It Takes Two Review

Reviewed by Jason Simmons II

It Takes Two is a new, innovative co-op puzzle/platformer from Hazelight Studios, directed by Josef Fares, who also directed Hazelight’s previous title, A Way Out, as well as Starbreeze’s Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Players take on the roles of Cody and May, a married couple whose relationship has hit an extremely rocky place, leading them to mutually decide to get a divorce. However, after telling their daughter, Rose, of their divorce plans, they are mysteriously struck by a curse, which turns the couple into two of their daughter’s homemade dolls. Throughout the course of the story, they are both aided and obstructed by Dr Hakim’s Book of Love, a mysterious sentient book that Rose brought her parents to help assist them in repairing their broken marriage. As the story progresses, Cody and May must work together to overcome challenges and puzzles in order to restore their human forms, as well as their relationship.

It Takes Two is divided into seven chapters of various length, scope, and insanity. From the beginning of the game, you are introduced to some very responsive platforming controls. Just taking the time to dash around and figure out the rhythm of the movement can be a lot of fun, and mastering it can take several hours of the games. Movement feels very intentional and smooth, and with the amount of time spent navigating the different environments It Takes Two offers, the attention paid to freedom of movement is very welcome.

On top of the superb platforming mechanics you’ll be using throughout the game, each chapter gives both players a unique set of new abilities that are only usable within that chapter. While not every ability feels quite as useful as some of the others, the sheer range of puzzles and possibilities that each offers makes each chapter feel extremely unique. The best example of this comes in the second chapter, where players each receive a gun, transforming the game from a simple platformer to a third-person shooter. One player’s gun fires goo that can be used to weigh down platforms or slow down enemies, while the other gets a matchstick launcher that can ignite obstacles and debris; however, It Takes Two’s true strength comes from the combination of the two abilities to create some interesting and, at times, fairly difficult puzzles. In this example, if a match is fired at the goo it explodes and can clear pathways or create new ones. The vast majority of the puzzles in the game need to be solved by both players using their abilities together and communicating effectively. Many of the puzzles are fairly time sensitive and require both players to know and understand their roles before execution, this serves to ensure both players are communicating effectively and it never feels like a puzzle requires perfect timing or platforming to complete.

A small issue that arises from the sheer number of unique abilities is that the one player (usually the one playing as May) oftentimes ends up with significantly more interesting abilities. This leads to some puzzles where players may feel useless, or in some especially bad cases, can only stand still and hold buttons while the other player platforms or completes more interesting puzzles.

Beyond the chapter-long abilities, It Takes Two offers some really cool events where everything that’s been established so far gets thrown out the window. This is shown from nearly the beginning of the game, in a segment where Cody takes flight in a paraglider made from his underpants while May fights a squirrel militiaman on the wings in an ode to Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat, complete with a PG fatality at the end. Scenes like this are few and far-between, but offer a fun distraction from the platforming and puzzle-solving the vast majority of the game offers.

The story of It Takes Two is extremely wacky and, at times, hilarious. The conversations between Cody and May, as well as their reactions to Dr Hakim feel pretty natural and genuine, with both voice actors (Joseph Balderrama as Cody and Dr Hakim, Annabelle Dowler as May) offering up some great performances. However, the writing at times gets a little cringey, especially with the constant mentions of divorce from Cody and May, as well as the vast majority of Dr Hakim’s appearances, which come across as overly hammy. By the end of the game, my girlfriend and I were constantly mocking Cody and May for wanting a divorce so badly that not even being transformed into dolls could take their minds off of it.

While the game is not very sophisticated graphically, generally appearing fairly similar to A Way Out, the art direction is incredible and inspired. Each chapter offers a completely unique and interesting environment to explore, from an old shed to outer space to an overgrown garden, each area looks incredible and manages to ground many of the more fantastical elements with mundane and realistic objects and details. Cody and May both have incredibly fun designs, with Cody being a clay doll wearing some burlap and a safety pin, and May being a wooden doll with glasses made from wire and string hair. They seem right at home in the world It Takes Two creates.

Overall, I am not generally very fond of other games in this genre, like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons or Ibb and Obb, but I was really captured by It Takes Two and had a great time playing it through to the end. While I wasn’t blown away by the game, I thoroughly enjoyed it throughout it’s runtime and I am excited to see what future games will take away from It Takes Two. To sum it up, I give It Takes Two an 8/10 and recommend you give it a try with someone special to you, whether they are a friend, partner, or family member.

(Reviewed on Playstation 5)

Final Rating: 8/10