It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a cooperative action-adventure by Hazelight Studios that cannot be played any other way than with two players — whether on one screen or online via a free access code for the second player. The story follows a divorcing couple, Cody and May, who are magically transformed by their daughter's spell into living dolls and must journey together through a fantastically overgrown world of their family home, garden, and workshop in order to return to their own bodies. A key feature of the game is its constant shift in mechanics — nearly every chapter introduces a new tool, whether magnets, jump springs, time control, or transforming into a squirrel, so the gameplay never settles on a single idea and keeps surprising the player.

On PlayStation 5, the game benefits from fast loading and a smooth frame rate, which makes the action sequences and boss fights feel brisk and clear. The DualSense controller adds haptic feedback that enhances the feel of the varied tools and environments. Visually, it is a colorful, stylized world full of detail, where each location functions as a self-contained chapter with its own rules, puzzles, and combat sequences, placing emphasis on communication and cooperation between the two players. The whole story is further accompanied by commentary from an ever-present narrator character, a book about love, adding a layer of ironic humor to an otherwise action-focused game.

Upon release, the game received exceptionally positive reception and became one of the most acclaimed titles of its generation, winning several Game of the Year awards. It showed that cooperative games can be just as ambitious and inventive as major single-player productions, and it significantly influenced the direction of both couch co-op and online cooperative genres. To this day it is considered a must-play experience for anyone playing with a partner or friend, and many later cooperative games openly take inspiration from its design.

Why play: For anyone playing with a partner or friend, this is a must-play experience and one of the most acclaimed cooperative titles of its generation, still inspiring other games today.