Kiln Review Summary

Last updated: 2026-04-25
  • Engaging pottery-making system
  • Charming atmosphere and setting
  • Enjoyable multiplayer experience
  • Performance and optimization issues
  • Lack of game modes and variety
  • Presence of hackers and cheaters
Kiln header

Emotions

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Review evidence

Why players say this

What players like

Engaging pottery-making system: The game features a fun and engaging pottery-making system that is well-thought-out and relaxing. Players enjoy the in-depth simulation and the ability to create and decorate their own pottery.

Creative player expression: Players appreciate the freedom to create unique pottery shapes and express themselves through pottery shaping. The game combines pottery creation with multiplayer brawling, offering a unique concept.

Charming atmosphere and setting: The game has a charming atmosphere and setting, with a cool art style and thematic. Players appreciate the overall aesthetic and feel of the game.

Enjoyable multiplayer experience: The game offers an enjoyable multiplayer experience with fun and engaging gameplay. Players find the overall gameplay experience to be enjoyable.

Diverse and feature-rich maps: The game features diverse and feature-rich maps, providing variety in the gameplay experience.

Common complaints

Performance and optimization issues: The game suffers from poor optimization leading to terrible performance. Players report underwhelming performance even on high-end hardware.

Lack of game modes and variety: Players are disappointed by the limited number of game modes and maps available. The lack of variety makes the game feel repetitive.

Presence of hackers and cheaters: There are reports of hackers with infinite health and invincibility glitches, which ruin the gameplay experience for others.

Long matchmaking times: Players experience long wait times for matchmaking, which can be frustrating. Additionally, matchmaking with bots is not available.

Clunky and uncomfortable controls: The controls are described as slow, clunky, and uncomfortable. Players feel that the controls could be more responsive.

Gameplay and performance

Pottery-making simulation: The game features a pottery-making simulation where players can create, decorate, and customize their own pottery. This involves manipulating clay and expressing creativity through pottery shaping.

Combat mechanics: The game includes combat mechanics, described as decent and physics-based. Combat is a significant part of the gameplay, involving various strategies and interactions.

Party brawler gameplay: The gameplay is centered around a party brawler style, featuring movement and brawling in a multiplayer environment. It is casual and designed for party play.

Customizable pottery shapes and abilities: Players can customize the shapes and abilities of their pottery, which affects combat and gameplay. Different shapes and types of pottery determine attack methods and skills.

Team-based water collection: A unique gameplay mechanic involves teams competing to carry water and extinguish the enemy's flame. This adds a strategic element to the game.

Optimization and performance issues: Many players report poor optimization and performance issues, including low FPS and stuttering. These problems persist even on high-end hardware, making the game difficult to play smoothly.

Microsoft account integration issues: The heavy integration with Microsoft accounts is causing problems for some players. This could be related to login issues or other account-related problems affecting gameplay.

Recommendations

Game highly recommended: Many players recommend the game for its fun and creative aspects, finding it easy to recommend and looking forward to spending more time with it.

Add new game modes: Players suggest adding new modes such as Ranked Match, Team Deathmatch (TDM), tournaments, larger arenas, and a more lite MOBA mode.

Buying context

Game completion: 5.0h.

Endgame: 1.5h.

Kiln offers immediate fun in quick matches, especially with friends, but the enjoyment drops off quickly due to repetitive gameplay and locked content.

Reported time to anchor: 5m.

Friction: Repetitive gameplay; Locked tools behind progression.

Unlock drivers: Progression system; Playing with friends.

Player profiles

Studio Fan: Enjoys both competitive and casual aspects of the game. Motivation: Loyalty to the studio and appreciation for unique game features. Stance: buy.

Competitive Player: Focuses on competitive modes and improving skills. Motivation: Desire for a competitive and challenging gameplay experience. Stance: sale.

Cautious Recommender: Enjoys a variety of game modes and features. Motivation: Desire for a more complete and feature-rich game. Stance: deep sale.

Platform notes

Steam Deck: The game faces several significant issues, including compatibility problems with certain operating systems, performance issues requiring upscaling for decent FPS, and potential anti-cheat concerns. These issues collectively contribute to a subpar user experience.

Linux and Proton: The game is heavily integrated with Microsoft accounts, which prevents it from running on Linux. This is a critical issue for Linux users as it effectively makes the game unplayable on their platform.