Given the nature of the Switch’s detachable Joy-Con, the console has plenty of couch co-op titles worthy of cracking out with friends. A few examples really stand out, like the delightful Overcooked series and Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, but there is arguably nothing that has quite managed to match the sheer joy that Snipperclips - Cut It Out, Together! brought when it launched alongside the Switch back in 2017. At least, nothing until now.
Heave Ho is a couch co-op game that is deceptively simple in premise, requiring up to four players to navigate a series of increasingly complex levels in order to reach the end goal. The twist here is that each player can only control their respective character’s arms. By moving the analogue stick around, your chosen character will swing his/her arms around. You can then grip onto any surface with either hand, with your left hand mapped to 'L', and your right to 'R'. By utilising your character’s body as momentum, you effectively swing and heave your way across surfaces in order to progress through the stages.
In single player, this practice is pretty straightforward - you can simply swing your way along the surface of platforms, alternating between your left and right hand to gain momentum. In multiplayer, it’s a bit more nuanced, allowing you to grip each other’s hands and effectively form a living chain of characters, acting as a rope you can swing back and forth in order to reach more distant ledges. Of course, this requires a great deal of communication and coordination; each player needs to understand their role in the process and, perhaps more importantly, remember which arm to focus on at all times. Sessions can very quickly fall apart if someone accidentally lets go or reaches for a platform with the wrong limb.
Experimentation is key for a lot of the levels - you may even need to launch (or heave - ahem!) one another from one platform to the next. As you progress, it gets even more treacherous, with electrified ledges threatening instant death, and even completely invisible platforms that almost encourage you to fail (falling off the stage will cause a fountain of ‘blood’ to spray across the screen, coating any surface it touches). You might even see a llama trudging across the stage before breaking wind to obscure the stage in a dense cloud of… well, gas.
Aside from the main levels, you’ll occasionally get the opportunity to take part in some fun little mini games. At random points during the main game, a golden rope will dangle from one of the platforms. Grabbing hold of this will launch a mini game. Our favourite featured a twist on the game of basketball. You need to swing down to the underside of a ledge, grab one of the three basketballs beneath you, and - using your character’s momentum - launch the ball towards a moving basket. Scoring points will then reward you with coins, which you can use to purchase costumes.
Costumes! We love a good bit of character customisation, and Heave Ho features dozens of costumes to purchase with collectable coins. This includes basic stuff like a swimmers costume and a space marine outfit, but you can also dress up your characters with costumes from some other Devolver Digital franchises, such as Gato Roboto. Additionally, you can change individual features of your character, such as hair, facial features, arms, and even their voices. The voices in particular are used to brilliant effect. They don’t actually say anything, but you can press 'X' to cheer in joy, and 'A' to groan in frustration at any time. It’s genuinely hilarious when two or more characters cheer in unison upon completing a stage.
Unfortunately, where Heave Ho falls down slightly is in its variety of stages. There are plenty to choose from, with each group of stages featuring specific themes and challenges. The problem though, is that although you can choose between single player and multiplayer in the main menu, the actual stages themselves are exactly the same regardless of whether you’re on your own or with a group of friends. It almost begs the question if you can clear the stages on your own, is there really much of an incentive to go through it all again with friends (and vice versa)? Trying to navigate the same stages with friends does require different tactics compared to when you’re alone, but we think a game like this would have benefited greatly from specific multiplayer stages to mix things up a bit.
Conclusion
Heave Ho doesn’t quite reach the lofty heights of Snipperclips, but it’s still one of the best couch co-op titles to hit the Switch. It encourages communication and careful planning, but remains utterly chaotic and achingly hilarious, with a fantastic selection of unique costumes to unlock as you progress. The fact that you’ll face the same stages whether you’re playing multiplayer or single player is undoubtedly a big disappointment, but it’s great fun whatever way you decide to play it.
Comments 19
"The problem though, is that although you can choose between single player and multiplayer in the main menu, the actual stages themselves are exactly the same regardless of whether you’re on your own or with a group of friends. It almost begs the question if you can clear the stages on your own, is there really much of an incentive to go through it all again with friends (and vice versa)?"
It has never been an issue with the Mario games.
I didn't realize this was coming out today... it has been on my radar for a while... I will likely buy it when I get home and hopefully play it over the holiday weekend with family.
@shaneoh
Exactly... I think the reviewer needs to re-think that criticism. As long as the levels work in multiplayer and are still fun, there is nothing wrong with not having dedicated multiplayer levels.
I definitely prefer it this way... since otherwise games tend to have tons of single-player levels and a handful of multiplayer levels. Also, sometimes it feels like the dedicated multiplayer levels don't receive the same amount of attention in that scenario.
Frankly, if a game like this had dedicated single player and multiplayer levels, I would NEVER end up experiencing the single player levels.
I can understand why not having different levels for single player and multiplayer could be seen as a negative in this case. I'd imagine the game would be more fun co-op if the levels were designed to actually required working together to reach the goal.
but does it have online tho?
Thanks for the review. I was wondering about this game and this helps clarify that I want it. I still want to make sure it runs perfectly at 60fps though. Can anyone verify? I'll sleuth gameplay videos to see if I can discern what's up with the refresh rate.
Jeez, this game is so charming I'm probably going to get it even though based on the few gameplay videos I've seen I can't tell if it's running at a locked 60fps. It's also kinda weird that I think he game is cute and charming even though it sprays blood on stuff whenever you fall off the stage. The blood sprays and falling confetti at stage completion look 60fps, but I can't tell for sure during regular gameplay if it's 60fps or not. Regardless, I'm getting this awesome sounding game.
@60frames-please
Frame Rate and Refresh Rate are not the same thing...
wth am I even looking at in these screenshots lol
@holygeez03 That's totally fair - I think because I started on single player, I was honestly a bit disappointed that the multiplayer levels weren't at least a bit more complex. If this isn't an issue for you though, you'll have an absolute blast with the game thanks for the feedback.
@Roto13
No thanks, cos i know what it's full of, sums you up
@Magonigal Congrats on being even more pointless than the person whose entire life is whining about framerates. That's an accomplishment in its own sad way.
@Roto13 cant be bothered, you're not worth it
This game is genius. It's absolutely the new contender for best party game I have on Switch and I have way too many lol. If party games are your thing it is an absolute no brainer, especially with the very reasonable price tag. Love it! Would be a solid 10 (party game-wise) from me if they added some competative modes (racing and battling each other or king of the hill type mode, would be epic), and a level editor. I believe I saw one of the devs reply to a post on Steam about loving the idea of a level editor so who knows what they might add later on. The beauty of this game is that there could be so many crazy ideas for game modes you could add into it and they would just work. (The minigames give you little taste of that). Overall, the game is awesome, great job!
Saw this, got excited, then noticed "couch co-op" and remembered I hate playing games with anyone that sits on my couch.
Been waiting for this one! Having a blast so far in single player. Can’t wait for multiplayer hilarity to ensue
@neogyo Same here. I wasn't expecting much from solo mode but it is really damn fun. And still pretty hilarious. Lol, coop is unbeatable though. It's a class act.
@C-Chakra awesome!! Super cool that they included all those Devolver characters too. They’ve been my favorite publisher on the switch - besides the obvious of course;)
I played this a little bit over the weekend with 3 and 4 players... I spent a very brief amount of time in Solo mode... Although the overall obstacles are essentially the same in Single and Multi player, the level layout appears different (things are further apart) and there are different spikes and things like that. Ultimately, the Single and Multi player stages are NOT the same in my opinion, and it certainly doesn't detract from the game either way.
Considering that is only "Con" for the review, I think the game is easily a higher score.
The best part is that my father-in-law, who does not play video games, was able to join in with the rest of us and still have a very enjoyable experience... we literally carried him at times!
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