Hot Lava (video game)

Hot Lava is an action-adventure platform video game developed and published by Klei Entertainment. Announced in 2016, it was developed by Mark Laprairie, before he was hired by Klei. It is based primarily on the children's game with the same name. It was released on September 19, 2019, for Microsoft Windows through Steam and iOS and macOS through Apple Arcade.[2]

Not to be confused with The floor is lava.

Hot Lava
Developer(s)Klei Entertainment
Publisher(s)Klei Entertainment
Designer(s)Mark Laprairie
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Apple Arcade
ReleaseSeptember 19, 2019
Genre(s)Action-adventure, platform
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

Hot Lava is a parkour adventure video game in the first-person perspective. In the game, the player controls the character as they jump, leap, wall run and swing from object to object.[3] Some of the objects include tables, couches, and chairs.[4] Over time, the player unlocks various new athletic abilities, including double jumps.

Plot

The plot is non-linear and vague, but revolves around the player character 'Squirt' and their older sister (represented by life-sized action figures) as they play tag, chase and, most notably, the floor is lava, set in fantasized versions of childhood environments - namely Gym-Class, Playground, School, Wholesale, Master-Class, and Basement. These environments each have a 'main level', consisting of the real-world version, with various portals to fantasized version designed after a child's imagination, each a course to be completed.

Each course has multiple challenges, including completing the course within a certain amount of time or finding hidden collectibles.

Development and release

Hot Lava is the first 3D game by Klei Entertainment, the developers behind Don't Starve and Invisible, Inc., and is based on the children's game with the same name.[5] The game started as a "passion project"[6] by Mark Laprairie, influenced by the climbing mod ("kz climb"[7]) in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, before he was hired by Klei Entertainment.[6][8] Laprairie previously worked on Dead Rising 2 and Dead Rising 3, along with Klei's Don't Starve. Hot Lava was submitted to Steam's Greenlight system, whereby the community votes on whether they like the game. The game passed in under forty hours.[6]

The official gameplay trailer of Hot Lava was released on August 29, 2016.[5] Pre-release beta testing was temporarily made available.[4][9]

Klei added Steam Workshop compatibility, allowing players to design and publish their own parkour maps for others to play ingame. Some are featured heavily in the official game's level select.

Reception

Pre-release

Many video game journalists compared Hot Lava to Mirror's Edge, another parkour-based video game.[3][12]

Accolades

The game was nominated for "Adventure" and "Multiplayer/Competitive Game" at the 2020 Webby Awards.[13]

References
  1. Detailed Patch Notes - 431329 - Steam. Retrieved 9 September 2021
  2. "Steam Greenlight :: Hot Lava". Steam. Valve. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  3. Valentin, Christian (August 31, 2016). "Childhood game 'The Floor is Lava' is being turned into a videogame". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  4. Fahey, Mike (August 29, 2016). "The Floor Is Lava In Klei's First 3D Game". Kotaku. Univision Communications. Archived from the original on September 12, 2016. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  5. Makuch, Eddie (August 29, 2016). "Extreme Version of "The Floor Is Lava" Is Now a Video Game and It Looks Great". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  6. Matos, Clinton (May 9, 2016). "Interview with Mark Laprairie – the man turning "the floor is lava" into a videogame". htxt.africa. Hypertext Media. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  7. Salomonsson, Fredrik (January 19, 2016). "Discover Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's climbing scene". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  8. Devore, Jordan (September 8, 2016). "Klei's Hot Lava is directly inspired by Counter-Strike". Destructoid. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
  9. McElroy, Justin (September 5, 2016). "Watch six minutes of Hot Lava, Klei's scorching parkour game". Polygon. Vox Media. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  10. "Hot Lava for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  11. Velasquez, Sergio (September 30, 2019). "Apple Arcade: 'Hot Lava' Review – Your Screen is Lava, Don't Use It". TouchArcade. MacRumors.com, LLC. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  12. Chalk, Andy (August 29, 2016). "Hot Lava is a first-person parkour-survival game from the maker of Don't Starve". PC Gamer. Future plc. Archived from the original on September 13, 2016. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  13. "Webby Awards: Games". The Webby Awards. May 19, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
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