Most platformers have the decency to give the player feet and an ability to jump. Heave Ho doesn’t play by the rules. Instead, as a head with two arms, I have to grab and sling myself across the ground, ceiling, and walls.
It’s a blast.
With simple controls that give me just enough guidance to keep frustration at bay, Heave Ho had me swinging on ropes, balls, rotating platforms and walls, straining to reach the goal. The physics-based gameplay often allowed shortcuts, which let me shoot for better times. It’s a speedrunner’s dream, and each skip I made had me feeling pretty stoked.
While each level pushed me in different ways and kept me from getting bored, some level gimmicks were not so great. One level was full of darkness, limiting visibility to the player and some torches. It didn’t add much to the game. Another level had invisible platforms, which added nothing to the game and was dumb. The final level had balls that rolled by, which worked well enough but was often frustrating. If the player needed to roll the ball uphill, the level became a time-consuming and aggravating process.
The game seems built for multiplayer, but I was unable to test that in my lone crusade against my Steam library. Instead, I played through each stage of the game once, and it took about an hour. I only found a minigame once, but it seemed like a good time. I’m sure there are other secrets. There is another set of levels that are the same as the main stages but require much more precision. I may try them at some point.
Honestly, I could go back and play this whole game again from the start, right now. It’s fun, simple, and well-made. And I might beat my times.
Verdict: Beat the game.
Kyle Adams 