You’re playing Hazelmere’s Game of the Year, swinging through a trippy toy room, and suddenly you’re staring at a pair of massive, plastic-looking lizards. Honestly, the It Takes Two dinosaur puzzle isn’t even the hardest part of the game. Not by a long shot. But man, it’s the one part where people start yelling at each other through their headsets. It’s that specific brand of Hazelight Studios chaos that makes you realize whether or not you and your co-op partner actually have a functioning dynamic.
If you’ve landed here, you’re probably stuck. Or maybe you just finished it and want to know why it felt so clunky compared to the rest of the Rose’s Room chapter. It’s a weirdly tactile moment in a game that usually feels like a fluid Pixar movie. You’ve got Cody in a big green T-Rex and May in a long-necked Brontosaurus. It’s basically a physics-based nightmare disguised as a childhood memory.
Solving the It Takes Two Dinosaur Puzzle Without Losing Your Mind
Let’s get the mechanics out of the way because the game doesn't exactly give you a manual. You're in the "Dino Land" section of Rose's Room. Cody, as the T-Rex, is basically the "heavy" here. He bites. He moves things. May, on the Brontosaurus, is the "platform." She uses her neck to create a bridge or a path. It sounds simple, right? It isn't.
The frustration usually starts at the very first gate. Cody has to bite the handle and pull back. While he’s doing that, May has to walk her dinosaur across. But the timing is janky. If Cody lets go even a millisecond too early, May falls, and you’re back to square one. It’s a test of patience.
Most people mess this up because they treat it like a platformer. It’s not. It’s a rhythm game without the music. You have to communicate. "Pull now." "Go now." If you’re playing with a partner who "doesn't do directions," this is where the fight starts. I've seen streamers spend twenty minutes here just because they weren't syncing their button presses.
The second phase is where the It Takes Two dinosaur puzzle gets vertical. May needs to position her head so Cody can jump on. Then she lifts him up. It feels heavy. The controls are intentionally sluggish to sell the "plastic toy" vibe, but that makes the precision platforming feel a bit like driving a bus through a needle’s eye. Cody then has to bite a series of levers while May moves him around. It’s a literal crane game where the crane is a dinosaur and the operator is probably your annoyed spouse.
The Real Problem With the T-Rex Controls
Can we talk about Cody's T-Rex? It’s clunky. That’s the point, I guess, but it’s the source of 90% of the deaths in this section. The bite mechanic has a weird hitbox. You think you’ve grabbed the platform, but you haven't. You’ve just bitten the air and fallen into the abyss.
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One tip that actually helps: stop rushing. The game encourages speed in the skating or flying sections, but Dino Land wants you to be deliberate. If Cody misses a bite, May shouldn't move. Just reset the position. The physics engine in It Takes Two is generally incredible, but here, the collision boxes for the dinosaur mouths are a bit "legacy."
Why This Puzzle Actually Matters for the Story
It’s easy to write this off as just another "gimmick" level. Josef Fares, the director, loves gimmicks. He’s famous for saying "f*** the Oscars" and for insisting that gameplay must reflect the narrative. In this specific part of the story, Cody and May are trying to reach the top of the toy pile. They are literally using relics of Rose’s childhood—toys she’s outgrown or forgotten—to progress.
The dinosaurs represent a lack of grace. They are awkward. Just like Cody and May’s relationship at this point in the game. They aren't the sleek, coordinated couple they’ll become by the end. They are two people struggling to operate heavy machinery they don't understand. If the It Takes Two dinosaur puzzle feels frustrating, it’s because the characters are frustrated. It’s a classic example of "ludonarrative resonance"—where the way the game feels to play matches what the characters are going through.
They are literally carrying each other. May carries Cody on her head. Cody clears the path for May. It’s heavy-handed symbolism, but in the heat of a "Why didn't you jump?!" argument, it’s easy to miss.
Comparison to Other Rose’s Room Challenges
Rose’s Room is a massive chapter. You go from space to a castle to a circus. Compared to the Moon Baboon fight or the kaleidoscopic puzzles later on, the dinosaurs are a bit of a low-fi outlier.
- The Space Section: Low gravity, fast-paced, high precision.
- The Dino Section: High gravity, slow-paced, heavy coordination.
- The Castle Section: Isometric RPG vibes, combat-focused.
The dinosaurs act as a "pacing break." They slow you down. They force you to stop sprinting and actually look at your partner's screen. If you’re playing split-screen, which is the best way to play this, you have to keep one eye on their dinosaur to see when they are ready.
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Common Glitches and How to Reset
Sometimes, the It Takes Two dinosaur puzzle just breaks. It’s rare, but it happens. I’ve seen Cody get stuck inside the geometry of the T-Rex, or the platform May is supposed to lift simply refuse to move.
If Cody’s T-Rex won't bite the handle, don't keep mashing the button. Walk away, let the animation reset, and try again. If that fails, the checkpoints in this game are incredibly generous. Just jump off the ledge. Dying in It Takes Two has zero penalty other than a two-second respawn. It’s often faster to "suicide reset" the encounter than to try and wiggle out of a glitch.
Also, check your internet if you’re playing online. Because this puzzle requires such tight synchronization between the "puller" and the "crosser," even a 100ms lag spike can make May fall off the platform. If you’re the one hosting, you have the advantage. If you’re the guest, you might need to jump a tiny bit earlier than it looks like you should.
Expert Strategies for a Flawless Run
If you want to get through this without a divorce or a broken friendship, follow the "Hold, Move, Release" rule.
- Cody (T-Rex): Your only job is to be the anchor. When you bite a handle, hold that trigger down like your life depends on it. Don't look at your own screen; look at May's. Only release when her feet are firmly on solid ground.
- May (Brontosaurus): You are the navigator. You control the camera for the "crane" segments. When Cody is on your head, move slowly. Sudden jerks in the analog stick will send him flying.
- The Middle Platform: This is the part where May has to raise Cody up. May, once you reach the maximum height, stay still. Cody, wait for the platform to stop vibrating before you jump. The physics can get "bouncy" at the top of the arc.
There’s a small secret here too. Most people don't realize you can actually "roar" and interact with some of the background elements. It doesn't help the puzzle, but it makes the slow walk across the room a lot less boring.
The Psychological Layer of Co-op Gaming
There's a reason It Takes Two won Game of the Year. It’s not just the art style. It’s how it exposes your communication flaws. When people search for help with the It Takes Two dinosaur puzzle, they are usually looking for a "win button." But the win button is just talking.
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Dr. Jane McGonigal, a game designer and researcher, often talks about how co-op games build "urgent optimism." This is the feeling that a challenge is winnable if we just try one more time. The dinosaur level tests this. It’s intentionally tedious to make the eventual success feel like a relief.
If you’re getting tilted, take the headsets off. Talk to the person sitting next to you (or on the other end of the call). The "puzzle" isn't the plastic dinosaurs; the puzzle is how you and your partner handle a frustrating mechanical roadblock.
Actionable Next Steps to Clear the Level
If you are currently paused and looking at those green and purple dinosaurs, do this:
- Sync your triggers: Have a 3-2-1 countdown for the bite-and-pull sections.
- Swap roles if needed: If Cody is struggling with the bite timing, and you’re playing locally, swap controllers. Sometimes a fresh perspective on the "clunky" physics helps.
- Watch the shadows: In the jumping sections, don't look at the dinosaur. Look at the circle shadow on the platform. That’s your true position in the 3D space.
- Ignore the "perfection" urge: You will fall. It’s fine. The game wants you to fail a few times to learn the weight of the characters.
Once you clear the dinosaurs, the game opens up again into a much faster sequence. You’ve passed the "patience test." The rest of Rose’s Room is a breeze compared to the heavy lifting you just did. Just remember: it’s a toy. It’s supposed to be a little bit broken. That’s the charm of it.
Now, get back in there, bite that handle, and get May across the gap. You’ve got a long way to go before the end of the game, and the puzzles only get weirder from here.