It Takes Two (2021)

When my wife and I were searching for a fun Co-op game, It Takes Two came to light. It looked beautiful and fun, so off we went.

It Takes Two is a platform puzzle game in which you need to work together to progress in the levels. It is not possible to play this game alone (except for your feet on a controller or something) and this game is the very definition of Co-op.

In It Takes Two, you play as two parents that are on the brink of divorce. Their daughter Rose is really sad about this and drops her tears on two dolls that resemble her parents. The magic book that she found earlier at school transforms the two parents, Cody and May, into the dolls that Rose made. Flabbergasted and shocked, they need to get back to reality and their real bodies and get back to Rose. The only way to do this is by saving their marriage and getting the spark back between the two.

The Graphics are amazing. It looks very polished and detailed, and the framerate is very smooth. There is color everywhere and the animations and visual effects are stunning. This game looks very good, especially for 2021. The sound design, voice acting and in game music deserve only praise. The last world you played made this claim even bolder. It just sounds amazing.

By far the best aspect of this game is the fluent controls. They are responsive, not “slippery” or clunky and work perfectly well with all the stuff you can interact with in the worlds.

It Takes Two is also a very long game. My wife and I played for almost 20 hours together, which is a very decent amount of playtime in my opinion.

The Co-Op puzzles are well done. They are simple, but some coordination and skill are still required. It Takes Two is also well balanced and offers fair intervals between checkpoints. The mini games are a nice addition and a personal challenge between us. The boss battles were epic and did not have any reason to be this good and well made. My absolute favorite is the Giant, infected flower boss in Cody’s garden.

The only small issue I had with the game, are the unskippable cutscenes. When playing a level again, you just want to progress, but instead, you are forced to watch every single scene again.

The humor is spot on in this game. The hidden adult jokes, the Book of Love and the sarcasm were hilarious and, while a serious game for the most part, it has many moments that it does not take itself seriously.

The many different worlds, themes, biomes, cutscenes, skills and collaboration are the core strengths of this game. I liked the first world in which I threw nails while my wife used them to get to the other side. The Snow world with the many different things that were going on, the under-water levels, the tripping space/light levels, they were all great. I had more fun with this game alone than a whole lot of other games combined over the year.

In the end, I can only praise this game, and I would surely recommend this to everyone.

The main appeal of this game is coop, it is not coop tacked on it is truly designed with it in mind.

The puzzles are not very challenging and if you play this with another seasoned player, you will breeze through it. However, it is a joyful experience, the theme of the levels, cutscenes, voice actin, it is great all around. The game keeps things fresh from one area to the next and it keeps giving you tools to experiment.

it is also very accessible to non gamers, so it would be a great gateway game to those that are trying to introduce a friend or a family member to gaming.

If you like coop gaming do not pass this up!

It Takes Two is truly a cooperative masterpiece. Hands down, it is easily one of the best, if not the best, co-op game I have ever played. Sure, some people may disagree with us, and some may find things about the game to really nitpick about, but I tell you now… if you have anyone in your life that you care about who also enjoys playing video games, and they have not played It Takes Two, I highly advise to not miss out on this game. Like I said before, there’s a reason why this won Game of the Year - and it 100% deserves it.

I'm half through the game. And I am loving it - the gameplay is so smooth and satisfying. The design is beautiful. Yes, It has a strange sense of humor - but for me is a bonus.

After the announcement, I was afraid it would be something purely educative - and lacking personality (like happened in Tell Me Why  - Dontnod ). Instead, I'm getting vibes of No More Heroes - including the dynamic design of chapters. (But here, it actually works!! )

And I'm sorry, but the polemic scene of the earless Elephant?  I couldn't have loved more.  Is something so surreal and out of place that creates a priceless tension.   We weren't expecting this twisted actions - in a supposed Second Chance RomCom. So overall it feels surprisingly fresh ! Yes, they are terrible people, and maybe break up is a better option.

But I reserve my final thoughts for after I finished. Because I really don't know where the narrative is leading - but so far, this is a good thing.

The title of this game I saw on Grouvees sidebar made me curious.

A healthy marriage is like the ultimate co-op game: You have to know when to give and take, when to push and pull, and when to talk and when to listen. But most importantly, you must always remember when it’s your turn to take the garbage out - something Hazelight Studios has certainly done during the development of the almost entirely garbage-free It Takes Two. This utterly superb co-op platformer manages to cram in enough unique and exhilarating gameplay ideas to give Shigeru Miyamoto a migraine, with not a single dud among them.

From this review

Perhaps the next game to play with my girlfriend?