Microsoft-owned Double Fine Productions has officially announced that Kiln, its first multiplayer game, will launch on April 23 across Xbox Series S and X, Xbox on PC, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PlayStation 5, and Steam. Subscribers to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will also have access to the title from day one. Ahead of the full launch, Double Fine has scheduled a public Open Beta on Steam running from April 9 to 11, with interested players able to sign up in advance. The game will be available in two editions: a Standard edition priced at 19.99 United States dollars and a Fired Up edition at 29.99 dollars, which bundles the base game with premium cosmetic items including glazes, stickers, attachments, and custom pots, along with a supply of Chips, the game’s cosmetic currency that can only be earned through gameplay and cannot be purchased directly.
Kiln is a physics-driven party brawler with a distinctly creative premise. Players begin each match as a spirit and sculpt their own character on a pottery wheel using a two-button system to pull and squeeze clay into a vessel of their choosing. The size and shape of the vessel directly determines the character’s stats and special abilities, giving players genuine strategic choice in how they approach each battle. Small pots function as fast-attacking damage dealers, large pots serve as slow but powerful tanks, and specific shapes unlock tactical support abilities. There are 24 total special attacks in the game, each inspired by the real-world function of its corresponding shape, with examples ranging from a plate that ricochets off multiple enemies to a cylinder that performs a ground-slamming hammer strike. Combat is fully physics-driven, with characters chipping, cracking, and shattering based on the force and angle of impacts, and players build a collection of vessels from which they select their favourite three to bring into any given match.
The primary competitive mode, called Quench, pits two teams of four against each other in a race to gather water and use it to douse the fire in the opposing team’s kiln three times before the same is done to theirs. Victory is determined by this objective rather than by eliminations, making the kill-to-death ratio purely a matter of personal pride. At launch, three maps will be available: Set’s Basement Mosh Pit, a grungy rock club-themed linear arena designed for shorter matches; Athena’s War Room, a wide open space featuring sponges that can be watered to temporarily block lanes; and Dionysus’ Boogie Lounge, a disco-themed map with a dance floor mechanic that briefly compels players to dance on flashing squares. Between matches, players gather in a social hub called The Wedge, where they can practise in a dojo, customise their vessels, and trade items at a shop run by a character named Slip, a dog. Notably, Double Fine has made the deliberate design decision to exclude voice chat at launch, aiming to keep the experience friendly and inclusive.
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