Review – Heave Ho 2
The expression “monkey’s paw” is an expression that was coined after the release of the short story of the same name, written by W. W. Jacobs. In it, three wishes are granted to whoever owns an enchanted monkey’s paw, but only with wicked consequences as a punishment for tampering with fate. It became the quintessential expression that means “be careful what you wish for”. Such an example of regretting my previous wishes can be seen in the sequel to one of the best games of 2019, Heave Ho. The brand new Heave Ho 2 addresses one of the very few issues the original game had, but at a tremendous cost. One that ends up making it a lot less exciting than its predecessor.
You’re trying to help each other out… but it’s more fun to let your friends sink to their doom.
It feels weird to sound negative after writing a pretty positive preview of Heave Ho 2 at Gamescom Latam 2026. Indeed, I had a blast with the game. It is, by and large, just a bunch of new Heave Ho levels, with the added benefit of the one true new feature in the package (aside from the unnecessary but amazing fart button): online multiplayer. Functional online co-op was the one thing I wish the original game had at launch… maybe it was too complex to implement it at a time, since Heave Ho 2 is the kind of game that requires pitch perfect connections in order to properly function. And by golly, it does work, and it’s great. But then there’s the major dealbreaker…
I get that Heave Ho 2 is the ultimate party game, and a hoot no matter how you decide to play it; be it with friends online or via local co-op, you’ll have the same kind of fun you’ve been having since 2019. The catch is that there is ONLY multiplayer. This is a full co-op experience, and you cannot play it by yourself, as it was possible with the original. I understand its core appeal, but when the game is also available on a PC, and thus playable via a portable system like the ROG Ally or Steam Deck, the appeal of having it playable on-the-go is, simply put, gone. There are no bots, no AI companions, or levels designed for a single player. Either hope you can find people online via matchmaking, or get a Switch version in order to properly enjoy it via couch co-op.
There is also a battle mode. As if you weren’t battling against each other in co-op anyway…
At its core, Heave Ho 2 is more of what made the original so addictive and hilarious, but this came at a painful cost. Making it multiplayer-only, with no way to enjoy solo levels or bot support, makes this particular PC version a lot less enticing. Simply put, it has a major disadvantage compared to a Switch version with detachable joycons. You either have to hope for online support to be steady (and if so, it works like a charm) or just stick to the original. The introduction of online play is awesome, but I don’t like how more limited this game is in terms of how you can play it.
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Graphics: 7.0 Heave Ho 2 basically features the same visuals seen in its predecessor. Not like it needed any change to begin with… |
Gameplay: 10 The same excellent and intentionally wonky control scheme and gameplay loop that made Heave Ho the hit game that it is. The main additions here are the impressive low online ping… and a fart button. |
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Sound: 6.0 The original wasn’t impressive in terms of its soundtrack; the same can be said about Heave Ho 2. |
Fun Factor: 7.0 It retains everything that made Heave Ho so appealing, but removing any semblance of local solo play felt like a monkey’s paw consequence of sorts. It ultimately makes Heave Ho 2 a lot less accessible than its predecessor, and the PC port quite pointless. |
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Final Verdict: 7.5
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Heave Ho 2 is available now on PC, Switch and Switch 2.
Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB and Asus ROG Ally.
A copy of Heave Ho 2 was provided by the publisher.
I 100% agree with the “no solo play” being a big missing feature. That was one of the features that it “must have” in my opinion. I don’t see myself playing this game that much at all because of that. I have many, many many hours in the first one and I foresee hardly any on this one unless I can always play couch co-op with others. I don’t play online games at all and won’t use that feature. So, long story short, Bring back Solo Play!!