND, this is actually four ND filters in one. Rotating the filter enables the user to move from two to five stops of ND strength.

You value rugged, tactile design
The PMVND II is built to superb standards, from its clean, smooth rotation to its innovative lens cap, which doubles as a protective case.

Don't buy it if...

Your budget is limited
The PMVND II is unashamedly premium, and you can obtain a VND filter, or a set of ND filters, from other brands for a lot less.

You want full smooth rotation
I like the filter's 'clicks' as it hits each ND stop setting, but videographers may prefer a click-free alternative for smoother transitions while filming.

How I tested the PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND Edition II filter

• I used it for several weeks
• I fitted it to a Panasonic Lumix GH6
• I tested it for photo and video capture

I used a 67mm PMVND II on and off for several weeks in the late summer and early autumn on the English south coast, threading it to a 12-60mm zoom lens on my Panasonic Lumix GH6 via a 62mm-to-67mm step-up ring (also supplied by PolarPro). I recorded video and shot photos using all of the filter’s ND levels, and tested it in various weather and light conditions, from overcast drizzly evenings to blazingly sunlit mornings.

First reviewed October 2025

In just a few months, Klopatra has been upgraded dozens of times, and can wreak havoc on Android devices.