It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a cooperative platform game, released by Hazelight Productions in March 2021. The game follows couple May and Cody, who are on the brink of a messy divorce. Upset by her parents’ arguments, May and Cody’s daughter Rose appeals to a magical ‘Book of Love’ to try and mend their relationship. The book promptly decides to turn Cody and May into tiny dolls, forcing them to work together to try and regain human form.

3D Platform Fun

It Takes Two’s strongest feature is its varied and engaging gameplay. As the title would suggest, the game has been created for two (and only two) people to play, allowing for an inventive co-op experience. However, these puzzles do not only feature the buttons, levers, or ropes that are so often a hallmark of co-op platformers.

It Takes Two will also shoot themselves through vacuum tubes, operate dinosaur toys, play co-op pinball, and drive vehicles ranging from boats to sleds to makeshift gliders. Several stages also feature Cody and Michael being given complimentary gadgets, such as a hammer and a nail, which must be used in conjunction to clear the stage. This wide variety of mechanics ensures that players always feel engaged and challenged by what’s going on.

Due to the pair’s small size and the magic, the pair’s archetypal American rural house turns into a fantastical environment. The couple’s tree turns out to hold both an ethereal lake and a vicious squirrel/wasp battlefield, while their daughter’s room boasts a maze of a pillow fort and a rainbow toy castle. Even the pair’s attic becomes a site for a neon-tinted showdown.

Puzzle Challenge

The game features many eccentric and endearing side characters, such as the couple’s resentful vacuum. However, It Takes Two suffers from the presence of the ‘Book of Love’ (or Dr. Hakim), who Gamespot reviewer Andrew King rightfully called out as being “stereotypical and a little offensive”. Dr. Hakim often is used as a convenient device to usher the players off to the next interesting world, without much in the way of progression in their arc or the overall plot. It Takes Two also falters in its discussions of partnerships. As noted by Chris Plante and Russ Fruscher in Polygon, the game presents discord in relationships as something that can always be fixed through sufficient work and maturity, eliding the discussion of larger, potentially irreconcilable disputes. Although It Takes Two mocks the advice of its hack ‘Book of Love’, it does not offer much in the way of more nuanced opinions.

BOTTOM LINE

It Takes Two offers fresh, engaging co-op gameplay in beautifully rendered environments. Although its plot can be weak and thematically shallow, it still presents a rewarding experience for it still presents a rewarding experience for fans of games like Human Fall Flat or Unravel.

PROS:

• Inventive level design
• Beautiful, intricately crafted environments
• Unique co-op gameplay style

CONS:

• Weak discussion of relationships
• Meandering plot