claygroundAbout Hard Bake
Hard Bake is a first person shooter made of clay, and the floor is the best weapon. The Dry lit the Kiln and fired every fella in the village. They are baked hard and cross now, and the only soft thing left is you. Shoot a baked Crisp enough and it goes soft again, and the fella inside walks free.
The purple clay on the floor still moves. Hold the pull button on it and a hill rises under your crosshair. Hold the press button and a pit opens. A hill is cover, a stair or a wall, and a pit is a cage. It plays like the shooters you know, except you build the arena as you go.
How to play
- Walk with W A S D, look with the mouse, shoot with a click. On a phone, use the stick on the left, drag the right side to look, and tap FIRE.
- Hold the right mouse button or E on the purple clay to pull a hill up. Hold Q or F to press a pit down. On a phone, hold a finger on the purple clay and slide it up or down, or hold RAISE or LOWER.
- You can climb steeper slopes than a Crisp can. Get up high and they cannot follow, or put a hill between you and the thrower.
- A Chomper charges in a straight line and cannot stop. Dig a pit in its way, or pull a hill in front of it and let it bonk.
- Fireballs bake the purple clay hard, so pull your hill before they throw. Pits and low roofs squash what they trap.
- Find the gold key, open the gate, and go out through the door. Shoot every Crisp to free everyone, and look for the secret crown. Stuck? Press Hint and a column of light shows where the next pull goes.
Your own fella
The face in the corner is the Fella of the day, and it goes from soft and happy to baked and cross as you take damage. Plumps heal you. Your sculptures from the studio join in too: the fellas you free can wear them.
The Pit
The Pit is an endless room with four doors. The Crisps come through them in waves, a few more and a few tougher each time, and a cleared wave leaves food and ammunition on the rim. Pull hills for cover and dig pits to trap them: a Crisp the clay deals with is worth half as much again. Your best wave and score stay on your device. On a phone, a thumb gets a little help: shots hit a bit wider, and the look slows down over a Crisp.
Every chamber can be won
Each chamber was checked by a bot that plays with the same controls as you: it can pull the hills it needs, reach the key and get out. Most can be won more than one way.
At a glance
| Price | Free |
|---|---|
| Players | 1 |
| Chambers | 6, ending with a boss, and an endless Pit |
| Plays on | A laptop or desktop with a mouse, or a phone or tablet |
| Controls | Keyboard and mouse, or touch with a stick and buttons |
| Account | None needed. Progress stays on your device. |
| Free art used | Monsters and guns from Quaternius, sounds from Kenney, music by MintoDog. All CC0. |
Questions people ask
Do I need to sign in?
No. Which chambers you have cleared is kept on your device only.
Why can't I pull the clay any higher?
Clay is never made or lost: a hill takes its clay from the ground around it. Take it from further away, or dig a pit first.
Can I use a controller?
Not yet. Keyboard, mouse and touch.