It Takes Two

It Takes Two is a cooperative adventure from Hazelight Studios that can be played exclusively by two players, whether via split screen or online via the Friend's Pass system, which means only one player needs to own the game while the other can join for free. The story follows a divorcing married couple, Cody and May, who are magically transformed into dolls and must journey together through a fantastical world of garden and house to return to their own bodies and resolve their relationship. The game changes its mechanics every chapter — sometimes it's a platformer with magnetic gloves, other times a shooter, a music minigame, or even a rhythm duel with a wasp — and the two characters have different abilities, so cooperation and constant communication are needed literally at every step. The accompanying character Cupid, cynically commenting on the whole relationship chaos, brings levity and wit to the story even in moments when the themes of divorce and estrangement feel very serious.

On Xbox Series X|S, the game benefits from fast loading and stable performance, which, given the constant switching of mechanics and settings, ensures a smooth experience without unnecessary downtime between chapters. Visually, the game is colorful and inventive, with plenty of detail in environments inspired by everyday household objects blown up to gigantic proportions, from a garage workshop to a bird feeder to Christmas ornaments, accompanied by a dynamic orchestral soundtrack that sensitively underscores both emotional and action-packed passages.

The game received exceptionally favorable reviews upon release and is often ranked among the best cooperative titles of its generation, in part thanks to winning Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. It is still considered a prime example of how dozens of different game ideas can be combined in a single title without losing pace or slipping into repetition, making it one of the most frequently recommended two-player titles in the entire Game Pass catalog.

Why play it: For combining dozens of different game ideas into one smooth experience, honored with Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021, it's one of the most frequently recommended two-player titles.