A Good way to Kiln some time.
Double Fine has a history of crafting some bizarre and yet beloved titles due to an internal game jam known as Amnesia Fortnite. This two-week event gave us the likes of Stacking, Iron Brigade, and Costume Quest, among several others. This program within the studio has the team set aside all work on their main project to reinvigorate the studio’s creative juices and has led to some of the studio's most memorable titles.
If you've watched the Double Fine documentary regarding the development of Psychonauts 2, you will have seen the origins of their latest game, Kiln. This pottery-smashing multiplayer game has finally been released, and it's one of the most enjoyable multiplayer games I've played in a long time.
Once you've chosen your spirit, as well as decided on how their little butt will be shaped, you'll be snagged by Celadon, who is likely a reference to the fact that the Celedones, according to Greek Mythology, were forged from the purest gold, by the Greek god of fire, metal, volcanic activity and craftsmanship, the Blacksmith of the Gods, Hephaestus. So yah, forged by fire? Sure sounds like a Kiln, right? Well, anyway, she tells you that you are a spirit and asks if you want to cause a whole ton of destruction.
As you start out as a naked little spirit, you will be tasked with sculpting your first pot. You'll be given a medium-sized chunk of clay and spin it around the table, giving it form. After the brief tutorial, you'll have more freedom and start to craft something that will fit one of several container types, each with their own unique special attack. These range from turning into a cannon, slowing down time, or swinging a large scimitar.
As you level up, you'll gain more creative freedom in making your pottery vessel for your spirit. This ranges from additional tools to carve and straighten your pot, to several colors, handles, lids, decorations, and stickers, that then grant you almost unlimited customization to make that pot yours. Even after making some 40+ pots, I've yet to get tired of any aspect of this creative tool set. It's been nothing but fun.
What adds to the game's charm is that you have a hub world called the “Wedge” where you'll sculpt new pots, purchase new colors, handles, stickers, and more. You will also see other players running around, and be able to borrow their vessel, even being able to save it to your own collection, even if you don't own the pieces they used to make it. It allows you to see what is in store for you, driving you to level up and unlock those very items to use in your own creations. These are great to discover, especially as experience earns start to really feel like a grind at around level 15.
You'll be able to take three vessels into battle while also having a pretty sizable amount of space for your other designs. The three you select as your main force is known as the Shelf. When you die in battle, you can choose any pots that are on this shelf and respawn back into the thick of it. This makes it crucial to have some variety, such as having a small, medium, and large vessel available to be able to swap battle tactics on the fly, shaking up your team dynamic should one type of pot be lacking in your team lineup.
Battles consist of a four on four event where you'll gather up water and then take it to your opponent's Kiln, and attempt to quench it. This mode’s name? Well, Quench. Each Kiln will have three lives, and the amount of water you can carry will vary, depending on the size of your pot, and whether you choose to roll there, causing water to spill out during this action. That, and if you are attacked on the way, or are smashed by the competition.
Your pot can attack, roll, jump, jump attack, or use your special attack, which has a short cooldown. It's a simple game and thankfully limits what you can do to keep the action fast, digestible, and easy to get the hang of.
Each pot you make will favor either strength or water capacity, so those big bruisers being able to contain a lot of water will have limited health but hit really hard. Where smaller capacity pots will have far more health but won’t be the high scorers of the round due to the limited water capacity. This causes your sculpting to be both about strategy and aesthetics. This really makes you think about either going all in on one side or finding a balance somewhere in the middle. You'll also need to worry about how that design will roll, ensuring you can control it in the heat of battle. Some tools if not used correctly can cause areas of the pot to be misshapen and unbalanced, causing your roll to be off-centered. This causes Kiln to be one of the few games where character creation actually affects the gameplay based on your choices in design.
As you load in, you'll drop from the sky, an attack that can also smash down upon those unloading into your Kiln. You'll then seek out the water source, and it will vary across each map. There are obstacles, and moving elements that shake up each encounter, and maps are generally a mirror swap of each side. The game does have a limited number of maps, but will see updates to keep the game going.
You'll gather water, approach their Kiln, and shoot out all the water you have. If you have a full pot, you can fire off a more powerful blast if you hold down the RT trigger to give it all you got, just make sure you hold it down long enough to let your meter charge to full as if you are interrupted, you’ll lose it all.
Battles are chaotic, but balanced fairly well. That said, you may have players choosing a heavy pot to act as a goalie, and leave the scoring to you, giving the game an almost MOBA feel to it. I always found myself as the high scorer, and a medium pot I made had the perfect mix of water and strength, with some battles seeing me hosting a six or seven kill streak. In some matches, I felt unstoppable.
There is a quirky charm to the whole ordeal. The spirit will take on slightly different forms depending on the pot. Each class houses the spirit differently. So, one may see his legs spaced apart and stubby, causing them to walk slower, where others make it look like he is a track star, ready to blitz to the finish line and eject a heaping of water into their Kiln.
Matches can often feel unpredictable in the types of pots you'll come up against as there are two dozen different types. From small to medium and large, each size has its own pots that are all based on your designs. From cups to traditional pots, plates, vases, and more, there are not many limitations to what you can do.
The sculpting is where most players will likely lose themselves in, as character creators are often vast and addictive. The team at Double Fine even took pottery courses to learn the ins and outs of the hobby. Previously, the wheel was designed to be far too realistic, with the clay collapsing on itself if the whole pot was unstable. Removing the more realistic elements allows Kiln to focus on the fun, and really leave your creation up to you.
As you unlock more options in the shop, and level up to earn more tools, you start to sculpt some insane creations. I also love that you manually dip your pot into a vat of your chosen color and then re-dip as much as you want to create layers, such was the case with a pot I tried to make of SpongeBob SquarePants, to mild success. I also love that you can add multiple stickers and change their scale to accommodate your design.
Kiln is a very simple experience that is amped up by player expression. Few multilayer games really let you craft such creations and then do battle with them, apart from games where you are crafting vehicular type creations. Here, smaller pots can roll under gaps or heavier and stronger pots can block incoming attackers and really be a difference maker in defense. Despite the game's simplicity, there is a lot of player freedom in how you go about your tactics.
The overall presentation of Kiln is as simple as it needs to be. I do wish there was some sort of MVP or play of the game to make winning and scoring to be highlighted, providing the desire to be the best. I’m also surprised that since there is a coin economy that there are no daily or weekly challenges, or anything to promote extended play. While there is only one game mode and five maps at launch, simple challenges like perform 30 Quenches or Shatter 50 players could be solid weekly objectives worth a few hundred coins. It is possible that we see that added, and I really hope it is soon to keep the player base focused and primed to play more.
Visually, it's hard to imagine a multiplayer game built around spirits using pots as their vessel looking any better or worse, allowing the visuals and aesthetics here to come across as charming and perfect for the type of game it is. Spirits are nicely animated, and the fired off pots do have that glossy look that I remember from my grade 8 project. It works, and the colorful nature of the game more than serves its purpose. Given the playful nature of the game, I would love to see various Microsoft IP’s given sticker packs here, such as Gears of War or Halo.
I wasn't expecting much out of Kiln, given that certain multilayer games have a decent hook, but lack the substance and addictive qualities that keep you coming back. Thankfully, Double Fine is dedicated to releasing new maps, decoration packs, and more, providing reasons to keep with it. Still, I was pleasantly surprised by Kiln, and currently have it in my multiplayer rotation with Marvel Rivals, sculpting new pots, and discovering possibilities I never thought pots’sible.
Developer - Double Fine.
Publisher - Xbox Studios.
Released - April 23rd, 2026.
Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC.
Rated - (E 10+) - Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Language
Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X.
Review Access - Kiln was Downloaded and Reviewed via Xbox Game Pass.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.