Apple Arcade review #11: Hot Lava
Image credit: Steam
I found it difficult to review Hot Lava. I gave it an honest shot, on every platform. It’s not particularly playable using touch controls on the phone or tablet. With a game controller, it runs well on the iPad Pro, but it struggles on the 4K Apple TV, to the point where it’s not enjoyable to play.
(This seems to be a common theme: a lot of the games I’ve tried to play on the TV have performance issues. I don’t know if this is because it’s trying to push full 4K resolution and the Apple TV just isn’t up to the task; if that’s the case, it’s honestly on Apple.)
In a best case scenario, then — iPad Pro 12.9” with the Xbox controller — the game works. It got a BRILLIANT intro (I actually recommend downloading the game just to watch the opening movie) but I didn’t find the game itself to be particularly enjoyable. Admittedly, due to the various technical issues, I haven’t played it nearly enough, but the concept and execution didn’t work for me. I’m not sure this is the sort of game that will thrive on Apple Arcade…but variety is good, and Hot Lava is obviously well made. I just wasn’t for me.