Klei Entertainment, indie game developer of Don’t Starve franchise fame, is expanding their arsenal of uniquely binge-playable brain candy with Hot Lava.
Still in development stages with a beta option, this game takes inspiration from CS:GO style jump mechanics combined with the wide ranging parkour of Mirror’s Edge.
Hot Lava is the brainchild of Mark Laprairie, created something of a “passion project” before being hired by Klei Entertainment.
Nearing fruition the game still lacks a release date, but both early access beta and demos are seeing enthusiastic feedback.
In Hot Lava you play as a childhood toy, making your way through each environment with a combination of jumping, climbing, swinging, running and bouncing.
Each level is a throwback to the familiar stomping grounds of the typical childhood, as seen through the lens of a kid’s imagination. Oh, and the floor is lava.
The Basics
‘you choose from a series of fully poseable action figures torn straight from the kinds of action cartoons many gamers grow up watching’
At the character selection screen you choose from a series of fully poseable action figures torn straight from the kinds of action cartoons many gamers grow up watching.
You begin with a starter set of Global Action Team (or G.A.T.) heroes, with other sets of easily recognizable cartoon archetypes unlockable as you progress.
A cadre of mutated terrapins proficient in martial arts, for example, or a posse of battle-savvy urban sharks.
During the selection process you’re also given the opportunity to personalize your character with a menu of cosmetic items and emotes.
This menu is expanded through the course of play as you meet challenges, beat times, and reach objectives. Rather than offering bonuses or changing character function, the cosmetic items and emotes serve as fun customizations in an online game.
Gameplay
The game gives you a comparatively gentle start, two rooms without lava to get a quick grasp of the mechanics before leaping into the game proper in a skippable tutorial.
The game can be played single or multi player, cooperatively or competitively.
In addition, Hot Lava has been compared to Super Mario 64 with multiple ways to play a course with different objectives and challenges possible for every play through.
For instance, while one game goal is to go as quickly as possible, beating best times, another is to find secret paths.
Built on the Unity engine, the dynamic, stylized graphics are smooth, seamless, and fun. Your chosen hero(es) will make their way through fifty levels in five distinct worlds, with wild obstacles and hazards rearing their heads from your inner child’s imagination.
Wrap-up
Hot Lava will launch with a friends-only leaderboard, to expand to global leaderboards later in the elease.
Each untimed level contains multiple challenges for the kind of replayability Klei Entertainment is gaining a justified reputation for.
The game has both single and multiplayer modes for indulging in your solo Saturday morning daredevil or rounding up some friends in tearing apart a living room you won’t get yelled at for.
In multiplayer you can play cooperatively, showing your friends the best paths through a level or up to a secret area, or you can race against them for clearing the level in the least amount of time.
At the time of this writing, Hot Lava is slated for release on Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux.
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