Kiln review – Worth glazing or did it need more firing time?

Crazy, physics-based competitive games have been the rage for quite a while now. Titles like Fall Guys and Party Animals have been wildly successful.

However, this genre has also been one of the most copied game formats in recent memory. So many of these clones are simple shovelware and rarely last long enough to make a blip on video game players’ radars, but every once in a while, something new pops up that impresses.

Kiln is that game, impressive both in scope and mechanics, and a party game that will have you laughing for hours on end. The question is, though, does it have longevity?

What actually is Kiln?

Kiln is a 4-on-4 competitive game where players will be using pottery creations to carry water across levels to douse the other team’s kiln. That on its own sounds interesting enough, but the real hook here is that the characters you play as, since you mould them yourself.

There are a number of different types of pottery that your creation will be tagged with as you design, but how the piece of pottery works is up to you. At times, Kiln feels like equal parts pottery simulator and party game, which is an odd combination that weirdly works on the surface.

Creativity sparks strategy as you build your own character

Creating your own unique piece of pottery is a pretty deep mechanic on its own, with multiple tools to use, glazes to use, and decorations to play around with. The structure of your piece of pottery matters as well – are you agile, or do you carry a lot of water? Are you strong and slow, or light but delicate?

Each type of pottery gets special abilities when fighting as well, so you’ll want to think about this as you create your design. A few designs can be saved too, so if you create something you really like you can take it into subsequent fights.

You will load into matches from The Wedge, a lobby of sorts where you can purchase upgrades and interact with others in a decent sized area. It’s a really cute area that fits the vibe of the game really nicely. Everything is very detailed, and looks phenomenal on both Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Matches will have you moving across a few different arenas each with a unique twist. One has a pit that raises and lowers and can create some tight spaces for epic fights; another has you traversing platforms moving over water, which can end in disaster if you don’t watch your step.

Limited modes, limited fun?

This all sounds great, and for a little while it is quite engaging. But the cracks – pun intended – begin to show. While the game does only retail for $19.99 USD, I was frustrated to see only one game mode being offered up, and a sole 4 player team option. It’s shocking to me that there isn’t more here, and while I fully expect additional content to roll out in the future, it’s pretty bare bones right now. By the time that new content arrives, though, will people still be playing?

There is also some imbalance. Your pots can get better over time as you level up, but when some players have better speed and more health, it can be hard to compete. Tools to refine your pots are also locked behind leveling, which is frustrating.

What I struggle with the most overall is that everything is just OK. The map designs are OK, the battle systems are OK, the ability to create unique pots is just, OK. And as we stated off the top, so many games try to replicate the wackiness of Fall Guys and Party Animals, only to fall short. I’m worried that without some significant updates to combat, design, and game variety, Kiln is going to end up just being, OK.

There is a really unique idea here that might catch fire as more and more people play, but when everything about the game just feels average, it’s hard to see people coming back to this week after week, let alone month after month.

Authored by Adam Roffel

Adam has been writing about video games since 2014 and board games since 2018. If he's not rooting for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Toronto FC, he definitely has a controller in his hand - probably playing on a Nintendo platform - or is sitting at a table playing a board game. Adam also has firm opinions on a few key topics: there are much better board games than Settlers of Catan, and Nintendo doesn't need to compete with Sony and Microsoft.

Full Bio Adam Roffel