It Takes Two Review (Eraserhead Baby)
I never write real reviews for games but this honestly the first time I ever really felt compelled to write something that had such an impact on how I view the medium of Cooperative games.
When I first heard of the game I was shocked to realize it was from Josef Fares (A Way Out, The Game Awards “Fuck The Oscars” guy (legend).) I had known him firstly from when Jerma985 played A Way Out on stream with a friend and thought of the concept of how Josef tackled Co-op games was interesting; something that was in real need of innovation because it always just feels like an afterthought with most games. While the way it was tackled was interesting, I thought the gameplay itself was more or less lacking in comparison to the story and ideas that they kept serving up to the two playing.
Finally It Takes Two was announced and honestly at first I thought it looked corny and such a weird departure from the more serious tone Josef’s game had in the past. I was cautiously optimistic regardless of my really baseless first impression because as we know from Josef, passion and determination run through that man’s blood like water runs through a river.
After waiting for a while since launch and somewhat keeping an eye on the game, I was shocked to see the sheer amount of positive reviews for the game (and the bad takes from negative reviews from people who played like, 1 hour of the game that took me nearly 15 to finish.) I decided to take a chance on the game, to get myself out of the rut of playing my usual 3-4 games I do. I bought a copy for my best friend and I for their birthday after casually mentioning it here and there. I wasn’t too pleased with Origin integration (side note, fuck game launchers, stop making us launch from 2 separate things!) but I knew it was just a necessary minor inconvenience in order to play.
Let me tell you, the reviews do not lie about how fantastic this game is. From the first moments you can move around you feel how fluid the 3D platforming is, coupled with the beautiful graphics and genuinely fun gameplay. I was actually impressed from the first level of the game. It was such a simple idea turned into this adorable, fun and quirky adventure between this couple trying to fix their broken relationship. The various game elements that shift every chapter to add constant variety without feeling overwhelming having to adapt to how you face new challenges. Level design is so creative and fun that every new area just kept me filled with awe as I constantly wondered how they could possibly top the previous area. I could talk more about the story, gameplay, levels, concepts all day but I would be afraid of spoiler territory for folks who are questioning whether or not to get this.
It’s hard for me to remember the last time I had my face light up in surprise or like, genuine fun over experiencing a game. The memories you have with the person you play with could go on and on. There are many games that influence this, because in art we’re always informed by the things we’re inspired by; but few actually are able to mold the medium to create something so compelling and fun. It was an experience from front to back that was so much fun and I’m happy I got to experience it with someone.