 Mike Lechevaillier of Slate magazine, in a review of the fourth season, wrote that "it's frequently astonishing to observe the confidence and wide-ranging appeal with which Adventure Time unswervingly depicts the many stages of infatuation." The reviewer highlighted "Hot to the Touch" as an example of such an example, noting that Flame Princess represents "an uncomplicated yet vastly pertinent metaphor for the hypothesis that the closer you cherish someone, the likelier they are to singe your soft exterior and the easier it is for them to affectionately melt your exposed heart." Marc Snetiker of Entertainment Weekly awarded the episode a "B", noting that "the season four premiere of this inspired' toon about a boy and his precocious dog is as colorful, clever, and unpredictably funny as ever."
