Double Fine Productions, most known for artful narrative adventures, is trying its hand at something different in Kiln. This upcoming game is actually a multiplayer brawler, with a twist. Players are creating beautiful pots, shaping them with pottery-like skills, and then sending them into battle modes against other pots, which explode spectacularly on defeat.
While it might be an off-kilter choice for US-based studio Double Fine, and possibly a result of chasing modern multiplayer gaming trends, Kiln is shaping up to be a unique and eye-catching experience.
Double Fine’s Kiln heading to release – quick links
Watch the Kiln trailer
Early player test for those keen to get potting
Kiln will launch on 23 April, although it will get an early player test ahead of this, from 9 to 11 April. Per Double Fine, it’s a chance to jump in early, but also for the team to fine-tune the game and analyse player behaviour.
‘We’re taking this open beta as an opportunity to not only test out our servers, but to see what resonates with players and what the Kiln team should be prioritising next,’ the studio said in a statement.
‘We have a lot of possibilities with a game like Kiln – more customisation, more maps, more modes – and, as much as we want to add everything we can to the game, we want to see what you, the players want the most.’
It appears this open beta will allow for players to jump right into the game, experiment with its character creator, and get hands-on with first battles.
What’s most interesting about Kiln so far is that it allows for an array of unique character designs and pot styles, with players able to create shapes that then determine key stats such as health and capacity for water.
Certain shapes will also give you special abilities. Small, thin pots are faster, while larger and rounder pots have greater water capacity. Flat plates can be used to ricochet off multiple enemies. Certain cup pots have the ability to perform area-of-effect attacks. Cylinder-shaped pots can become hammers, and so on.
Double Fine has confirmed there are around 24 different types of attacks so far in Kiln, with each determined by pot shape.
The other neat twist here is that your health is determined by how little water your vessel holds. Bigger pots with more capacity actually have less health, so you need to be more careful on the battlefield.
How to win in this great pottery throw down
Kiln isn’t all about creating pots for destruction. The gameplay loop is actually a bit more complex. There are a variety of modes to play through, but it appears one of the main ones is Quench, where two teams of four players compete to pour water into enemy kilns.
Each player, working together, must transport water in their pot, and take it across the battlefield to fill the enemy base. That accounts for the health difference – bigger pots with more capacity make more of an impact, and therefore are more fragile and risky to send across battlefields. Meanwhile, you can make easier progress using smaller pots and going on quicker jaunts carrying less water.
When you’re not transporting water, you need to consider defending your base by taking out approaching enemy pots.
In a sea of online multiplayer experiences, where it’s tough for new games to stand out, Kiln seems well-positioned to make an impact. With bright ideas and a fun, silly approach to gameplay, it should be a new title worth watching.
