Kiln’ is one of those games you find yourself thinking, ‘What were developers, Double Fine Productions, smoking when they came up with this concept?’ It’s not every day you play an online, multiplayer, base-destroying brawler, but as a ceramic pot.

The story is a pretty simple premise. Celadon, a god-like being, imbues you, a lowly little spirit, with the ability to fuse with ceramic pottery. Using your celestial powers, you can create your own pots to send out into the battle grounds to claim victory. It’s interesting enough to dive into, but not particularly lore-driven or groundbreaking in a narrative sense like some of the more indepth base-storming titles.

The game opens up with you customising your own little sprite, most notably its butt cheeks and comes in a range of sizes, shapes and colours. This little spirit dude can jump into and inhabit a range of vases, cups, bowls and other vessels for battle once you dive into a match. They are the main drivers, turning any pot into an anthropomorphic version.

Once in a Quench match, the only mode at present, you will find it as a base attacking game, much like a very, very, very basic ‘League of Legends’ style. Your main objective is to collect water, traverse the map and its obstacles and to snuff out the opponent’s Kiln flames.

The maps are very well designed, I might add, with ambient themes of Anubis’ Egyptian Ferry, a Disco with a vibrant but shocking dance floor and even a Greek war map for Athena herself. I only wish they had included more maps on launch because my group and I were beginning to get a little bored after a few matches, as we started to master a route to each Kiln.

What Double Fine does to mastery is actually the customisation and pot creation. Before even entering a match, you need to build your vessel of destruction. At ‘The Wedge’, the hub lobby, you have access to a group of wheels, used to mould your balls of clay. As you progress, you get more and more clay. With your little sprite hands, you can get in there and dig out grooves and shape curves till your heart desires. There are even tools and sponges to finesse that big or small boy to perfection.

After the building process, there is also an in-depth customisation system. You can add lids, handles, charms, stickers and even glaze your pots with colours and patterns before they are fired. Each piece is meticulously designed to replicate different styles through the ages.

The more you play you can earn pot shards that contribute to buying more types of these things in The Wedge store. The pottery simulation aspect is actually amazing, and I spent a lot of time here tinkering around. These guys would be brilliant at developing any sort of simulator game, I swear.

Each pot you co-exist with can commonly run, jump, attack and even roll for some extra speed. The attack powers are probably the most impressive, with each design and shape having its own core style of abilities. Build a chunky boy, you’ll probably have more ground and pound-type attacks. Create a tall skinny pot, you will probably have more nimble attacks like a sword with more precision. I do like the thought and balance put into these concepts.

Visually and soundscapes-wise, this game is strong; everything about it is so interesting. It is a rainbow of bright and bold colours with soft, cornered shapes and textures. The lobby is littered with clay carving tools and paraphernalia, and each map is artistically designed in a way that makes traversing it worthwhile and interesting to the actual gameplay.

The music too is upbeat tempos, perfect for children and adults alike, with sound effects perfect for the cracking of pots and splashing of water.

What I have noticed is that poor Kiln has already fallen into the online multiplayer curse. The genre is a hard roof to break through, and already, a week after release, it is hard to find games to get into, or there are wait times of 3 to 5 minutes if you are rolling a full squad. When alone, though, I do tend to find games in less than a minute, but it is generally with the same people.

I’ll give Kiln its proverbial flowers; it is a unique jump into this genre with such a beautifully delivered aesthetic. Overall, though, it is a fun time with friends in small doses, but it just feels like a slower, less energetic version of Nintendo’s iconic game that is similar, ‘Splatoon’. While it feels like ‘Kiln’ doesn’t have a lot of staying power at the moment, Double Fine Productions has shown they have incredible skills in developing unique concepts, and I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves next.

Written by: Stacey