And just like that, Double Fine’s newest title has been revealed!
At the latest Xbox Developer_Direct, Double Fine appeared as the secret title that was no on the original billing. We of course, knew we were getting Forza Horizon 6, Beast of Reincarnation and Fable, but speculation was rife if there was going to be a secret title or shadowdrop.
Before we got a good and proper look at the fabulous-looking Fable, Kiln was revealed, a “pottery power-fantasy that celebrates Creativity and Destruction”. You’ll create a pot, jump online with your buddies in teams of colourful spirits and battle online. A battle where your creations, your pots, are the bodies you take into battle.
You can check out the reveal trailer below:
The next title that follows on from last year’s excellent Keeper is inspired by the art of pottery. You play as a spirit tasked with creating and inhabiting pots of all sizes and shapes. You’ll then take said pots into online team-based multiplayer battle arenas against other players’ own clay creations.
Speaking with Xbox Wire, Project Lead at Double Fine, Derek Brand noted that the pot creation is a core compenent of Kiln. He says that the dev team spent a lot of time working on the mechanics of building and designing your pot in an accessible way. You’ll be throwing clay on the wheel and shaping it into something you want to take into battle.
Size isn’t Everything
But it’s not just the shape, it’s the size; going small, medium or large, gives you different attributes when you go into battle. Small pots are fast, whilst big pots are more durable. Each shape you can make of the eight available come with their own special moves, with 24 special attacks being available in total.
The design of your pot is also functional, give yourself more water carrying capacity and you’ll do well in clearing objectives mid-battle, but you’ll have less health! So weighing up the risk and reward is important when your designing your battle pot. But don’t worry, you can respawn and pick a different pot you’ve designed if the battle isn’t going your way. Why do you need to carry water? An example was described where each team is working to douse the fire of the kiln of the opponent, the main objective.
Kiln sounds delighfully mad, and very Double Fine. I’m excited to see more, and will be signing up to try out the closed beta, which is due to take place soon. There is no release date for Kiln but it has been confirmed to be releasing on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series in the Spring.
Are you excited for the next Double Fine title? Will you be trying this one out?
