There are numerous games from developer Double Fine, which hold a special place in my heart. From Grim Fandango to Psychonauts and Brutal Legend, I was pretty much locked in when I heard Kiln would be their next game.
In many ways, Kiln is a fun, charming and addictive multiplayer brawler, with a unique premise that takes existing tropes and multiplayer modes, with its own little spin in mind.
While I feel the overall game lacks a little depth in terms of its modes and mechanics, there’s no doubt that what’s here will provide plenty of fun for various age groups and audiences.
Throwing Clay-Makers
Kiln is essentially a 4v4 party game that sees two teams take each other on to collect water around the map, and put out each other’s kiln. For those not into pottery, a kiln is basically a big furnace or heated room that can turn soft clay into a hard and durable ceramic.
Players take control of a blob-like creature that can inhabit various types of pottery, of all shapes and sizes. Some options are pre-determined, while players can create their own variations, each with their own health and water capacity.
Each kiln is set to one side of the map, while each team of 4 players must gather water from various locations throughout the map, be it vases or fountains, for example, and throw their water into the kiln to put its fire out, therefore ending the match. Along the way, players can also whack each other to stop one another, or activate a special ability depending on their type of pot, to have a more devastating impact, if timed right.
Each kiln will generally need to be put out 3 times in order for a team to win the match, giving both teams the chance to turn the tide if things aren’t going their way. While this is certainly a fun time when played with friends for its straightforward premise and chaotic nature, I do have a couple of gripes with the overall experience.
Firstly, this main mode, known as Quench, is the only mode currently available. I thought at first that by heading over to matchmaking, I was missing some sort of menu or selection screen before being booted into a match, but this is the only mode you’re going to find.
Secondly, there’s no local multiplayer or cooperative play. For as often as I found complete matches within a minute or so, it’s a shame there’s no way to customise this mode for 2v2 or even 1v1 action against friends at home on the couch. There’s also no sign of any offline play against bots, for example. This is a purely online experience.
Clay Master
In terms of gameplay, Kiln is certainly functional, and at times fun, but it’s far from deep. Players have access to a single melee attack, a rolling manoeuvre akin to a sprint, a jump ability, and, finally, a specific special ability.
Most of what you do, or how you’ll play, however, depends on your pot size and shape. For example, crafting a smaller pot will give you more health, but less water capacity. This makes you a great defender, able to withstand more damage as you put up a fight at your kiln, but less effective on offence, as you’ll never be the one carrying the most water.
The taller or larger pots will have the inverse effect, making them key players in dousing the kiln, although you can mix and match strategies to attack and defend together. Getting hit by other players, or even rolling, causes you to lose water, and each of the 5 available maps at launch also has some sort of trap or obstacle in the way at some point, making each push a calculated and dedicated approach.
Kiln doesn’t really tell you much of this, but it doesn’t really take long to figure out, as you come to grips with its mechanics. There are also a few special abilities that players can equip to gain the upper hand, each with their own purpose and recharging time.
For example, players can equip a giant sword to swing across multiple enemies, use a chicken to lay explosive eggs as traps, or even a popcorn-infused explosion, the radius of which expands as you hold the button. There are a few on display, and I urge you to try them all once you unlock them. With all special abilities, timing is generally the key, as you want to take the best shot before having to wait to use it again.
While these mechanics are fun and generally functional, there’s just not much more to them than that, particularly at launch. I’m sure that additional maps and more modes can deepen the overall experience, but for now, it’s one you can completely unpack in a handful of hours.
Look the Part
Between matches, players will inhabit a place called The Wedge, which acts like a hub where you can upgrade and customise your various pots, and even share them with other players. This is where you’ll find Kiln’s pottery wheel feature, which allows players to shape their pots with absolute precision, using the ruler and shaper tools, allowing you to not only get incredibly creative but also precisely determine the amount of health or capacity you want each pot to have.
Players can also decorate their pottery with various colours, patterns and stickers by visiting Slip’s Shop, for a range of customisable options available to purchase via in-game currency. It’s this level of creativity that brings out the vibrant art style that Kiln presents, which only adds to its charm. It’s also worth noting that winning matches, gaining XP, and ultimately levelling up will also unlock new cosmetics.
From a performance perspective, Kiln also runs generally well, but can be subject to a couple of frame rate drops when things get a little too chaotic.
Final Thoughts
While Kiln would certainly benefit from additional game modes or even local competitive or cooperative multiplayer, there’s still plenty of fun to be had.
Its charming art style and accessible mechanics make this one of the more immediately engaging multiplayer experiences for all audiences and age groups.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Fun online with friends; Charming visuals; Engaging premise; Plenty of customisation options
Lowlights: Only one game mode at launch; A very basic list of available mechanics to get the job done; No local multiplayer
Developer: Double Fine Productions
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on Xbox Series X with a code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image also provided by the publisher.
