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It Takes Two review — Therapy gone right

Recently, I had the chance to play the entirety of Hazelight Studio’s most recent co-op exclusive showcase, It Takes Two . Luckily, our friendly, neighborhood Reviews Editor Andrew Farrell had a bit of free time this weekend too, so we both dove in. Mercifully, the review-writing process is a single-person experience.  

Andrew: Not so fast, Sonny Jim. It Takes Two  is a co-op game. It took two of us to play it, so why wouldn’t it take both of us to review it? 

Blake: I would just like to state for the record that this is a terrible idea.

It’ll be fine. Has anyone ever told you that you worry too much? 

Yep. My ex-wife used to, in fact. 

Oh. Well. Great, we’ve got that covered, then.

It Takes Two tells the story of a little girl named Rose who uses witchcraft to turn her parents into dolls. All for the purposes of torturing them due to their impending divorce. 

To be fair, I think it was a bit more earnest than that. The poor little girl just found out her parents were splitting up, so she was crying. Her tears just so happened to fall on dolls that she made of her parents. How was the kid to know she was inadvertently practicing voodoo?  

Why, that sounds like something a witch would say, Blake. I’m on to you. Her parents, May and Cody, awaken in doll bodies, only to be told by a terrifying book monster named Dr. Hakim that they’ll need to fix their relationship to have any hope of reclaiming their fleshy forms. The story in It Takes Two is of remarkably good quality, and the script is well written.

As you might imagine, the process of them finding common ground is one hell of an adventure, to be sure. But having to drag their partner’s dead weight around for countless hours? I wonder what that must feel like, Andrew? 

For sure. Big talk for the guy who ended up minutes behind me in that part in the ice level. 

Adventure time

Structurally, It Takes Two is divided into nine levels, each with its own themes, unique assets, and gameplay mechanics. Blake picked May, a snarky, exasperated Englishwoman, while I picked Cody, an easy-going house husband. Each level sees May and Cody attempting to accomplish a specific task that has therapeutic underpinnings. 

“Therapeutic underpinnings,” might be a bit generous, considering that in one stage you are literally fighting alongside squirrels decked out in full military outfits. Show me where that appears in a textbook, and I’ll eat my hat. 

The therapy angle is heavier in some levels than in others. The first act, for instance, mostly focuses on the two of them making it back to the house, while later acts are focused differently.

Each level in It Takes Two is typically over an hour in length, leading to a game that was much lengthier than either of us imagined. Overall, it took us about a dozen hours to get through, which seems quite long for a co-op only game. This was bolstered by fantastic level design, with large, detailed areas that have huge amounts of personality on offer.

Personally, although I felt that at points it was trending towards being too long, the quality of the experience allowed it to never overstay its welcome. And let’s not forget about all of the minigames. These huge levels had numerous opportunities to whip up on your partner, Mario Party -style. 

Yeah, those were a blast, such as the tug-of-war and Whac-a-Mole games. I recall beating you almost every time, Blake.

So much to do, so much to see

The only thing more impressively varied than It Takes Two ’s level design is its gameplay. Each level grants May and Cody unique abilities they’ll need to solve notably different sorts of puzzles. 

Luckily you brought me along. If you were on your own, you’d have been hosed! While no puzzles were overwhelmingly difficult, there were so many different mechanics at play. Occasionally, it wasn’t easy to remember what you actually could do at any given moment. 

Like when I forgot Cody could shrink himself 20 minutes after getting that ability. 

Exactly! Or how about the time I forgot how to use the magnet panels to jump from position to position?

Come to think of it, the puzzles came together in a highly satisfying manner. Whenever either of us got stumped for a bit, the other was always able to get it. It certainly did take two, huh? 

That’s like the reviewer’s equivalent of a dad joke. For shame. Luckily, there was nothing shameful about how much variety is at your fingertips in It Takes Two . Each character’s powers were brilliantly designed in a way that abilities were polar opposites, yet they were still exclusively dependent upon each other.

The cooperation-focused abilities keep things fresh. In one level, Cody has plant powers, while May can use a sickle and spray gun. 

Another time, they are actually the opposing poles of a magnet. As you can imagine, there are numerous uses for the forces of attraction and repulsion. 

In either case, as Blake mentioned earlier, it gives the characters totally different combat and puzzle abilities. And the genre even changes at times. The game is a puzzle-platformer at heart, but one minute you’re manning a plane, another you’re playing a competent Diablo -esque ARPG.

This is fairly remarkable, considering it meant the developer created numerous different standalone stages, on top of the base game’s design. Probably the most surprising aspect is that, despite all of the vastly different gameplay experiences, the controls were spot-on throughout. 

Both characters can double-jump, dash, swing on grapple points, and grind on rails regardless of their current abilities. And everything is consistently responsive and accurate. 

If only the same could have been said for both of us.

Dangerous tango

Visually, It Takes Two is staggeringly lush and vivid. This is clearly a high-production game and quality pours out through every facet of its being. It ran beautifully for me at max settings with nary a hitch to be seen. 

The one exception to the rule was any time there were animations featuring excessive flourishes. These included Dr. Hakim’s entrances, exits, or any water-based effects. These tended to drop my framerate down into the single digits momentarily, but given that it was only during cutscenes, it was more than acceptable. 

Considering you were running the game at 4K on a GTX 1080, it’s quite a feat. There was also that weird period where the game repeatedly hard crashed my PC when Blake was hosting, forcing me to host instead. Fortunately, these were all experienced on pre-release code, so they will likely be addressed in the final retail version.

My only real complaint with It Takes Two is that it doesn’t have much of a finale. The game builds to a climax, but then just kind of halts right before the finish line. However, at around a dozen hours, the game’s length was already more than adequate in the end. But I was still a bit underwhelmed by the lack of a level to really tie things together. Still, It Takes Two is a lengthy, enormously creative game, filled with top-tier level design and gameplay that will likely be enjoyable to players across a broad spectrum. 

I cannot wait to play this with my non-gamer wife, who will undoubtedly latch onto the game’s larger themes of relationships and embracing personal passions. 

Once you beat it, there’s plenty of reason to jump back in for another playthrough too. Trying the other character will let you experience a lot of different gameplay elements. 

Completing the entire campaign from the alternate perspective helps reinforce all of the care that went into crafting something this cohesive.

You know, this hasn’t been the worst experience in the world. Who knew that you and I could actually manage to coexist, without killing one another? 

I told you it’d be fine, didn’t I? But it makes me wonder. Was it due to our own inclinations that this was settled amicably, or do we have Dr. Hakim to thank ? 

If we have to thank that guy, I think I owe my first marriage counselor an apology. 

Come to think of it, I’m starting to wonder if Dr. Hakim’s even a real doctor at all.

To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories .

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It Takes Two Is One Hell of a Couples' Therapy Session

In long-term relationships, it’s always the small things. Chore lists. Texting. “I don’t know, what do you want for dinner?” Fighting material. At the same time, love is the destroyer of scale. Small transgressions are metonymic, stand-ins for the real issues: gendered housework expectations; your partner stumbling home at midnight from god knows which club; how damn indecisive they are about everything.

In the new co-op game It Takes Two , May and her husband Cody, who have been transformed into tiny dolls, crawl through the pillow fort she built for their daughter Rose. It’s not two dining chairs with a draped-blanket roof. It’s a labyrinth. Its ceiling is like a cathedral’s. The floor, which winds on forever, is stacked tall with pillows many times their size. To return to their properly proportioned lives, May and Cody climb through the cushions.

Cody banters: “Rose calls it ‘Mommy space,’ ya know, as in ‘outer space.’” May says she didn’t know that. “Cause you’re always working,” Cody retorts. As they venture deeper, more space-themed toys appear: Discovery Store-style plasma balls, a hanging solar system mobile. The background suddenly shifts from “Mommy space” to galactic space. Above and below the glass floor is infinity. The staging ground for their relationship squabbles has grown from a petri dish to the cosmos.

It Takes Two is an extraordinary game. First and most importantly, it is uncommonly fun, satisfying, and innovative—perhaps clearing the high bar Portal 2 set for co-op games. Delightful details, from ’90s dentist shop toys to anthropomorphic vacuums, fill each level. Each one of the never-ending stream of new gameplay loops feels good , never forced or unwieldy. Its greatest success, though, is its perfect synergy between plot and play. It is only playable by two people, either online or together in the same room. Pushing aside the sad reality that few AAA video games take love as their subject, It Takes Two does more than be about love. “We use a lot of metaphors through mechanics,” says Josef Fares, founder of It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios.

As Cody and May battle through maximized portions of their home, like the squirrel-run military base occupying their tree, they continually receive complementary and contrasting abilities—like a gun full of flammable nectar and a match-shooter. And so if Cody doesn’t paint the wasp’s nest with nectar, May can’t explode it and neither of them can continue on. “For some narrative experiences, we should include mechanics as part of the storytelling,” says Fares. A magical, Puss-in-Boots-voiced relationship therapy book coaches the couple along (and antagonizes them), yelling co-lab-or-ation! every chance he gets.

Love is the perfect plot-vehicle for the startling range of mechanics It Takes Two offers. The game’s structure relies on a strong action-adventure foundation with good-feeling basics like jumping and dashing. The Book of Love transports Cody and May into various settings or items from the couple’s life, like their shed or a snow globe they got on a ski trip, where well-paced introductions to new mechanics stave off any boredom or monotony. Short challenges appear every now and then with gameplay loops lifted from Gauntlet , Dance Dance Revolution , and even Street Fighter . Like aspirational long-term relationships, there’s a satisfying mix of old and new, tradition and novelty, expected and unexpected.

But Cody and May are not in a successful long-term relationship. They’re divorcing. And throughout the game, the couple constantly snipes at each other, bringing up little things that irk them, small needles that have carved deep gashes. The neglected tool shed where May used to do her hobbies is factory-sized. The unmeasurable problem of attraction is condensed into two halves of a magnet. The zooming-in and zooming-out of problems in May and Cody’s marriage makes a funhouse of the deep wounds and a war story of the mundane.

Take the problem of time. May’s always saying she doesn’t have any. But Cody’s always saying she just doesn’t prioritize what’s actually important. The two arrive at a level—inside their home’s mechanical cuckoo clock—where Cody gains the ability to turn back time and May gains the ability to duplicate herself. Together, they fight through the clock’s churning metal gears, believing they have control over their surroundings until they realize that, actually, the clock tower itself is messing with them. They have to break the heart-shaped clocks.

“I’ve had enough of you, clock!” yells May.

“In the ‘therapy levels,’ as I call them,” says Fares, “we use the mechanics to talk about their specific problems in their relationship, which I think are universal: passion, giving time to each other, and attraction.” The big clock governs them. What if instead of struggling to measure up on scales large and small, Cody and May redefine what time means for them?

What looms large, literally, over squabbles of all proportions is the couple’s daughter Rose. After her parents fight tooth-and-nail through a level designed after a given household object, Rose, a titan compared to her doll parents, will almost always thoughtlessly pick it up. Once Cody and May traverse the snowy mountain where they had their first ski trip, all contained within a small mantleside snowglobe, Rose takes it between her two hands and peers in. Rose is what binds them, first and foremost. And she is where the story ends, too.

I told Fares my theory of scale. He gamely said it may have entered into It Takes Two subconsciously. What makes It Takes Two work, in his eyes, is the union between story and game. It happens on a higher level than the metaphor-puzzles the game excels at. As any couple’s therapist would tell you, c o-lab-or-ation means communication. “It’s not just a game where it’s about love, so we made mechanics out of that,” he says. “It’s like: This couple is divorcing. They’re forced to cooperate. Let’s make the players talk .” As one player plummets down a slide, the other is forced to remove barriers (printed with cute animals) that only the first player can see and call out. Players rehearse a steady “ one, two, three ” every half hour. Vocalizing is a mechanic.

It Takes Two isn’t a deep game, but it is a telling one. Players constantly must exercise prosocial relationship behavior to play effectively. Patience. Respect. Support. Fares said Hazelight brought couples in to playtest the game. Not intentionally; playtesters would inevitably want to play with their partner. “You’d see specific reactions,” says Fares. “You could easily see some couples being more in harmony and others—there were issues there.”

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It Takes Two

• First Released Mar 26, 2021 released

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It Takes Two Videos

Game Of The Year Full Presentation | Game Awards 2021

For this year's Game of the Year, we got to hear full orchestrated rendition of songs from every game of the year, including: Resident Evil Village, Ratchet & Clank: Rift ...

The Game Awards 2021 Hype Trailer

Geoff Keighley and the team at The Game Awards put out a hype trailer for the upcoming show, check it out here.

EA PLAY Live 2021 Spotlight – Independent Studios Livestream

Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times hosts a panel featuring Josef Fares of Hazelight (It Takes Two), Olov Redmalm of Zoink (Lost in Random), Melissa Phillips and Abubakar Salim of newcomers ...

It Takes Two – Official “We’re Better Together” Trailer

Magically turned into dolls by their daughter Rose, Cody and May are challenged by a cheesy self-help book on love – Dr. Hakim – to fix their broken relationship. Innovative ...

It Takes Two Is Gaming's First Proper Rom-Com (Feat. Greg Miller)

Two roommates (Lucy James and Kinda Funny's Greg Miller) play Hazelight Studio's latest It Takes Two, and give their impressions on the couch co-op caper.

First 22 Minutes Of It Takes Two

It Takes Two is an upcoming co-op game from Hazelight Studios, where players take control of a divorcing couple who have accidentally been turned into a pair of dolls by ...

It Takes Two – Official Gameplay Trailer

Get a look at the innovative co-op gameplay of It Takes Two narrated by Josef Fares, game director at Hazelight.

It Takes Two Reveal Trailer | Game Awards 2020

Talking books, mechanical clock work-like worlds, giant insects, and explosions? It Takes Two shows that and a lot more (including a giant ballpit room), in its the new over-the-top, whimsy ...

It Takes Two Announcement Trailer | EA Play 2020

The next game from A Way Out developer Hazelight will "blow your f***ing mind" in 2021.

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It Takes Two Review is Here A Unique Experience for Cooperative Gaming

Nov 24, 2022

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In It Takes Two, players will enjoy an innovative experience unlike anything else in the co-op genre. Check out our It Takes Two reviews.

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It Takes Two Review is Here: A Unique Experience for Cooperative Gaming Here’s our quickIt Takes Two reviews. Josef Fares is bold in his claims. His faith was well placed since It Takes Two is anything from boring. It Takes Two, the newest It Takes Two video gamefrom Fares’ firm Hazelight, tackles issues of stated partnerships, divorce, and motherhood with you and a friend taking charge of a husband and wife team who are at their breaking point—sometimes quite literally. READ MORE: It Takes Two Review Is Here: A Unique Experience for Cooperative Gaming (ihqreviews.com) IHQ Reviews Email ID:

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It Takes Two to Talk ®  — The Hanen Program ® for Parents of Children with Language Delays 

The It Takes Two to Talk Program is designed specifically for parents of young children (birth to 5 years of age) who have been identified as having a language delay. In a small, personalized group setting, parents learn practical strategies to help their children learn language naturally throughout their day together. You can also participate in this program online via telepractice .

The It Takes Two to Talk Program teaches you, step-by-step, how to become your child’s most important language teacher. The program shows you how to:

• Recognize your child’s stage and style of communication so that, together with the speech-language pathologist, you can identify next steps and goals
• Identify what motivates your child to communicate
• Use the strategy "Follow the Child's Lead" to build their confidence and encourage them to communicate with you
• Adjust everyday routines to help your child take turns back and forth in interactions
• Follow your child’s lead to build his confidence and encourage him to communicate
• Talk to your child in ways that help them understand language and then use it when they're ready
• Use the strategies when you play and read books with your child to help them interact and learn language

Program components

• An orientation session in which you'll learn about the program and what to expect
• A pre-program consultation for you and your child with the Hanen speech-language pathologist
• Eight interesting and interactive small group sessions, led by the Hanen speech-language pathologist. In these sessions, you learn about communication and language development, as well as how to use the program strategies.
• Three individual visits for you and your child with the speech-language pathologist that include a video recording of you and your child interacting together, followed by discussion with, and feedback from, the Hanen SLP.

Program Resources

It Takes Two to Talk: A Practical Guide for Parents of Children with Language Delays is the guidebook you’ll use throughout the program to support your learning. This guidebook outlines all of the strategies covered in the program with very practical examples of what to say and do with your child to promote his language skills.

Parents who are waiting to attend a program may purchase the guidebook in advance to give their learning a head start and to gain some practical strategies that they can start using with their child right away.

Learn more about the It Takes Two to Talk guidebook.

Benefits of Taking the It Takes Two to Talk® Program

Practical strategies you can use in everyday situations.

The It Takes Two to Talk Program shows you how to use your natural, day-to-day life with your child to help them develop language skills. You’ll discover simple things you can do during everyday activities like meal time, story time and bath time to create enjoyable learning opportunities for your child.

It Takes Two to Talk translates the research on early language intervention into concrete strategies that are easy for parents to understand and to put into practice. The program offers you many opportunities to practice and discuss each strategy you learn so that you’ll be comfortable and confident using them at home.

Here’s an example of an It Takes Two to Talk strategy that can be used during any activity to encourage your child to start conversations:

“OWL to Let Your Child Lead” O bserve W ait L isten

Research has shown that children learn language best when they are allowed to lead a conversation and communicate about what interests them. The OWL strategy will help you follow your child’s lead so that they’ll be more likely to stay in the interaction with you and get the practice and feedback they need to build their communication skills.

An evidence-based and reputable program that’s worth your time

It Takes Two to Talk was developed by expert speech-language pathologists and is grounded in extensive research. This evidence-based program has been proven in clinical practice to have positive effects on the communication development of young children. The strategies you learn in It Takes Two to Talk will become such a natural part of the way you interact with your child that you'll be using them long after the program is over without even noticing. In this way, the many benefits of It Takes Two to Talk will continue for years to come

For a detailed research summary, click on the link below:

The chance to connect with other parents

One of the greatest benefits of the It Takes Two to Talk Program is the opportunity it provides to connect with other parents in similar situations. You’ll have the chance to meet people who really understand what you’re feeling and gain valuable insight by listening to their own experiences using It Takes Two to Talk strategies with their child.

What parents say about the It Takes Two to Talk® Program...

The It Takes Two to Talk Program has empowered hundreds of parents around the world to play a key role in helping their child develop language skills. One parent told us:

“I have just completed It Takes Two to Talk. What a difference this has made to the quality of life for my little girl. She is more confident and will initiate a conversation and join in activities. Several weeks ago she would not have done so.” - Patricia, mother of four-year-old Kelly

Finding an It Takes Two to Talk® Program

It Takes Two to Talk Programs are offered by Hanen Certified Speech-Language Pathologists all around the world. To find a program in your area, you can use this website to search for a Hanen Certified SLP or search for a Hanen Program.

Learn more about the online program

Find a Hanen SLP

Find a Hanen Program

What Parents Say   

- A parent in County Westmeath, Ireland

Start right now...

If you’re waiting to attend an It Takes Two to Talk Program, or if you cannot find one in your area, the It Takes Two to Talk guidebook and DVD can give you practical strategies that you can start using right away to build your child’s language skills.

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Game Overview

Embark on the craziest journey of your life in It Takes Two, a genre-bending platform adventure created purely for co-op. Play as the clashing couple Cody and May, two humans turned into dolls by a magic spell. Trapped in a fantastical world, they’re reluctantly challenged with saving their fractured relationship by the suave love guru Dr. Hakim. A huge variety of gleefully disruptive gameplay challenges stand between them and their return to normal.

Pure Co-Op Perfection

Invite a friend to join online co-op for free with Friend’s Pass*, and experience a thrilling adventure built purely for two. Choose from couch or online co-op with split-screen play, and face ever-changing challenges where working together is the only way forward.

Gleefully Disruptive Gameplay

With It Takes Two, you never know what you’re up against next. Filled with genre-bending challenges and new character abilities to master in every level, you’ll experience a metaphorical merging of gameplay and narrative that pushes the boundaries of interactive storytelling.

A Universal Tale of Relationships

Discover a light-hearted and touching story of the challenges in getting along. Help Cody and May learn how to overcome their differences. Meet a diverse cast of strange and endearing characters. Join forces, and go on an adventure you’ll treasure – together!

Now on Nintendo Switch™

The adventure fans know and love has been optimized for Nintendo Switch™! You and a friend can play couch co-op with a pair of Joy-Cons™ or a controller per player, utilize local wireless play by connecting two Nintendo Switch consoles, or play online co-op with another Nintendo Switch player using Friend’s Pass*.

Hazelight is an award-winning independent game development studio based in Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 2014 by Josef Fares, Hazelight is committed to pushing the creative boundaries of what is possible in games. In 2018, Hazelight released the BAFTA award-winning A Way Out as part of the EA Originals program.

*Friend’s Pass requires installation of the Friend’s Pass and applicable platform account. Online play requires a friend on the same platform. One user must own the full game in order for the co-op player to play the full game.

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Watch couples put their collaboration skills – and feelings – to the test.