It Takes Two for Xbox review: Narrative shortcomings hold back a genuine co-op experience

It Takes Two Hero Source: Windows Primal

Divorce is never like shooting fish in a barrel for the parents or the children often defenseless in the crossfire. It's a messy process that requires forgiveness, time, and therapy, often simmering for years without a resolution. Josef Fares, the filmmaker-turned-managing director responsible for Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Manner Out, attempts to wrestle with the complexity of that unique still oh-then-mutual situation in the form of It Takes Two, a platformer propelled by his signature storytelling fashion and innovative co-op gameplay.

So how does It Takes Two fare? From a gameplay indicate of view, It Takes Two is full of diverseness, constantly changing and providing players with unique situations that brand use of the immaculately designed levels in 1 of the amend co-op experiences on the Xbox. However, the narrative is merely non as compelling as previous entries in Hazelight Studios' catalog, and the unlikeable protagonists are never redeemed in a satisfying way.

It Takes Two Cover Art

It Takes 2

Lesser line: While the game's creativity shines in its shell-by-beat gameplay and level design, Information technology Takes Two's selling point — its narrative — feels half-baked.

The Adept

Wildly creative level blueprint
Lots of gameplay variety
Fun cooperative puzzle-solving

The Bad

Story and characters are non engaging
Minigames are repetitive
Iffy and sometimes imprecise platforming

It Takes Ii for Xbox: Two hearts, one goal

It Takes Two Inside A Tree Source: Windows Key

Category	It Takes Two
Championship	It Takes Two
Developer	Hazelight
Publisher	Electronic Arts
Genre	Action & Take chances
Xbox Version	Xbox Ane and Xbox Series 10\|S
Game Size	43.8 GB
Play Time	ten-14 hours
Players	2 players local and online
Xbox GamePass	No
Launch Price	$forty

In It Takes Two, players have on the roles of Cody and May, two estranged parents who have finally decided to end their wedlock. When their daughter, Rose, catches current of air of this, she inadvertently cast a spell on them, turning them into dolls. At present, led by an old volume-turned-relationship coach Dr. Hakim, Cody and May must piece of work together to effigy out how to go back to their bodies while rediscovering their own passions and appreciation for ane another.

On its surface, It Takes Two is a cooperative 3D platformer and a gorgeous i at that. Cody and May's idyllic countryside dwelling transforms into an ever-changing dreamscape based around their damaged and neglected lives. Each of the game's nine levels are beautifully crafted and rich in particular, like a warped fairy tale that remains whimsical while skirting adult themes, much like a Don Bluth picture show. From a debilitated greenhouse to the inside of a snowfall globe, innocuous household items morph into scenes that reflect the memories of the protagonists and force them to face uncomfortable truths about their relationship.

The creativity on display hither is on par with some of the best games in the genre.

No matter which character y'all play as, the story is the same merely the experience is slightly different. Each level grants Cody and May a unique power that plays a huge function in that level's gameplay gimmick. Each level has different mechanics — one allows Cody to grow and compress while another has May use the ability of her voice — merely to the game's credit, these gimmicks never hinder gameplay and are used in incessantly creative ways. Much like Hazelight's previous games, each puzzle has been fabricated with co-op play in mind and must be completed by actively working with your partner.

Challenges were only difficult enough to feel rewarding, only never felt tough enough to impede progress. I was surprised past how little the game repeats itself, and the creativity on display here is on par with some of the best games in the genre.

Cheers to the fantasy setting, It Takes Two borrows gameplay cues from all over, in a way becoming an homage to a lot of genres. From Street Fighter to Overcooked and only about every third-person shooter ever, It Takes Ii splashes shades of different genres throughout its adventure that volition continue players on their toes. Luckily, the simple controls ensure that no matter how inexperienced y'all are with games, you'll be able to grasp each concept almost immediately.

Alone, together

It Takes Two Pillow Fort Source: Windows Cardinal

Like previous Hazelight projects, It Takes Two is a pure co-op game, which means that the game must be played with another person, either locally or online. The screen is shared by both players, which means you always take an eye on what your partner is doing, and part of the fun comes from helping 1 some other solve a puzzle or watching in silent frustration every bit you lot both endeavour to crack information technology. Working out the challenges in real-time will plough any pairing into an erstwhile couple, sharing both the frustrations and triumphs.

Working out the challenges in real-time will turn whatsoever pairing into an erstwhile couple, sharing both the frustrations and triumphs.

This is where Information technology Takes 2 shines. Cooperative platformers often are just levels to complete, sometimes non even requiring real input from the other actor. But Information technology Takes Ii forces both players to collaborate, and this adds another layer of depth to the narrative besides the thespian's dynamic. Experienced players tin't just rush through the level without a intendance in the globe; you accept to communicate with one another and solve challenges together. You're simply as strong as your weakest link.

To make the barrier to entry lower, the game offers a Friend Pass, which allows players a chance to play the entire first level of the game. Upon completion, if players want to continue playing the full game, only one person volition need to buy it.

It Takes 2 for Xbox: Non every pair is meant to be

It Takes Two Minecart Level Source: Windows Central

While the gameplay shines in It Takes Two, my biggest complaint lies with the two protagonists, Cody and May. They are complex characters, both fed up with their partner'south shortcomings and lost without their own personal passions. They're fiddling and bitter, like a couple going through a divorce would be, but they're non fifty-fifty remotely good people or likable in the slightest. While the story tells me that I should care about their relationship, I establish myself rolling my eyes at their constant bickering and their abrasive quips.

Cody and May'due south unlikability reaches a crescendo halfway through the game, where they commit regicide against their girl'due south favorite toy in a scene that's easily the virtually upsetting thing I've experienced this yr. If you idea scenes from The Terminal of Us Part 2 were hard to tum, you might find yourself wincing at the events that unfold.

I plant myself rolling my eyes at their abiding bickering and their annoying quips.

The relationship motorbus, Dr. Hakim, doesn't fare much ameliorate, and is played equally a Castilian-speaking stereotype for laughs (despite Hakim being an Arabic proper name). Their daughter Rose comes across a little dead in the eyes, serving as merely a goal and nothing more.

The story that's too surprisingly anticipated. The game shows it paw at the first and doesn't offer any of the twists and turns found in A Style Out or Brothers: A Tale of Ii Sons. I found myself waiting for a twist that never came, and considering I didn't care about the main characters or their relationship, the story dragged on longer than it needed to.

An uneven experience

It Takes Two Clown Source: Windows Primal

Unfortunately, the creativity found in the level design doesn't interpret into the minigames scatted throughout the world. These are optional games you can play if you discover them, and the game wants you to replay levels to find each i. While some can exist challenging, about are simply races or short competitions where you just mash the Y push button until someone gives out. They're not terrible, but after coming across a few of them, I didn't really desire to play them any more of them.

And while I love the level design, the platforming isn't quite as fine-tuned. My partner and I brutal through platforms and lost momentum from jumps at seemingly random moments. At one point, my partner jumped to a place where they weren't supposed to be and got stuck in the ground, forcing usa to restart the checkpoint. Sharing the screen with the other player besides screws with depth perception, and information technology's easy to misjudge a jump because of it. Fortunately, checkpoints were frequent so piffling backtracking was required in the event of a mishap.

Every bit I worked through It Takes Two'due south surprisingly long campaign, everything started to experience but a tad likewise long. Information technology took too long for Cody and May to get with the program, despite the objective existence manifestly laid out at the start, levels stick around just a tad too long, and the gameplay, despite the variety, never truly excels at one genre. At the end of the day, Information technology Takes Two suffers from also many ideas crammed into an uninteresting narrative.

Information technology Takes Two for Xbox: Is it worth the therapy?

It Takes Two Family Together Source: Windows Central

Relationships take work, and that'due south what this game feels like sometimes. While the co-op gameplay is endlessly clever and the game's aesthetic is charming, information technology's hard to go on going when I absolutely despised both Cody and May. Their story lets down the gameplay, and without a compelling narrative to keep players going forrard, the unabridged game starts to experience similar busywork. If you're looking for a unique multiplayer experience, Information technology Takes Two may hold your attention for a weekend, but I can't help feeling that fans of Fares' previous storytelling might feel permit down past his latest game.

Trauma is never as adorable as it is in Information technology Takes Two, and I'd be able to forgive the gameplay shortcoming if the narrative was strong. Unfortunately, Information technology Takes Two fails to live up to the legacy of the studio's previous projects and is ultimately a cute, and forgettable, experience.

It Takes Two Cover Art

It Takes Ii

Bottom line: It Takes Two is a gorgeous co-op platformer with lots of gameplay variety that'south let down past its simplistic story.

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