A great marriage is all cooperation and fun. Hazelight Studios has created “It Takes Two,” a game that takes a bad marriage and turns it into a great marriage. It is a co-op platformer with unique and fun gameplay, settings and characters.
“It Takes Two” follows the story of a married couple Mary and Cody, who plan to divorce after Cody expresses that Mary works too much and Mary expresses that Cody has no appreciation for her work.
Once their daughter finds this out she cries over dolls she made of her parents. Suddenly Mary and Cody are transported out of their bodies and into the dolls. Together they must find a way to get back into their bodies and fix their marriage along the way.
The game feels like “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” meets “Toy Story.”
The world surrounding Mary and Cody is created from objects and animals around their home that have gained sentience under the same spell Mary and Cody are under.
These settings range from going to outer space with a plush monkey, a snowy mountain and being caught in a war between squirrels and wasps. Each chapter of the story focuses on a different part of the home. The worlds of each chapter are stunning in their own way.
Most importantly, the game has amazing controls. Every jump feels easy to control and responsive. This is essential to a platformer.
Along with the great controls, the game has wonderful co-op mechanics. In each chapter, Mary and Cody each get their own special power that they will be using in that chapter. These special abilities do something specific to help the other player through the chapter.
At one point Mary has a hammer she uses to pull nails, drive them into enemies, and to swing on nails sticking out of walls. Cody has the ability to move loose nails by whistling in order to shoot them into an enemy, hold platforms up and create places for Mary to swing across.
There was only one gripe I had with the game’s story: this problem was Dr. Hakim. Dr. Hakim is a book, titled “Book of Love,” that Mary and Cody’s daughter bought in order to fix her parents marriage.
This book comes alive along with all the other objects in the house and takes on the task of leading you and your partner through the story, attempting to rekindle Mary and Cody’s spark.
Unfortunately, both the characters’ design and lines are grating. This character overstays his welcome in every scene he’s in. Fortunately, he does not affect the story or my enjoyment of the game in any major way.
Overall, “It Takes Two” is something special. The game reminds me of the games I played as a kid with my sister. The split screen is the biggest nostalgia factor for me.
Each character you meet throughout the story is fantastic and would feel at home in a fun Pixar movie. All of the actors give spectacular performances. The story is fast-paced yet still manages to be memorable in every aspect.
I recommend finding a friend, sibling or partner and play this fantastic game as soon as possible.