IT TAKES TWO

Created by: Electronic Arts Inc.

Price: $39.99

For those of you who may or may not know, I have a gamer boyfriend and I am gaming challenged. He is an avid Playstation user, which is definitely his main hobby, whereas mine is reading. As much as I am content and enjoy reading next to him while he plays games with friends, sometimes we like to switch it up and find a co-op game we can play. It’s a great way to spend quality time together. I find it fosters a better sense of communication and teamwork, especially when I tend to button-mash when stressed.

The most recent game we completed was It Takes Two by Electronic Arts Inc. (better known as EA). This game follows May and Cody, an unhappy couple on the verge of divorce, as a spell unknowingly cast by their daughter Rose, turns them into dolls.

As dolls, May and Cody face an unending stream of obstacles and enemies to overcome. All while analyzing the things that have fractured their once-perfect marriage. Guided by the “Book of Love” Dr. Hakim, there is no avoiding the state of their relationship if they want to make it back to their beloved Rose.

Each chapter explores a different area of their home or memory from the early stages of their relationship. There were seven chapters total, with about five subsections each, with the chapter in Rose’s room having about double. Each new area of their home or memory explored indicates a new level and character abilities to master. This aspect of the game kept my boyfriend and I on our toes as we were always excited to find out what ability we would acquire next. In my opinion, I had most of the cooler abilities as May. Stephen was definitely jealous.

Regardless of who may or may not have had the better abilities, there was much to enjoy about the game. The art style was very pleasing, although the human artwork was a little freaky in comparison. The amount of detail that went into the development of this game was seriously impressive.

The game had an array of hidden mini-games, so many that Stephen and I only found about three-quarters of them during our first playthrough, as well as a variety of interactive “easter eggs” that proved to produce different achievements if interacted with appropriately. I found that if I wished I could do something with an item in the game, I usually could.

Throughout the game, you typically couldn’t advance without the other player helping you in some way to the end goal. As a challenged gamer, this was really nice because I felt that although I may have been testing Stephen’s patience in certain areas, it gave me a chance to better my skills with the controller and contribute equally to our progress.

Overall, I found that It Takes Two is not a mindless game that once you learn the controls, you can act on memory. With the changing of abilities and different terrain, there was a constant need to focus and communicate with your partner. There were several instances where Stephen and I would have to count each other off to time things correctly to get the job done and it made this game extra special for me. To be able to depend on my partner as much as he was depending on me was a different form of gameplay for us. In games past, Stephen typically handled the most challenging parts individually and pushed us to the finish line.

It Takes Two was very entertaining and engaging. Whether through the artwork, easter eggs, or challenges at hand, there was so much to do and see in this game, and playing alongside my partner made it even better.

As always, thanks for reading! 💜