IT TAKES TWO SERIES

This was true in last fallвЂ™s family-friendly platforming of Sackboy: A Big Adventure, which never lagged behind because one player couldnвЂ™t complete a specific jump. TheyвЂ™ll do a larger percentage of the work, while the other sort of sits back and watches it happen. In a lot of co-op games, a stronger player can simply carry a weaker one through the whole thing. The push and pull of a relationship, as well as the very concept of attraction, are all turned into gameplay mechanics. For instance, thereвЂ™s one point where the pair are tethered together by the opposite sides of a magnet.

IT TAKES TWO SERIES

But whatвЂ™s even more impressive is the ways in which It Takes Two takes the themes of a broken relationship and translates the act of repairing it into a series of mechanics.

They make up the core of a specific moment in Cody and MayвЂ™s journey, and once theyвЂ™ve moved past it, the game morphs into something else entirely. ItвЂ™s amazing how none of these gameplay scenarios outstay their welcome. The neat thing about this is that despite existing in the same space and working towards the same goal, each player is having a mechanically different experience, lending the game to a second playthrough. In all of these scenarios, It Takes Two requires constant communication and coordination between the players in order to make it out of any given situation.ДЄt any moment, your characterвЂ™s weaknesses are your partnerвЂ™s strengths and vice versa. Later on in the game, Cody gains the ability to grow and shrink his body, while May gains a pair of gravity boots that allows her to walk on the ceiling. YouвЂ™re constantly being introduced to new gameplay styles, all of which are built around the idea of cooperation.Дuring one section set deep inside a tree where you have to fend off an army of wasps, Cody can fire off globs of explosive sap, while May has a matchstick cannon that can ignite the sticky substance. ItвЂ™s remarkable how many ideas, mechanics, and scenarios It Takes Two tosses at you, lets you play around with for a bit, and then shelves for the remainder of the game. While the concept may feel familiar, the execution is anything but. Through some magical chinacery of their daughter Rose, the pair are transformed into miniature doll versions of themselves and forced to explore their homestead for a way to revert back to normal, while also slowly recognizing their own personal failings and ultimately repairing their relationship. The thrust of It Takes Two centers on Cody and May, a couple on the cusp of divorce.

ItвЂ™s a persistent reminder that youвЂ™re in this thing together. No matter where you are, you can always glance over and check out where your partner is at. This immediately creates a strong and unbreakable connection between the two players. Once youвЂ™re in, the entire game is presented as a split-screen experience, even when youвЂ™re online. However, this is remedied by the fact that you only need one copy to play it online with a friend, and of course, the same goes for couch co-op. The entire foundation of It Takes Two is built around cooperation in mind, as you literally cannot play the game by yourself. And in 10 short hours, it exemplifies the kind of experience that can only be achieved through cooperation. The latest game from Hazelight, the studio behind A Way Out, itвЂ™s probably the best cooperative game IвЂ™ve played in just about a decade, since Portal 2 released back in 2011. But again, it feels like a tweak on what is otherwise a single-player game.Д«ut every so often we get a game that is fundamentally designed around the idea of two human beings working in tandem. Likewise, the chaos of having four people scurrying through Super Mario 3D WorldвЂ™s diorama-like stages adds an air of wonderful chaos to whatвЂ™s normally a very precise platforming experience. Grinding for new gear in Outriders is certainly more fun with two supercharged pals at your side, but youвЂ™re still doing the same string of micro encounters as you would in solo. Co-op modes are often seen as an enhancement to an already solid core game.

It takes two