There is a common sentiment that couch co-op games are dying, and they have been for years now. The games industry is big enough that they will almost certainly never completely go away- there will always be enough demand for the Mario Karts and Overcooked-s of the world to keep being made. But, when gamers lament the slow, steady decline of couch co-op, it seems that they are more concerned with the feeling that they are going away, rather than a factual drought of games with a split-screen option. That sense of creeping decline exists for a reason though: the quality, scale, and success of games aimed solely at local co-op has not kept up with the rest of the industry. It Takes Two is a big, slap-in-the-face exception to that rule.
In Co-Op Watch, games are rated based on their "co-op-ability," or everything that makes their collaborative gameplay good, accessible, and unique. Before diving into It Takes Two, though, it helps to understand a bit of its pedigree. This game comes from the same studio that made Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. Brothers was innovative in its ability to make singleplayer feel like a co-op experience, but A Way Out was a slam-dunk hit that gained massive success, partly due to its popularity with streamers and YouTubers.
A Way Out had great characters and a story with a kind of depth rarely found in games, but it also seemed to understand the perfect formula for a good co-op game: a mix of challenging puzzles that require collaboration with mini-games that encourage competition, plus lighthearted exploration and big action set-pieces that consistently change up gameplay. It Takes Two feels like Hazelight Studios took lessons learned from A Way Out, and then went even bigger to create a worthy successor that still delivers a very different experience.
It Takes Two Makes Online Co-Op Feel Like Couch Co-Op
It's only become easier over the years to play games with friends, but by the same token the nostalgic feeling of sitting down on a couch to play together has been steadily eroded by the convenience of online matchmaking, squad lobbies, and Discord. In light of that, It Takes Two does its best to make online play still feel like couch co-op through a few clever tricks. Even when playing online, the game is split-screen. But, split-screen is used creatively and artistically to improve the gameplay experience for both players, rather than just taking up half of the screen out of necessity. It adds to the experience more than it detracts.
In an incredibly generous move (especially for the modern games marketplace), It Takes Two costs $40, but offers a free "Friend's Pass" that allows anyone to download a version that can only be played online with someone who owns the full game. It seems like even the pricing scheme is aimed at re-creating the feeling of going over to a friend's house because they own a cool new title. If two players want to go in together on the game, each would only have to pitch in $20, a pittance for what It Takes Two has to offer. Once in-game, whether on the couch or over the internet, It Takes Two is a masterful expression of both nostalgic design, and the potential that classic co-op has when brought up to modern standards.
Every Second of It Takes Two is Good Co-Op
At first, It Takes Two seems like it might have a less serious story than its predecessors. Two parents are shrunken down as dolls into the oversized world of their child's imagination, full of talking toys and backyard animals, and must find a way to break the spell. The sense of cutesy adventure begins to fall apart though as players realize that these are dysfunctional, jaded adults going through a divorce, who constantly argue and have little regard for the implications of lying to, manipulating, and in some cases killing goofy insects and sentient appliances. The contrast is funny, and it gives the game the air of a Lego game made for grown-ups.
The gameplay itself focuses in on platforming and puzzles, with simple yet satisfying controls that make It Takes Two accessible to anyone. Each chapter introduces new mechanics though- in one the husband carries nails that he can throw and call back like Mjolnir, while the wife carries a hammer used to break obstacles and swing on nails embedded in walls. In another section, each player gets a different type of gun that are both more powerful when combined, and in yet another, one player gets gravity shoes while the other gets the ability to shrink and grow at will. The gameplay almost never stagnates, and players are pushed through the narrative with constant, unrelenting pacing, almost like a book that's too good to put down.
It's a near-perfect formula for co-op. There is always something new to figure out or adapt to, and the puzzles are tuned to engender a constant give-and-take, in which it's impossible to move on without both players working and thinking in tandem. Sections with puzzles and exploration often contain competitive mini-games to find, and are regularly broken up by action set pieces that transition players to the next segment. For example, one player might have to pilot a rickety bi-plane past tricky obstacles, while the other player is given 2D fighting game controls and has to kung-fu battle a squirrel atop the plane's wings.
The only downside to this is that there is sometimes an imbalance in the roles assigned to each player. At least in the earliest sections, the husband is typically given more interesting driving controls while the wife is relegated to shooting at some tacked-on obstacles that aren't much of a threat. With such a variety of controls and modes, though, no imbalanced section lasts for too long. With a story funny enough to riff on yet serious enough to become invested in, and gameplay pacing that never stops delivering fun and interesting moments, It Takes Two feels like an older style of co-op game brought back to life with modern tech and game design sensibilities. On top of it all, every single creative choice was made with two players in mind, and the payoff is one of the best two-player co-op experiences anyone could ask for.
It Takes Two is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.