Upper Byte, the developer of games such as Wooden Sen’SeY, grabbed my attention with the latest Xbox One release of their co-op platform title HeartZ. The game, which reminds me a lot of the game Velocity, just a lot slower in execution, is a fun platform title that gives you hours of gameplay without overcomplicating it with puzzles Einstein would have trouble solving.
The game is centered around co-op play, however any gamer can attempt to play this by themselves. The game does increase difficulty to the point where playing on your own becomes quite impossible. I found myself—I played alone—frantically switching characters to get them to safety while solving puzzles at the same time. Co-op titles are quite annoying in this way. I would rather have them adjust the difficulty to the point where people can enjoy the game on their own, without having “phantom limbs”.
The game is quite fun and addictive in the way Not a Hero was. It gives you simple tasks that are quite easy to understand. Each character has special abilities. The green character has a teleport ability, which seems to be copied directly from Velocity. The yellow character has the ability to turn certain switches on or off, and the pink dog character can speed through different areas. Each one of these characters has multiple abilities that each contributes to the overall puzzle to get it solved. Each level also contains specific “statues” and collectibles that give you that extra goal to complete, if you’re keen on something like that.
The game has a thinly-veiled story, where you have to destroy a certain Dr. Nylus and his minions by solving the traps set by him in each level. At the end of each level, a certain part of the story plays out. However, there is no voice acting in the game, except for electronic noises. This is the norm nowadays in many titles, probably to keep the budget down to a minimum. It doesn’t take away from the overall experience however, unlike other games.
The graphics are quite good, feeding into standard platform design. Each level is pretty well-designed, and each character is unique. I didn’t find myself wondering why they made specific design choices. The game scores high marks in this regard. Gameplay and the control scheme are also decent. Each command is easy to remember, and the controls aren’t archaic in the sense that it purposefully wants you to struggle. It adds to the fun nature of the game, and I quite enjoyed playing it regardless of the struggle when playing alone.
Summary
HeartZ: Co-Hope Puzzles is a seriously fun and simple title that you and a few of your friends can play. The title is great as a party game, and offers some hilarious moments. On your own however it can become quite difficult, unless you have six arms. For the price of admission this game is completely worth the money spent, and it gives you simple achievements to complete. I would definitely recommend it.
Dreyer was a regular ICXM contributor between 2016–2017, publishing 139 articles across opinion pieces, game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news. Their work focused on hands-on reviews, platform commentary, and breaking-news reporting during the Xbox One X launch year and Microsoft’s wider Play Anywhere / UWP gaming initiative. They post on X as @dreyer_smit.