Honestly, playing games together has changed. Most of the time, "together" means wearing a headset, staring at your own screen, and shouting into a microphone while your friend is three miles away. It's efficient. It’s modern. But it’s also kinda lonely compared to sitting on the same sagging sofa, elbowing each other when a boss fight gets tense. That’s exactly why it takes two couch co op became such a massive phenomenon when Hazelight Studios dropped it. It didn't just suggest you play with a friend; it physically demanded it. You literally cannot play this game alone.
Josef Fares, the director who famously shouted "F*** the Oscars," has a very specific vision for what gaming should be. He hates the idea of "content" for the sake of content. He wants a narrative that moves. In this game, you play as Cody and May, a couple on the brink of divorce who get turned into small wooden and clay dolls by their daughter’s magic book. It sounds like a Pixar movie, but with way more interpersonal friction and a talking self-help book named Dr. Hakim who is, frankly, a bit of a chaotic menace.
The Mechanical Genius of Forced Cooperation
Most games with a local multiplayer mode treat the second player like an afterthought. You know the vibe. Player One is the hero, and Player Two is the "little brother" character who follows along and occasionally shoots something. It takes two couch co op rejects that entirely. Each level introduces a completely new set of mechanics that are asymmetrical. If May has a hammer, Cody has nails. If Cody can change size, May has gravity boots. One person can't progress without the other doing their specific job. It’s a constant back-and-forth of "Wait, stand there," and "Okay, now launch me!"
The variety is actually staggering. One minute you’re playing a third-person shooter against a bunch of militarized squirrels, and the next you’re in a top-down dungeon crawler or a rhythm-based flight simulator. It’s restless. The game refuses to let you get bored. Most developers would take one of these mechanics and stretch it across a ten-hour game. Hazelight uses it for thirty minutes and then throws it away for something better.
Why Split-Screen Actually Matters
There is a technical and psychological reason why the split-screen in it takes two couch co op works so well. Usually, split-screen feels cramped. Here, the game dynamically shifts the line. Sometimes it's vertical. Sometimes it's horizontal. Sometimes it disappears entirely when you’re both in the same space. Seeing what your partner sees is a gameplay requirement. You need to peek at their half of the screen to time your jumps or to see a lever they’ve missed.
It creates a shared cognitive load. You aren't just playing your game; you are subconsciously monitoring theirs too. It’s stressful in the best way possible. It forces a level of communication that most modern games simply don't require. You can't just "ping" a location and hope for the best. You have to talk.
Addressing the Elephant (and the Trauma) in the Room
We have to talk about Cutie the Elephant. If you've played it, you know. If you haven't, prepare yourself for one of the most tonally jarring and genuinely upsetting sequences in "family-friendly" gaming history. To break the spell, Cody and May decide they need to make their daughter cry. Their logic? They need to destroy her favorite toy.
It is brutal.
It’s also a perfect example of why this game sticks in your head. It isn't afraid to make the protagonists look like absolute jerks. They are flawed, selfish, and desperate. This narrative depth is rare in the genre. Usually, co-op games are about "Saving the World" or "Getting the Loot." This one is about two people trying to tolerate each other long enough to get back to their real bodies, and that grounded (if magical) conflict makes the stakes feel much higher than another alien invasion.
The Barrier to Entry
A lot of people ask if you can play this with a non-gamer. The answer is... mostly. The controls are incredibly tight and intuitive, but the game does demand some platforming precision. If your partner has never touched a controller, the "Cuckoo Clock" level might result in some real-life domestic disputes. However, the checkpoint system is extremely forgiving. You have infinite lives. As long as one person stays alive, the other can respawn almost instantly. This removes the "gamer rage" element and keeps the focus on the puzzle-solving.
Comparing It to the Competition
When you look at the landscape of couch co-op, the options are surprisingly thin. You have Overcooked, which is great but mostly focuses on stress management and yelling about soup. You have Sackboy: A Big Adventure, which is charming but lacks a deep narrative hook. Then you have the LEGO games, which are fun but often feel like they’re on autopilot.
It takes two couch co op sits in a category of its own because of its production value. It looks and plays like a triple-A blockbuster, whereas most local multiplayer games are relegated to the "Indie" or "Party Game" bin. It treats the format with the respect usually reserved for massive open-world RPGs.
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- The Friend's Pass: One of the best moves Electronic Arts (the publisher) made was the Friend's Pass. If you want to play online, only one person needs to own the game. The other person downloads the trial version and plays the whole thing for free. This should be the industry standard.
- The Minigames: Hidden throughout the world are 25 competitive minigames. These are the only times you aren't working together. Whether it's "Whack-a-Cody" or a tank battle, these provide a necessary break from the cooperation to let out some competitive energy.
- The Pacing: The game clocks in at around 12 to 14 hours. For a co-op-only title, that’s massive. It’s long enough to feel like an epic journey but short enough that you can finish it over a long weekend or a few dedicated evenings.
Practical Steps for the Best Experience
If you're planning to dive into it takes two couch co op, don't just jump in blindly. The environment matters.
First, pick the right partner. This doesn't have to be a romantic partner—it works great with a sibling or a best friend—but it should be someone you're comfortable talking to for hours. Communication is the primary mechanic. If you can't communicate, you can't win.
Second, check your hardware. While the game is available on Nintendo Switch, the performance is noticeably lower than on PS5, Xbox Series X, or a decent PC. The visual splendor of levels like "The Attic" (which turns into a neon-soaked synthwave space odyssey) really deserves a high resolution and a stable frame rate.
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Third, don't rush the "hub" areas. Each chapter has these open-ended zones full of interactive objects that have nothing to do with the main quest. There are cameras you can use to take pictures, snowballs to throw, and tiny secrets that build the world. This is where the "magic" happens.
Moving Forward
The legacy of this game is its proof that the "dying" genre of couch co-op was never actually dying; it was just being underserved. Since its release, we've seen a slight uptick in developers trying to capture that same lightning in a bottle, but none have quite matched the sheer density of ideas present here.
To get started, download the Friend's Pass if you're playing remotely, or clear a space on the coffee table if you're playing locally. Make sure you have two controllers that are actually charged—nothing kills the momentum of a boss fight like a "Controller Disconnected" pop-up. Start with the "Shed" level and take your time learning how Cody’s nails and May’s hammer work together. Once you find that rhythm where you stop thinking about the buttons and start thinking about the shared space, you’ll understand why this game swept Game of the Year awards. It’s not just a game; it’s a communication exercise wrapped in a brilliant, chaotic, and occasionally traumatizing adventure.
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Don't skip the cutscenes. Even if Dr. Hakim gets on your nerves, the story beat at the end of the "Garden" chapter is essential for understanding the shift in Cody and May's relationship. Pay attention to the background details in the daughter's room; they explain more about the family's history than the dialogue ever could. Grab a drink, settle in, and prepare to argue over who was supposed to hold the platform up. That’s the real couch co-op experience.