Double Fine, the well-known studio behind Psychonauts, has announced Kiln, a new multiplayer game that fuses artisanal pottery creation with online combat.It is scheduled to launch in the first half of the year for Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 and PC.
Kiln seeks to provide an original and entertaining experience, where creativity and strategy are combined in a battle environment.The core mechanic invites players to mold and customize their own clay armor, which will define their abilities and combat style during team battles.
When starting a game of Kiln, users control a small spirit who must create a clay container to protect themselves during combat.The process, unlike the actual complexity of pottery, has been designed to be simple and accessible;All you need to do is press a button and move the lever to sculpt different shapes.
There are three main weights for pots: light, medium and heavy.Light vessels provide greater speed, heavy vessels offer more resistance although they move slowly, and medium vessels balance both aspects.You can also select from eight different shapes, such as bottles, plates, cups and bowls.Each one has its own movements and attacks;The cylinders, for example, execute hammer-type attacks, while the plates have the ability to bounce and scatter opponents.
Personalization plays a key role in the Kiln experience.Before each battle, players can decorate their vessels with a wide variety of glazes, patterns, handles, spouts, beads and stickers, allowing them to stand out and express their creativity during battles.
After each confrontation, participants return to The Wedge, a social area where they can spend the rewards earned to purchase new decorative items in an internal store.These aesthetic improvements do not directly affect the development of the game, but they promote interaction and self-expression among the player community.
The main mode available at launch is Quench, a 4v4player duel in which each team must try to shut down the enemy furnace while protecting their own.In this mode, the choice of the size of the vessel is essential: larger ones can carry more water, but have less health, which requires finding a balance between mobility, defense and attack.The games take place on maps inspired by ancient cultures such as Greek and Egyptian, each with its own obstacles and mechanics.
Double Fine plans to release several exclusive maps at the start, all unique systems that promote adaptation and teamwork.Although the initial number of game modes will be limited, the study has indicated that the incorporation of new modalities will depend on the feedback from the community after launch, thus betting on a model that is constantly updated and developed.
