Chances are you’ve already played Hot Lava, the first 3D game from Klei Entertainment of Don’t Starve and Invisible, Inc. fame. It’s the video game version of the perennial children’s imagination game with only one rule: don’t touch the floor.
Having been a precocious young lad with little regard for my parents’ furniture, I played plenty of Hot Lava as a child, hopping from coffee table to couch to dining room chairs to the kitchen safe zone, avoiding the imaginary molten rock that had somehow filled our apartment. I’m pretty sure we had the exact coffee table featured in the beginning of the first gameplay trailer for Klei’s version.
The transition from 2D cartoon to 3D action in the trailer signifies Klei’s first venture into the third dimension, having made its name with debut title Shank, the survival hit Don’t Starve and turn-based stealth darling Invisible, Inc.
From the trailer it looks like Hot Lava will be tapping into some serious childhood memories before expanding to more fantastical locations. Interested players can sign up for the PC beta at the game’s official website.