It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a brilliant marriage of ideas. It boasts tons of superb puzzles, gorgeous worlds and exciting mechanics, but suffers from an unsatisfying ending and inconsistent...

It Takes Two is thus far one of the year’s best platformers, best overall games, and can likely stake a claim as one of the best co-op games ever created. It merges a grand platforming adventure with sublime co-op play through a blend of perfectly-crafted challenges and jaw-dropping levels and setpieces that you need to share with someone close to you.

It's impressive stuff. It Takes Two is the best 3D platformer I've played since Super Mario Odyssey, and like that game, it has a flair for variety. You may ride a frog or fly a plane with wings made from Cody's boxers or hack-and-slash through a Diablo-style castle. Despite the downright wild amount of things to do, It Takes Two manages to handle every mechanic well. This is the second release from Hazelight, and while A Way Out had plenty of fans, it seems that it may just take two to make a thing go quite this right.

It Takes Two is a spectacular co-op adventure that lays down a path of great gameplay ideas and uses it to play a giddy game of hopscotch. It’s beautiful, breakneck-paced, and bubbling over with creativity, and playfulness and experimentation are rewarded at every turn. If you have any kind of co-op partner in your life, be they spouse, friend, sibling, or other (even a child, though the themes might be too mature for them), It Takes Two is a truly joyful trip you really need to take together.

It Takes Two may not be the platforming juggernaut that it aspires to be, but it more than makes up for it with its big heart, wealth in variety, and gorgeous imagery. All of its individual actions are things we’ve done in other games, but when applied to this distinct cooperative approach, they take on a whole new life and are used in wonderful ways over a long adventure.

It Takes Two is without a doubt one of the best platformers I've played in the last decade. The level design is incredible, and the amount of ideas in terms of its co-operative elements make every second of it so much fun to play.

It Takes Two is a great rom-com romp filled with action, oodles of variety, and more than a few twists and turns. No, you won't like Cody and May for much of the game, and some segments do feel a touch drawn out, but grab the right co-op buddy and this is a hoot.

Having said that, if you can swat the story away to the background, and consider it a slightly ill-chosen set-up for an adventure, then there's a lot about It Takes Two to enjoy. This is a rare kind of co-op experience, with an energy and imagination and playfulness that sometimes rivals Nintendo's. As a toy, it can be a joy, and it will create some co-op moments to remember.