Supporting indie games is a very good idea, especially those that are creative and full of interesting challenges. With Heave Ho you do have a very appealing and simple prospect. The challenge here is that you do need to figure out how to reach the end of the level and not fall to your death.

Numerous challenges, one winner

You can play against the AI or you can play against friends. The idea is always the same, you have to avoid falling to your death and push things to the next level as much as you can. The clear focus has to be on becoming the winner and doing everything you can to stop others from winning. The simple idea here is to test out all your strategies and see which one works. Sometimes even attacking everyone and not caring about the end point might make you the winner. It doesn’t really matter that much as long as you have fun and try to become a thorn in your enemy’s stomach.

That’s one of the best things about Heave Ho, the fact that it can be very cooperative but also super competitive. You have all the tools here, and you decide how much fun you will have and what experiences you want to focus on. That really helps a lot, it just makes the experience so fun and different, and you will like it quite a bit because of that.
The cooperation aspect such as climbing across dangling bodies and trying to work with one another can really help a lot. It certainly pushes the experience to a great new level while also making the process super interesting and fun at the same time. It totally works and you will find it to be one of the better things about the entire thing all the time.

Great customization

With Heave Ho you also have quite a lot of customization and new features all the time. The major focus with Heave Ho is offering your character the accessories and accouterment that you want while also bringing in a fun set of options to the table. It’s very creative to have all of this in your hands, and the fact that you can look so much different when compared to others is what helps quite a bit.

Levels can be both short or long

One of the best things about this game is that you can always try out something new and different. Not only do you get to have all kinds of interesting features right in front of you, but everything is very creative and you can test out your skills in a clever way. Every stage has 5-30 minutes, depending on how you play. It’s the full creativity and diversity of this process that stands out, and you will find everything to work in a proper manner this way all the time.

Ideally you complete the level when everyone reaches the finish line. That being said, levels also have tokens that you can carry to the finish line. This offers the customization we talked about above. It’s very distinctive and creative, and it can provide you with some clever options all the time. That’s the true benefit of Heave Ho, the fact that you always have a purpose as you play and you have to try and become the best at what you are doing in a clever and distinctive manner.
Thankfully, levels have checkpoints and you can save your progress. It would be bad to not have a way to save your progress, thankfully there is an option here and that can help quite a lot. It’s a lot better than before to have all these features in front of you, and it will work super well if you commit to the process and adapt as much as you can to it.

Assistance mechanics

There’s no denying that Heave Ho is a game where you will die quite a lot. It might seem frustrating a bit at first, but there are balloons spread all over the levels where you can respawn the fallen friends. That’s where the cooperative aspect shines here, because you are always encouraged to help others and it’s just a friendly way of playing. You can be competitive if you want, but cooperative play is at the core of the game and it certainly works super nicely. That delivers some amazing opportunities and the outcome is among some of the best every time.

Level types and features

The levels might seem similar at first, but they are always trying to add a new element into the mix. Spikes, electrifying platforms, timed platforms and so on are all very interesting and fun to use. All these things add up to provide a great experience, especially if you are not that skilled. But things get very hard really fast. There are levels where most platforms are invisible almost all the time. That’s a very important thing to keep in mind, as it will give you some creative aspects while also allowing you to experiment and try out new stuff all the time.

Great for any age

That’s the best thing about Heave Ho, the fact that it can be played by anyone regardless of their age. It really makes the difference you want and it can be quite interesting and fun all the time. You will notice it’s very creative and exciting to play, and you will not have to worry about any challenges as even kids will learn how to play quickly.
Overall, Heave Ho is a great game and you will find it a lot of fun for the entire family. It does take a bit to learn the ropes at first if you never played this type of game. Yet the cooperative aspect, unique way you play and other great ideas really push the experience to new heights all the time. It’s definitely a good game to play with friends and family. You do have lots of room for strategy, but in the end it’s all about fun and Heave Ho certainly nails that!

This review is based on the PC version of the game. A review copy was provided to us by Cosmocover.