When Josef Fares promised $1,000 to anyone who gets bored of It Takes Two, the latest game from Hazelight Studios which Fares directed, I knew I’d develop an unhealthy perversion for proving him wrong. But in my two complete runs of the game, I’ve yet to feel dissatisfied. It’s an endlessly fun game that wittingly blends genres and defies expectations.
It Takes Two
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Price: $39.99
Platform: Playstation, Xbox, Windows
MonsterVine was supplied with a Playstation 5 code for review
It’s easiest to describe It Takes Two as a cooperative multiplayer 3D platformer, but that would be ignoring the impressive amount of influence that Hazelight found in other games. It requires two players, and much of it does teach yet more ways to cross a bottomless chasm — but that’s just barely scraping the surface. At any given moment it’s just as likely that players are thrown into an entirely different genre altogether. It Takes Two is made up almost entirely of set pieces that make players think, “Aha!” as the game veers left into the familiar territory of a hack-and-slash game or an arcade fighter. It’s this constant nostalgic feedback and variety that keeps It Takes Two still so fresh.
It Takes Two looks like something produced by Pixar. It has the same paradoxical sheen that makes their films appear both lifelike and computer-generated. Characters are clearly human-made, justifying their lack of uncanniness and supporting the world’s more bizarre qualities, and the environment around them looks every bit as real as you and me. When news of their impending divorce reaches their daughter, bickering couple Cody and May are transformed into homemade dolls. Thinking their daughter Rose is the culprit of their newfound miniature forms, Cody and May set out to literally and metaphorically reclaim their former selves. From their new perspective Cody and May meet an odd ensemble including an estranged vacuum cleaner, a scurry of militarized squirrels, a self-help book that doubles as a couples therapist. Settings are familiar until they’re transformed in kaleidoscopic ways, like when a pillow fort opens up into a space station.
What really sets It Takes Two apart is the asymmetric gameplay that arises from the myriad tools Cody and May use throughout the game. It seems at each new juncture in their adventure, they’re each given a tool that, individually, isn’t quite up to task for the matter (be it combat, platforming, or puzzle solving) at hand. Combined, however, there’s nothing Cody and May can’t accomplish. These tools sometimes come in likely pairs, like the opposing ends of a magnet that Cody and May use to repel and attract objects in one level. Others don’t have any real connection to one another, like May’s anti-gravity boots and Cody’s ability to change his size, but interact in delightful ways to vary and enhance gameplay. On a technical and gameplay level, It Takes Two is virtually flawless.
There was at least one moment I didn’t enjoy. The story beats and set pieces are clever and original, but the overall story is predictable and ends in anodyne Pixar fashion. I think the story would have resonated more had it ended on a more cynical note. It Takes Two is a deeply witty game, supplanting the usual gaffs and gags of romantic comedy with dark humor (there are some seriously messed up scenes). An uncharacteristically dull resolution was a disappointing final impression to walk away with, but it wasn’t nearly enough to dampen the experience.
I’m probably glossing over inherent inaccessibilities that come with an exclusively multiplayer game without online matchmaking. It’s an intimate experience — definitely not one I’d want to share with a stranger over the Internet. It Takes Two comes with a friend’s pass, which lets you play with a friend who doesn’t own the game as long as they’re on the same family of systems. But that does still require that you have somebody to play with consistently over a 12- or 14-hour experience.
If you have someone to play with, It Takes Two is more than a worthwhile experience. As a game, it’s infinitely fun and full of environments you’ll want to get lost in. The story ends with a bit of turbulence, but it’s smooth sailing until you get there.If you have someone to play with, It Takes Two is more than a worthwhile experience. As a game, it’s infinitely fun and full of environments you’ll want to get lost in.
The Final Word
An almost flawless genre-spanning game that is only slightly held back by some predictable story beats.
– MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
