Choose Heave Ho
Choose Heave Ho if you want the Shared/Split Screen PvP and PvP side of the pairing. On Steam, it's currently about 33% cheaper on the Steam Store. 1,068 Steam reviews back the pick.
Heave Ho vs Struggling
Heave Ho and Struggling both land in Indie, Adventure on Steam, which is why they keep getting compared. The comparison below is built from each game's Steam metadata — release year, genres, categories, Steam Deck status, price, and review score — refreshed daily by imho.run's scraper. Headline differences: Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam. Heave Ho (2019) is 1 year older than Struggling (2020). Struggling scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Heave Ho (92% positive). No login or purchase needed — scroll for the full table, the verdict FAQ, and links to ranked similar games for both titles.
Which should you pick?
Choose Struggling
Choose Struggling if you want an Action and Casual experience. Struggling launched in 2020.
Both Heave Ho and Struggling sit in Indie and Adventure on Steam and both list Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen, and Shared/Split Screen Co-op, so either pick lands in the same broad neighborhood. Steam reviews are nearly tied (92% vs 93.4% positive), so genre fit is the cleanest tiebreaker — scroll the table for the feature-by-feature view.
Side-by-side comparison
 Heave Ho |  Struggling | |
|---|---|---|
| Released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Genres | Indie, Adventure | Action, Indie, Adventure, Casual |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Steam Deck | Deck Verified | Deck Verified |
| Price | 9.99 USD | 14.99 USD |
| Steam reviews | 92% positive (1,068 reviews) | 93.4% positive (211 reviews) |
| Multiplayer | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op | Multi-player, Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op |
| Developers | Le Cartel Studio | Chasing Rats Games |
Side by side
- Both share Indie, Adventure on Steam.
- Heave Ho (2019) is 1 year older than Struggling (2020).
- Struggling scores higher on Steam reviews (93.4% positive) than Heave Ho (92% positive).
- Heave Ho is currently ~33% cheaper on Steam than Struggling (9.99 USD vs. 14.99 USD).
- Both support cooperative play.
- Both are Deck Verified.
Heave Ho vs Struggling — FAQ
- Which is better, Heave Ho or Struggling?
- On Steam reviews the two are nearly tied: Heave Ho sits at 92% positive (1,068 reviews), Struggling at 93.4% (211). The choice usually comes down to genre fit and the platform features each one supports — see the comparison table above.
- Should I play Heave Ho or Struggling first?
- If you want chronology, Heave Ho (2019) came out before Struggling (2020). If neither is a sequel to the other, order doesn't really matter — start with whichever fits your current mood, since both share enough on Steam to make either a reasonable opener.
- Are Heave Ho and Struggling similar?
- They overlap on Indie, Adventure on Steam, so the catalogue groups them together — but "similar" depends on the specific mechanics. Use the genre + category rows above to decide whether the overlap matches what drew you to the one you've already played.
- Do both Heave Ho and Struggling have co-op?
- Yes — both list a co-op category on Steam. Specifics differ: Heave Ho ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op; Struggling ships Shared/Split Screen Co-op, Co-op.
- Do Heave Ho and Struggling both run on Steam Deck?
- Yes — both are Steam Deck Verified, meaning Valve confirms they run with full controller support, legible text, and default settings out of the box.