A little gem of a co-op party game, with physics as maddening as it is hilarious. The solo is forgettable, but in a group, every crossing becomes an endless source of chaotic teamwork and laughter.
Your verdict
Category
Party / Minigame4 players3+
Co-op
Description
A physics party game by Le Cartel Studio, published by Devolver Digital on Switch in 2019. You play a little creature reduced to two hands, which must grab onto scenery and teammates to cross chasms. Simple to pick up and hilarious in co-op, it turns the smallest traversal into a clumsy, gleeful ballet.
Heave Ho review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
3/5
Music
★★★★★
"Memorable"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The fun springs from the first second: grabbing a wall, letting go at the wrong moment and falling into the void laughing. The slapstick physics produces hilarious situations with no downtime, and co-op turns the smallest crossing into a party.
Two hands, a chasm, and friends: rarely have so few means produced so much laughter. For the brilliance of its physics concept, the simplicity of its controls and the gleeful chaos of its co-op, it's a little gem, indispensable on game nights.
Better with friends
The game is built for co-op: in a group, you literally have to hold hands to cross the chasms. This physical interdependence creates a chaotic, hilarious mutual aid, where every success is a collective victory and every fall a shared burst of laughter.
Is Heave Ho still worth playing in 2026?
Years after release, Heave Ho remains one of the best co-op party games on a single screen, a gem whose slapstick physics sparks inexhaustible laughter. Its simple concept — two hands to grab with — puts everyone on equal footing in ten seconds. As local multiplayer surges back, it's a must for game nights. On Switch, you share the Joy-Con and dive into chaotic crossings anywhere, the moment there's a group.
