It Takes Two Review

Honey, the kid shrunk us!

I have finally played through Hazelight Studios It Takes Two.

After playing A Way Out, I was thrilled to see that a game company went for the pure co-op experience. No single player playability in sight. It Takes Two really captures the co-op experience but creating challenging but enjoyable puzzles that forces the players to work in sync to progress.

It Takes Two focuses on the down and out couple of May and Cody, who are on the brink of divorce. Noticing their parents are in a rut, Rose their daughter inadvertently casts a spell on them, turning them into her handmade dolls. These miniature versions of themselves must face off against the undergrowth of their lives.

There is a lot of playful and maybe not so playful banter amongst the pair which initially is humorous but leads me to almost encouraging the pair to go their separate ways. The story is designed to build back May and Cody’s relationship, and although they work together and occasionally compliment each other, the relationship only seems to get closer at the end of each section with a cliche sort of “oh yeah I see that now”. This makes it feel forced, as a way to push the game forward, and not a genuine response.

The gameplay is really where It Takes Two cements itself as one of the best co-op games around. Each section that you delve into has a different theme and unique set pieces that create adventurous and interesting challenges that really make you think. These set pieces which are distinct to each of the characters, which increases the replay ability by swapping characters on a second run through. Scattered throughout the levels are various minigames from races, whack-a-mole, and volleyball. These cute and quirky games and a more competitive side to the game and can be replayed individually once found in the story.

The story is rather padded out with inconsequential narratives but for me it just meant more co-op goodness. The game had a “Honey, I shrunk the kids” feel by being thrusted into the world below and dealing with enlarged everyday objects and creatures.

I did encounter a few bugs in my playthrough. A few times during a cutscene one of the characters would be talking but no audio would play, but would resume after the cutscenes ended. A few movement bugs where a character would get stuck and I would have to reset to the last checkpoint. Nothing game breaking was found.

Overall, It Takes Two was overtly ridiculous and thoroughly entertaining. My experience was highly memorable and very addicting. Although there are flaws, it’s still a wonderful and enjoyable game.

7/10