I decide the moment I get my hands on Kiln, the upcoming multiplayer video game from Double Fine where you fight as, with, and against pots of varying shapes and sizes, that I’m going to make the biggest, ugliest vase the editor will let me. I’ve not got long to do it, but I quickly scrobble through all the tools available to me and make an absolute mess of a jug. Gameplay abilities and functions are determined by the shape of your pot, and I’ll soon come to regret my actions.
GDC 2026’s Day of the Devs event is technically public, but I’m here during the media hour trying to get in as much as I possibly can before the space becomes too crowded for me to breathe. This also means I’m rushing through as many games as I can like some kind of wine tasting speedrun, which is why I’m going for aesthetics more than function.
Fire it up
I haphazardly use basically every tool at my disposal. The shaping wedges let me build a big, heavy base with a tall, thin top. I glaze gold metallic on one part with a green sheen on another, planting the daintiest possible handle to the side. To top it all off, a jaunty little hat, slightly askew. I then proceed to get absolutely bodied as my giant pot breaks and shatters under the assault of fighter jet-like pots, sending me back to respawn over and over again, but I look fabulous doing it.
Unfortunately for me, big pots are extremely slow and seem to have significant windup on their abilities. When I load into the match – we’re meant to be putting out the eponymous kiln of our opponent by collecting then dumping water – my enemies all seem to have gotten a memo I missed and flit about with smaller, more nimble pots while I struggle to land hits or water. For every enemy pot that I break to pieces, it feels like I fall apart at least twice.
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It’s untenable, but also strangely satisfying. When I do manage to land my skill where I rush forward, any smaller pots caught in my wake take a significant chunk of damage. Even so, I ultimately swap to one of the smaller presets rather than my monstrosity and end up being more effective, but not quite effective enough – despite a significant comeback late in the game, my team’s kiln is put out.
It’s hard to have any strong feelings about the actual gameplay given I was only able to play a single match, but I’m left with the overwhelming feeling that team composition and planning will be a big part of whether Kiln succeeds or fails. The full release will obviously allow time for people to, you know, know what they’re actually doing when they make their own pots. What sort of mechanics are you looking for? Pick a size and shape and get to it.
My Wreck-It Ralph creative instinct did not serve me well in the end. Sure, I came out the other size with a functional pot, but with more time (and patience) I fully believe I’d have been able to craft the pot of my dreams – and my enemies’ nightmares.
Kiln is set to release for the Xbox Series X, PS5, and PC on April 23, 2026. Additionally, an open beta is set to run on PC via Steam from April 9 through April 11. While you wait, be sure to check out our list of the best games of 2026, so far.
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