Author: Rich Meister
A healthy relationship is a hard thing to sustain. It requires both parties to grow, encourage growth in one another, and be willing to admit it when they fucked up. It’s a lot like finding a good co-op partner in that regard. This is why Hazelight Studio’s It Takes Two works so well. It does a better job of keeping both players entertained with a wacky world and fun gameplay mechanics than it does of depicting two people going through a divorce, but what game is perfect?
It Takes Two centers around May and Cody, a couple going through some turbulence in their relationship and on the brink of divorce. After their daughter, who may or may not be some kind of witch (it’s unclear), Crys magic tears, they find themselves trapped in the bodies of dolls made by their child and forced to go on a danger wrought journey from their garden shed back home in hopes of finding a way to turn back to normal.
It Takes Two(PC[reviewed], Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, PS5)
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Released: March 26, 2021
MSRP: $39.99
The smartest choice It Takes Two makes is to shake up the gameplay mechanics for both players constantly. First, Cody will be tossing nails into walls that May can use as grappling points for a hammerhead weapon, and shortly after, May will be firing a match stick bazooka while Cody covers enemies with an explosive spray gun. Each new area introduces a new set of gadgets that changes how you move through the world and handle enemies and while some shine above others, not a single one feels bad.
On top of that, the platforming itself is some of the best 3D platforming around. Level design is innovative and unfolds naturally, and every action from ground pounds to sprinting leaps feels satisfying to perform. Even areas that may feel one-off and gimmicky, like Cody flying a toy plane while May plays a Street Fighter style mini-game, are intuitive and easy to grasp even if they are one-time gags.
Every world is a unique and tightly designed area that encourages you to explore by filling it out with fun interactive objects or competitive mini-games. May and Cody don’t just move through the yard and house. Honey, I shrunk the Kid’s style. Each area is littered with charm, from a tree inhabited by squirrels waging war on evil wasp and a medieval castle inside your daughter’s bedroom.
Every area feels like a small vignette with a contained story like that of the squirrels and the wasps or a journey through space and even a nightclub hidden inside the house’s air vents, but the overarching story is a bit of a dud. The simple “you two just need to try harder” depiction of divorce feels a little shallow, for starters. I mostly found myself routing for May and Cody just to decide they were better off as friends by the end of this. The most annoying and cringe-inducing bit of plot here is Dr. Hakim, a walking talking relationship advice book that comes in to be annoying, has a loud and possibly racist accent, and then leaves.
Whenever Hakim shows up, you usually get a new gameplay mechanic, so there’s that at least.
Verdict: It Takes Two is a fun and wonderfully designed co-op platformer that has enough excellent and joy-inducing gameplay in it to outweigh Dr. Hakim and all the other strange story choices. Hazelight Studios hit this time around, and I hope they stick to the more colorful and surreal world design of It Takes Two in future projects.
Buy It
[This review is based on a retail build of the game purchased by the reviewer]