Honestly, most "co-op" games are just single-player experiences where a second person happens to be holding a controller. You're both on the screen. You're both shooting stuff. But you aren't actually connected. Then Hazelight Studios dropped It Takes Two in 2021, and suddenly every other cooperative game felt a decade behind. It didn't just win Game of the Year; it basically redefined what it means to play with a partner.
Josef Fares, the loud, charismatic director behind the project, famously said he’d give $1,000 to anyone who got bored of it. He didn't have to pay up. The game is a relentless machine of new ideas. It’s a platformer. No, it’s a dungeon crawler. Wait, now it’s a flight simulator? It shifts genres faster than a teenager scrolling TikTok.
Why It Takes Two Is Actually About Your Relationships
At its core, the game is a messy, sometimes uncomfortable look at a marriage falling apart. Cody and May are planning to divorce. Their daughter, Rose, inadvertently traps their souls inside two dolls—one made of clay, one of wood—using a magical "Book of Love" named Dr. Hakim. It sounds like a Pixar fever dream, but the emotional stakes are surprisingly heavy.
The brilliance isn't just in the writing; it’s in how the mechanics reflect the narrative. In most games, both players have the same abilities. Not here. In the "Attraction" level, one player has the red pole of a magnet, and the other has the blue. You cannot progress unless you physically pull and push against each other’s positions. It forces communication. You can't just "be good" at the game in a vacuum. You have to be good together.
The Elephant in the Room (Literally)
We have to talk about Cutie. If you’ve played it, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you haven't, prepare for one of the most traumatizingly hilarious sequences in gaming history. To "break the spell," Cody and May decide they need to make Rose cry. Their logic? If her tears started this, maybe they can end it. This leads to a sequence involving a plush elephant queen that is—and I’m being conservative here—absolutely unhinged.
It’s a bold choice. It makes Cody and May feel like real, flawed, desperate people rather than "Hero 1" and "Hero 2." Most developers would play it safe. Hazelight went for the jugular.
Mechanical Whiplash: The Secret Sauce
Standard game design says you introduce a mechanic, teach it to the player, and then iterate on it for 10 hours. It Takes Two throws that rulebook out the window. Every single chapter introduces a completely new set of tools that you will never use again.
- In the shed, Cody gets nails to throw while May gets a hammer head.
- In the garden, Cody becomes a cactus-firing plant and May uses a water hose.
- In the clock tower, Cody can rewind time for himself, while May can clone herself.
This constant novelty is why the game stays fresh. You never get into a "flow state" that turns into a "bored state." Just as you master swinging on hooks with your partner, the game turns into a top-down RPG inspired by Diablo. Then it becomes a fighting game on top of a flying plane. It’s exhausting in the best way possible.
Does the Story Actually Land?
Some critics argue that Dr. Hakim, the talking book, is grating. I get it. He’s loud, he thrusts his hips, and he forces puns. But he serves a specific purpose. He’s the external pressure that forces Cody and May to stop bickering and start moving.
The game doesn't magically fix their marriage in the first act. It shows the slow, painful process of remembering why you liked someone in the first place. It deals with lost passions—May’s singing and Cody’s gardening. By the time you reach the finale, the "gameplay" isn't about puzzles anymore; it’s about the emotional synchronicity of the characters.
The "Friend's Pass" Was a Genius Business Move
Let’s be real for a second. Gaming is expensive. Usually, if you want to play a co-op game online, both people have to fork over $40 to $70. Electronic Arts and Hazelight did something radical here: the Friend’s Pass.
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Only one person needs to own the game. The other person downloads a trial version and joins for free. This lowered the barrier to entry so much that it allowed non-gamers to join in. I’ve seen countless stories of people playing this with their non-gaming spouses or parents. It’s accessible because it has to be.
Technical Mastery and Art Direction
From a technical standpoint, the split-screen is handled beautifully. Usually, split-screen feels like a compromise—a way to squeeze two views onto one monitor. In It Takes Two, the line between the screens is dynamic. It moves, it disappears during cutscenes, and it helps guide your eye to where your partner is struggling.
The art style is equally impressive. It’s "realistic" in its textures—the wood grain on Cody feels tactile—but "fantastical" in its scale. Being small in a big world is a trope as old as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, but seeing a common vacuum cleaner turned into a vengeful boss with glowing red eyes is top-tier creativity.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Difficulty
Don't let the "cutesy" aesthetic fool you. This isn't a "press X to win" kind of game. Some of the platforming sections require genuine timing. The boss fights, particularly the Wasp Queen or the Great Beetle, require actual strategy.
However, it’s incredibly forgiving. There’s no "Game Over" screen that sends you back to the start of the level. If one person stays alive, the other can respawn almost instantly. This balance prevents the "blame game" that usually ruins co-op sessions. It keeps the frustration low while keeping the engagement high.
Actionable Steps for Your First Playthrough
If you’re sitting down to play this for the first time, don't just rush through the main objectives. The world is littered with "minigames"—small, competitive distractions like whack-a-mole or tank battles.
- Switch controllers halfway. If you're Cody for the first half, try being May for the second. The experience is vastly different depending on which "tool" you’re holding.
- Look for the Easter eggs. There’s a very famous nod to A Way Out (Hazelight’s previous game) hidden in the toy room.
- Communicate out loud. You can't beat this game in silence. Talk through the puzzles. If you try to solo-brain it, you’ll just get stuck.
- Check your settings. If you’re playing on PC, ensure your controllers are calibrated properly; some of the flight sequences are a nightmare on a keyboard.
The legacy of It Takes Two isn't just the trophies on Hazelight’s shelf. It’s the fact that it proved there is a massive, hungry market for high-budget, creative, co-op-only experiences. It didn't try to be a live-service game. It didn't have microtransactions. It was just a complete, polished, weird-as-hell adventure that required you to bring a friend.
Ultimately, the game succeeds because it respects the player’s time. It never pads the length with fetch quests. It just gives you one brilliant idea after another until the credits roll. It’s a rare feat in an industry obsessed with "retention metrics" and "recurring revenue."
Find a partner. Grab a controller. Just be prepared for the elephant.