In recent months, there’s been a surge in cheap, co-operative games that’ve effectively taken over Steam. They’re all low-barrier and often include social elements that are perfect for streaming.
Heave Ho 2 from Le Cartel Studio and Devolver Digital doesn’t fit the bill despite seeing posts claiming it is, but it effectively crafts a fun multiplayer game that is perfect for friends to play together.
What I should start with for my review is that this isn’t just a regular party game, nor is it a friendslop game; rather, it’s a niche take on co-operative gameplay that requires teamwork as you grapple with your friends to get through a series of stages using only your arms. It’s a lot more difficult than it sounds, yet it’s a lot more fun than it reads.
Heave Ho 2 Will Challenge Friendships
Every player in Heave Ho 2 controls the arms of their character, which are capable of grabbing surfaces and others. You can use the left stick to extend your arms while the shoulder buttons serve as your grip on any surface. In any given realm, the mechanics sound easier than they are, and you’re constantly at odds with the other players to succeed — and the act of successfully getting across is constantly the carrot being dangled in front of you.
For such simple gameplay, Heave Ho 2 succeeds in its mission, with bigger levels to contend with. And it’s such a blast when things connect, and you can see your teamwork pay off. Whether that’s trying to move across ski lifts stuck in the air or rocks floating in the sky, the fun lies in working together to get to safety.
And with a full party of four, you really get a sense of teamwork when trying to come together to build chains for levels that will test patience and acceptance — the acceptance of the other’s tomfoolery when they humourously drop you to your doom. Death is part of the fun in Heave Ho 2, and I would callously drop my friends as a gag or for the sheer fact I could.
This is a physics game, so while I’ll always do my best to use my movement to get to the goal, it’s hard not to take advantage of my friend’s blind trust that I’ll catch them. In a real situation, I’d be there for them. In Heave Ho 2, I’ll wait to mess with them just as they’ve overcome a challenge. There’s only silliness available if you invite it in. The alternative is playing this game straight, and that’s absolutely not the way to engage when you’re playing with others.
When you have a dedicated button for farting, there’s no place to be serious. Especially when one of the four of us has their own dedicated fart button built into our gaming sessions. In Heave Ho 2, the use of farts is to gain more than for humour, as you can use it to send others or yourself soaring or items to get ahead. It’s absolutely absurd, yet I find it to make sense when using it.
The levels themselves are impressive, and honestly, some of the best levels require people you can trust. I know I said earlier I’m a savage and will actively mess with my friends and family, but when the going gets tough, it’s best to have people around you who can match your crazy.
Each level has a theme so things rarely get old and few levels far outstay their welcome. Personally, the level of ingenuity needs to be acknowledged here because having to work together to cross a pirate ship’s sails to a sunken ship, then face surviving in the belly of a whale, is sheer insanity. Even later levels keep the humour abounding through to the end of the credits as you cross a castle, go to space, and a museum among locations — each with its own dangers and mechanics you need to overcome.
Heave Ho 2 is primarily co-operative with its own competitive modes. Sadly, there is a lack of any single-player elements, a bummer if there was one. When you can find a group of friends to gather, though, the competitive modes become a circus or a bloodbath depending on who you’re playing with. Playing with someone like me will be about sabotaging the others for my own personal gain, so if you ever decide to play this game with me, know that there will be backstabbing and betrayal.
Verdict
As far as multiplayer party games go, Heave Ho 2 is one of the most engaging due to how simple it is. Anyone can play alongside you, and it’s easy to pick up and play on a whim. The developers have a winning idea that really only needed bigger levels and more variety, and they’ve delivered just that, with a lot more insanity to match their ambition.
[The publisher provided a copy of the game for review purposes.]
Reviewed on: PC
