Couch Co-Op Is Cool Again!
Plus all the new retro-looking games coming in the next month, and playing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess in 2026
Hey friends!
Welcome to the newsletter. This week Alice is remembering a preview of co-op title Heave-Ho 2 while recovering from her latest toddler-borne illness. Meanwhile, Tim is looking ahead at the games to come, as well as behind to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Enjoy!
A Ho for multiplayer
By Alice
There is nothing like a good, silly, couch co-op game with the right group of friends. Having now played a preview of Heave-Ho 2, I am really interested to see how people experience it when the game releases. Is this a game that’s great with the right group? Or is it one that you’ll play with a few friends once for 15 minutes, promise you’ll all play again, and then forget about it?
The game follows the same general idea as the original: you’re a head with arms who must grab stuff and move. It’s simple, but the rag doll physics and having to rely on team work makes it super hard to master.
I played a few different levels, including a couple where we had to hang from the ceiling like those little monkeys in a barrel toys, clutching onto each other, trying to get the person on the end to grab the next part of the ceiling, and hoping the person in the middle didn’t let go. The person in the middle often let go and it was infuriating, especially when you were the person in the middle and genuinely did not mean to let go.
It’s those kinds of levels that I loved because they relied on team work and problem solving, and I could see it bringing on the chaotic fun with the right people in the right mood.
However, there was a level where we had to put large vases and statues in order on plinths, and because of the physics it was just annoying. It tipped the scales from being a fun challenge, to having me wish a pox on whomever came up with it.
The issue I had with the game was that the levels didn’t change depending on the number of players. You can’t play it alone, only with 2-4 people (other local or online), but the experience with 2 people will be wildly different to that of 4. In the level with the keys, I don’t see how it would have been possible with just two players. The one with the statues would have been nigh impossible with four due to the chaos. One of you would die of blunt force trauma.
What’s interesting is that this sequel will allow for online play for the first time in the series, which would make it more of an exercise in communication, which would add a really rich extra dimension to play.
There isn’t a release date yet, but when Heave-Ho 2 does come out on Nintendo Switch (1 & 2) and PC, I definitely look forward to testing it out and seeing how it goes in a group that knows better how to read each other.
What’s on our radar
Tim: I’ve been replaying Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. I don’t know why. I’m really trying to commit to a sith playthrough, but this is the absolute height of silly Bioware morality choices, where to get “evil points” I have to kill people for no reason, rob myself of content by refusing to help anyone, and be as rude as possible to my friends. Which I guess, according to the prequel trilogy, is how it works. I’m also excited for Mixtape but haven’t got around to it yet.
Alice: I’ve spent this past week reviewing Forza Horizon 6, which I am very excited about (and you can read more about after embargo lifts). I am also really looking forward to playing Mixtape after I finish my review.
Winter of our chic content
By Tim
The middle of the year may traditionally be a quiet time for big-budget releases, but a few recent announcements have made the next two months absolutely huge for those of us whose favoured genres skew a little bit retro. Here are eight games to put on your calendar.
May 21
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book There’s a lot about this game that remains to be seen, and our ability to predict is hampered because we still don’t know who the developer is. But all the footage shown so far has been adorable, and I think if you go in expecting Yoshi’s Story levels of complexity you’ll be satisfied.
May 22
Bubsy 4D Bubsy sucks. Every game so far has been deeply flawed, despite the original being a cartridge that seemingly everyone had. But this revival comes from Fabraz, the developer behind wonderful indie 3D platformers Demon Turf and Demon Tides. It may be time for the bobcat’s redemption.
May 22
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight This one was not on my radar until the recent round of media previews. A cohesive new story with references to the greats? An open-world Gotham? Its own fighting system? From the trailers I thought it was just a collection of movie memes made into Lego levels.
May 29
Mina the Hollower Announced four years ago, this Game Boy style action adventure has been a long time coming, but the demo showed it will be worth it. Multiple weapon styles, Zelda-meets-Dark-Souls inspiration, gorgeous art and music. It’s from Yacht Club, the developer of Shovel Knight.
June 17
Denshattack! Pictured. This is one for all you Dreamcast sickos. It’s got the 2000s Japan street style, the bizarre mashup concept, the satisfying arcade gameplay loop, and a whole heap of speed. You play as a train that can trick and grind as it goes. And it sounds exactly how you think it sounds!
June 18
Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales Square Enix does not know how to make an English game title. But its Team Asano sure does make some beautiful, old-school RPGs, like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy. This is the first one with a real-time, Chrono Trigger or Secret of Mana vibe.
June 25
Star Fox Say what you will about the weird new realistic art style and sketchy chat filters, Star Fox 64 is an all-time banger and that doesn’t change even if you make the same game five times. You’re going to struggle in those solar and underwater levels again, and you’re going to like it.
July 2
Rhythm Heaven Groove The legendary Tsunku returns, despite his very unfortunate medical issues, to provide music to this throwback to a time when rhythm games were king. So, that very small window around 2006, 2008. Looks perfect.
Retro Esoterica
by Tim
A new fan-made decompilation project for The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess has just been completed, effectively meaning there are now Windows, Mac, Linux and mobile native ports of Nintendo’s 2006 epic to enjoy. If you’re not familiar with these kinds of projects, how they typically work is that you need to copy the data from your authentic copy of the game (in this case a Gamecube Disc), and integrate it with the community-made program. Yes, this is technically illegal in some parts of the world. And yes, that is silly.
The new project is called Dusk, from a team called TwilitRealm, and it’s a very slick experience. It’s ready in seconds once you have your disc data, and the default settings will work great for most people, with resolution scaled to your monitor and common controllers automatically configured. But there’s also a lot to tweak in the settings.
Improvements made for the Wii U version of the game, including bigger wallets and faster climbing, are on by default here but can be turned off. You can mirror the world and reinstate some bugs from the Wii version if you wish, and there are also a range of visual settings and game-breaking cheats you can play with. There’s a built-in achievements list which gives a bit of modern flair, but you can also set it up to look and feel more or less exactly as it did at launch, for maximum nostalgia.
I was able to transfer my in-progress save game from the Gamecube version easily, and configured gyro aiming with my controller in a matter of seconds. Paired with the HD, widescreen resolution and 60fps performance, it’s the ultimate version of the game, until Nintendo makes an official new port for Switch 2.