The hardest part of ‘It Takes Two’ is that you must initiate a search to find a person willing to play the game with you. When you succeed, it is unlikely they will just be another person because the process of play brings you together until you become besties. ‘It Takes Two’ is a co-operative game set in a Disney-esque universe, which hopes to resolve conflict through magic and cutesy graphics.
It follows the story of May and Cody, a married couple planning on getting a divorce. Their daughter Rose, who has tears of magic, overhears their discussion. Her tears create chaos—her parents are now animated dolls who are bullied by a book that considers itself a relationship counsellor. Dr Hakim (the talking book) forces the couple to make a final effort at their relationship—by putting them through the ultimate test: an elaborate obstacle course.
In human terms, the obstacle course is no cross-country race. It is a short walk from the shed in the yard to Rose’s bedroom. However, unbeknownst to May and Cody, Dr Hakim’s idea of their journey involves parley with wasps and squirrels, a battle with a baboon, gravity-defying puzzle solving, and frog-back riding. ‘It Takes Two’ is a game that mandates two players to coordinate so as to defeat the villains and solve environmental puzzles of mediocre difficulty.
Ashwin, who played the game with me, says, “Aside the obvious excellent puzzle mechanics, the game perfected the difficulty controls—the co-operative skill distribution is so well-balanced that it would be very hard to lose patience with your co-op buddy if they messed up!”. The game is very forgiving, in that it has liberally scattered auto-save checkpoints even during the toughest of boss battles. The graphics that help combat puzzles seem intuitive too—which makes the game suitable even for beginners.
‘It Takes Two’ is a longish game, but does not get repetitive at any point. The level designs are unique and the chapters feature varied surroundings for it to feel consistently challenging for both players involved. It is to be noted that this game is best played in local split-screen—first, because it is a sit-together activity, and second, in case of the PlayStation, the online co-op is not without issues. The game is available for the PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. I rate the game a full 2/2, and recommend it to all gamers and non-gamers alike.