Hazelight Studios Founder Josef Fares will forever be remembered for his passionate “F**k The Oscars” speech during the 2017 Game Awards show. The talented game director also rightfully deserves to be recognized for his work on A Way Out, an incredible story-driven co-op action-adventure game that I still feel is very much underappreciated to this day. This is all the more reason why I’m eager to see how It Takes Two will be received by both critics and gamers alike.
Scheduled for release next Friday, It Takes Two revolves around Cody and May, a couple on the precipice of divorce. As a way of coping with these changes, their daughter Rose creates two unique dolls that are representative of them. She then asks a self-help book of love titled Dr. Hakim to help her parents stay together which uncovers a spell that transforms the couple into the dolls and sets them out on a wild adventure. Here are a few of my thoughts on why It Takes Two has the potential to be another runaway hit for Hazelight Studios.
The concept behind It Takes Two might not seem all that original on the surface for some, but when you take this particular idea and present it as a co-op video game, the end results could certainly be both exciting and special at the same time. At the heart of Cody and May’s adventure is a story about their history as a couple in both their happiest and challenging times. Through reliving these moments in a unique world created by the couple, players are expected to work together and in essence, reach a common ground that hopefully allows Cody and May to reconcile when they return back to their human forms.
If you ever saw the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and appreciated the journey that Joel and Clementine went on only to end up back together again, then you might think you have a good idea of how the story may end. However, with Fares at the helm of this project, fans certainly can expect an engaging out-of-this-world experience filled with surprises at every turn. If A Way Out has taught us anything, it’s that players should expect the unexpected and if you’re still amazed or angry over what happened between Vincent and Leo in that game then you’re definitely guaranteed to have some kind of emotional response to It Takes Two as well.
The other reason why I feel this game will be another standout title from Hazelight is because of the ambitious platforming that it promises to have. Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time, and Ori and the Will of the Wisps really set the bar high as some of last year’s best platformers. Sumo Digital, Toys for Bob, and Moon Studios put a lot of love and care into creating living breathing stylish environments that were fun to explore.
Judging by the impressive level of detail we have seen in gameplay trailers and screenshots so far, It Takes Two is on pace to be just as captivating in its own way. When you add in the fact that this is Hazelight’s second major title under publisher Electronic Arts, one could also gather that they gained even more skills and knowledge from working on their previous games which will translate to an even more polished and enjoyable final product.
This concludes some of my thoughts on why I feel It Takes Two will be another outstanding action-adventure game by Hazelight Studios. If you enjoyed Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out, then you definitely will want to check out what Fares and his team are cooking up with It Takes Two. Below are even more screenshots from the upcoming game to give you all a better idea of what to expect.
It Takes Two launches on March 26th for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Are any of you planning on checking it out with a friend or significant other? Please feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
