So I Tried… It Takes Two

Each edition of So I Tried… sees a member of staff trying a game that they have never played before. Will I find something new to add to my list of favourite games? Or will I find something that isn’t worth talking about outside this article? Playing through a full half hour, no matter how infuriating it gets or how many times I fail, to see if this is the game for me. Or should I say, us? This time, I tried 2021’s It Takes Two.

What I thought it was

Not being much of a multiplayer gamer, I initially didn’t take too much notice and thought it was a co-operative platformer with the usual “boost your partner up to this platform” type of mechanics, set in a fantasy world. My partner and I don’t tend to play too many games together, so despite It Takes Two winning the accolade of 2021’s Game of the Year at The Game Awards, I didn’t really give it any thought.

What it actually is

Whilst It Takes Two could be described as a co-operative platformer at its most basic level, it is so much more than that. Within the first 30 minutes we played, we discovered a surprisingly human tale of a couple beginning the process of a divorce. This then led to the pair becoming trapped in the bodies of their daughter's dolls, where they must work together to not only free themselves, but also bring them closer together as husband and wife.

The opening had some simple puzzles that required us to communicate and get our timings correct in order to assist each other in continuing the level. It was nice to not have to worry about dying, or more specifically, about my partner dying because I can never make a mistake and am the ultimate gamer (although I definitely messed up way more than she did). We also came up against the game's first boss; a vacuum cleaner that flew into a fit of rage after learning that we had replaced it with a newer model.

Will I keep playing

One hundred percent, yes! The story has us engrossed, and has already had a few laugh out loud moments, despite the obvious tension between the couple (the duo of Cody and May that is, although I’m sure we’ll come to that point once we get stuck on a puzzle). I want to see how the story plays out, as well as what other environments we’ll traverse through. The opening is set inside the garden shed — but a more magical, surreal version — and it’s exciting just thinking about what else we may stumble across.