Heave Ho

Released worldwide for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Nintendo Switch on August 29, 2019, to a generally positive critical reception, with many critics praising it as an exemplary cooperative video game. A version for Amazon Luna was made available on February 3, 2022.

• Title — Heave Ho • Developer — Le Cartel Studio • Publisher — Devolver Digital • Engine — Unity • Platforms — * Windows • macOS • Nintendo Switch • Amazon Luna • Genre — Party, platform • Released — Windows, macOS, Switch August 29, 2019 Amazon Luna February 3, 2022 • Modes — Single-player, multiplayer

In Heave Ho, players assume control of colourful characters, each presented as disembodied heads with a pair of stretchable arms, that must grapple and swing across each level in order to progress. In the event that a player character falls out of the level's boundaries, it respawns at the start of the level for a fresh attempt. Players can only control their respective character's arms; on a game controller, this is accomplished by moving the analogue stick. Characters may be customized with a variety of accessories and skins. Each skin may be unlocked with coins found throughout the levels, which players must deliver to the goal in order to get credit. In multiplayer scenarios, player characters may work together in order to progress, such as grabbing one another's hands, climbing across another character's dangling body, and/or swinging another character across distances.

Heave Ho is developed by Le Cartel Studio, an independent development studio based in France, and published by Devolver Digital. The concept behind Heave Ho originated from a game jam organized by Est Ensemble, MediaLab 93 and The Beautiful Games, which had the overarching theme of with the theme of urban culture. The character designs of Heave Ho were by artist Alexandre Muttoni and designer Frédéric Coispeau, who came up with "street workout" as their own sub-theme for the game jam: it involved a workout using only both arms without touching the ground. A game demo for Heave Ho was released on Steam a month before the game's launch on August 29, 2019, for PC and Nintendo Switch. The team planned to have 50 different skins for the game's launch.