It Takes Two (video game)
- Gustaf Grefberg
- Kristofer Eng
- PlayStation 4
- PlayStation 5
- Windows
- Xbox One
- Xbox Series X/S
- Nintendo Switch
- WW: March 26, 2021
- WW: November 4, 2022
It Takes Two is a 2021 cooperative action-adventure platform video game developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in March 2021, and was released for Nintendo Switch in November 2022. Like Hazelight's debut game A Way Out, it does not have a single-player option. It is playable only in either online or local split screen cooperative multiplayer between two players.
It Takes Two received positive reviews from critics and won multiple year-end accolades, including Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021 and the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. The game has sold over 16 million units as of March 2024.
Gameplay
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3f/It_Takes_Two_gamepaly_scerenshot.jpg/260px-It_Takes_Two_gamepaly_scerenshot.jpg)
It Takes Two is an action-adventure video game with elements from platform games. It is specifically designed for split-screen cooperative multiplayer, which means that it must be played with another player through either local or online play. The game features a large number of game mechanics from various video game genres.[2] These gameplay mechanics are connected to the story and the theme of the level. For instance, in one level, Cody gains the ability to rewind time, whereas May can replicate herself. Players have to cooperate with each other and utilize these abilities in order to progress. The game also features a large number of minigames.[3]
Plot
Cody (Joseph Balderrama) and May (Annabelle Dowler), a married couple, are planning on getting a divorce. After they tell their daughter Rose (Clare Corbett) the news, she takes her hand-made dolls, which look like her parents, into the family shed and tries to repair their relationship by play-acting. The parents find themselves trapped inside the dolls' bodies as a consequence of Rose's tears landing on the dolls. Dr. Hakim, who has assumed the anthropomorphic form of his relationship therapy book, tells May and Cody that he has been given the job of trying to fix their relationship as they try to reach Rose.
At first, Cody and May are more focused on trying to reach Rose, who they hope knows of a way to return them to their human bodies. However, Hakim continually interferes with their progress, often putting obstacles and tests in their way to force them to collaborate to progress. They also come across anthropomorphic versions of their old possessions, who criticize Cody and May for their mistreatment and negligence of both their possessions and Rose. As they travel all around their property, Cody and May are reminded of the positive memories they had together, as well as what originally drew them together to become a couple, and learn to work together and collaborate to move forward in their journey.
In a final series of obstacles, Hakim encourages Cody and May to rediscover their passions and support each other. This first takes them on an adventure through Cody's overgrown, abandoned garden and greenhouse, which May helps him to restore. They then work together to help May rediscover her passion for music and singing.
Meanwhile, Rose continues to do her best to mend the relationship between her parents, but both Cody and May's real bodies have fallen unconscious and will not respond to her. Thinking her parents are ignoring her, Rose comes to believe that she is the reason their marriage is falling apart and decides to run away in hopes that will make them stay together.
After a long journey, Cody and May finally complete Hakim's final test, gathering an orchestra and audience for May to perform in front of. As May sings, the relationship between her and Cody is at last fully healed, and they kiss, which reverses the trance they are in. They reawaken in their real bodies and are shocked to learn that Rose has already run away. Fortunately, they are able to find her at a nearby bus stop and assure her that she is not the cause of their arguments and that they will always love her no matter what happens. The trio then return home with a new perspective on their relationship.
Development and release
Josef Fares, the director of Hazelight's previous game A Way Out (2018) and Starbreeze's Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (2013), returned and directed a team of 60 people to develop the game. After releasing A Way Out in 2018, the team decided to create another co-op only video game because it had a more experienced and refined team and the team felt that they could further improve and expand the gameplay concepts introduced by A Way Out.[4] The development team worked to ensure that the gameplay had connection with the narrative, and that as the story unfolds, the game's mechanics will change accordingly. Fares pushed his team to include as many mechanics and setpieces as possible since he believed that if a gameplay mechanic is used repeatedly, it will become "less special".[5] Fares described the game as a "romantic comedy". Fares provided motion capture for Dr. Hakim, one of the key characters in the game.[6] The game was written mostly in AngelScript, which was implemented into the Unreal Engine by Hazelight through their own plugin.[7]
Like A Way Out, It Takes Two was published under Electronic Arts' EA Originals program. The program allowed Hazelight to retain full creative control while receiving most of the game's profit after development cost was recouped.[8] EA signed a publishing deal with Hazelight in June 2019.[9] The game was officially revealed during EA Play in June 2020.[10] EA and Hazelight introduced Friend's Pass for the game, which allows the player who purchased the game to send invitations to their friends who can then play the game for free with the player.[11] The game was released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S on March 26, 2021.[12] A port by Turn Me Up Games for the Nintendo Switch was released on 4 November 4, 2022.[13][14][15]
Trademark complaint
After the game was released, Hazelight Studios attempted to file a trademark for the name It Takes Two, but Take-Two Interactive filed a trademark complaint, arguing it was too close to their trademark on the words "take" and "two". Hazelight abandoned the trademark application of the name, making it difficult for them to engage in certain types of marketing, but the developers said they are "hopeful it will be resolved".[16]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | PC: 89/100[17] PS4: 89/100[18] PS5: 88/100[19] XSXS: 89/100[20] NS: 83/100[21] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Game Informer | 9.25/10[28] |
GameSpot | 9/10[22] |
GamesRadar+ | 5/5[23] |
IGN | 9/10[24] |
Jeuxvideo.com | 18/20[25] |
PC Gamer (US) | 80/100[27] |
Shacknews | 9/10[26] |
Gamer.no | 9/10[29] |
Critical reception
It Takes Two received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic.[17][18][19][20][21] It Takes Two was considered as one of the best games released in 2021 and the best couch co-op game of that year by many fans.[30][31]
Sales
It Takes Two sold over 1 million units in a month after the game's launch.[32] By June 2021, the game had sold over 2 million units[33] and by October, had sold 3 million units.[34] By February 2022, it had sold 5 million units[35] and by July, 7 million units were sold.[36] By February 2023, over 10 million units were sold.[37] As of March 2024, over 16 million units have been sold.[38]
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Golden Joystick Awards | Best Multiplayer Game | Won | [39][40] |
Ultimate Game of the Year | Nominated | |||
The Game Awards | Game of the Year | Won | [41] | |
Best Family Game | Won | |||
Best Game Direction | Nominated | |||
Best Multiplayer Game | Won | |||
Best Narrative | Nominated | |||
Players' Voice | Nominated | |||
Steam Awards | Better With Friends | Won | [42][43] | |
2022 | Game Developers Choice Awards | Game of the Year | Nominated | [44][45] |
Best Design | Won | |||
Best Narrative | Nominated | |||
Innovation Award | Nominated | |||
Social Impact Award | Nominated | |||
25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Game of the Year | Won | [46] | |
Adventure Game of the Year | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Audio Design | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Game Design | Won | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition | Nominated | |||
18th British Academy Games Awards | Best Game | Nominated | [47] | |
Animation | Nominated | |||
Artistic Achievement | Nominated | |||
Game Beyond Entertainment | Nominated | |||
Game Design | Nominated | |||
Multiplayer Game | Won | |||
Narrative | Nominated | |||
Original Property | Won | |||
EE Game of the Year | Nominated |
Adaptations
As of January 2022, two adaptations, a feature film and a television series, were in development from Dmitri M. Johnson's dj2 Entertainment studios.[48]
Film
A feature length film was officially in development beginning in January 2022, with Pat Casey and Josh Miller slated to be working on the screenplay for the film, while a multi-studio bidding war for distribution rights was ongoing. The project will include collaborative input from the video game's creative developer, Hazelight Studios.[48] By April, Amazon acquired distribution rights, as part of a first-look deal between the company, dj2 Entertainment, and the screenwriters. The plot was confirmed to follow the basic premise of the game: lead characters May and Cody are a married couple considering divorce whose minds are inadvertently trapped in two dolls when their daughter starts crying. Together the couple must learn to work together, and regain their bodies. Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, and Hiram Garcia joined the production in producing roles, alongside Dmitri M. Johnson and Dan Jevons. The project will be a joint-venture production between Hazelight Studios, dj2 Entertainment, Seven Bucks Productions, and Amazon MGM Studios. Intended to be released via streaming as a Prime Video Original Film, Johnson is also being courted to star in the film.[49][50][51]
Notes
- ^ Ported to Nintendo Switch by Turn Me Up Games
- ^ Published under the EA Originals label
References
- ^ Jimmy Thang (March 17, 2021). "It Takes Two lovingly marries story and gameplay together". Unreal Engine. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
- ^ Gilliam, Ryan (December 10, 2020). "The new co-op game from the A Way Out team lets multiplayer pals play free". Polygon. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Borthwick, Ben (February 23, 2021). "It Takes Two offers a look at its co-operative gameplay in latest trailer". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (January 15, 2020). "'Not Even EA Thought A Way Out Would Sell' - Josef Fares on Why He's Making Games in a Genre He Had to Invent". IGN. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (December 15, 2020). "It Takes Two Could Take 15 Hours to Complete and Should Win a World Record for Mechanics, Says Josef Fares". IGN. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Watts, Steve (December 10, 2020). "It Takes Two And The Relentless Positivity Of Josef Fares". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ "Hazelight/UnrealEngine-Angelscript on GitHub". GitHub. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
- ^ Fares, Josef (June 11, 2017). "A Way Out creator Josef Fares: 'If you don't like it, you can break my legs'". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- ^ Dring, Christopher (June 8, 2019). "EA signs fresh indie publishing deals with Zoink, Glowmade and Hazelight". Gameindustry.biz. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Lee, Julia (June 18, 2020). "New co-op game from A Way Out creator, It Takes Two, launches in 2021". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (December 11, 2020). "Here's our first look at It Takes Two gameplay". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
- ^ Devore, Jordan (December 10, 2020). "It Takes Two is an out-of-control co-op adventure from the makers of A Way Out". Destructoid. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
- ^ "Nintendo Direct 9.13.20". YouTube. 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 16 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ "It Takes Two Switch version confirmed". 13 September 2022. Archived from the original on 13 September 2022. Retrieved 13 September 2022.
- ^ Express, Morning (2022-09-13). "It Takes Two: Game of the Year arrives on Switch in November". morningexpress.in. Retrieved 2022-09-14.
- ^ Phillips, Tom (December 3, 2021). "Josef Fares' It Takes Two hit by Take-Two claim". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved December 3, 2021.
- ^ a b "It Takes Two for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
- ^ a b "It Takes Two for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "It Takes Two for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ a b "It Takes Two for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "It Takes Two for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ "It Takes Two Review". GameSpot. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "IT TAKES TWO REVIEW: "A CO-OP EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY OTHER"". GamesRadar+. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "It Takes Two Review". IGN. 25 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "It Takes Two: Un jeu coop indispensable par les créateurs d'A Way Out". Jeuxvideo.com. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "It Takes Two review: Together forever". Shacknews. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "IT TAKES TWO REVIEW". PC Gamer. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "It Takes Two Review – The Joys And Heartbreak Of Love". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ "En ufattelig variasjon og sømløs plattformspilling". Gamer.no. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
- ^ Boyle, Vic Hood Contributions from Emma; Hetfeld, Malindy; Zak, Robert; updated, Kevin Parrish last (2022-05-03). "Best co-op games: top games you can share with friends right now". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ "Great local multiplayer games to play on PS5". PlayStation. Archived from the original on 2022-10-12. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (April 24, 2021). "It Takes Two Selling 1 Million Copies Shows That Players Want Co-op Only Games, Josef Fares Says". IGN. Archived from the original on October 8, 2021. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
- ^ "Hazelight Studios on Twitter". Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
- ^ van der Velde, Issy (October 13, 2021). "'It Takes Two' sells three million copies". NME. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Dinsdale, Ryan (February 7, 2022). "It Takes Two Sells a Huge 5 Million Copies". IGN. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
- ^ Benfell, Grace (July 8, 2022). "It Takes Two Celebrates 7 Million Copies Sold". GameSpot. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^ Chris Kerr (2023-02-03). "It Takes Two has sold over 10 million copies in two years". Game Developer. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
- ^ "It Takes Two Crosses 16 Million Units Sold". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ Tyrer, Ben (October 19, 2021). "Golden Joystick Awards 2021: see the full list of nominees and how to vote today". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ Tyrer, Ben (November 23, 2021). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2021 winners". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
- ^ "The Game Awards Nominees: 'Deathloop', 'Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart' Lead 2021 List". Deadline. November 16, 2021. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- ^ Murray, Sean (22 December 2021). "Valve Announces Steam Awards Nominees". TheGamer.com. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ "Steam Awards 2021 Winners Announced". GameSpot. Red Ventures. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
- ^ Van Allen, Eric (11 January 2022). "Nominees for the 2022 Game Developers Choice Awards have been revealed". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ Staff (23 March 2022). "'Inscryption' Wins Game of the Year at GDCA 2022". gdconf.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ Fanelli, Jason (January 13, 2022). "Ratchet & Clank Leads 2022 DICE Awards With 9 Nominations". GameSpot. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
- ^ Purslow, Matt (March 3, 2022). "BAFTA Games Awards 2022 Nominations Announced". IGN. Archived from the original on April 14, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (January 31, 2022). "'It Takes Two' Developer Hazelight Studios Teams With dj2 Entertainment to Adapt Game for Film, TV (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 1, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (April 20, 2022). "Dwayne Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions Boards 'It Takes Two' As Video Game Film Lands At Amazon". Deadline. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (April 20, 2022). "'It Takes Two' Movie Lands at Amazon, Seven Bucks Productions Joins dj2 Entertainment as Producers (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 20, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
- ^ Lang, Brad (April 21, 2022). "Dwayne Johnson in Talks For It Takes Two Movie". Comic Book Resource. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved April 21, 2022.
External links
- Official website
- v
- t
- e
- Jalla! Jalla! (2000)
- Kopps (2003)
- Zozo (2005)
- Balls (2010)
- Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (2013)
- A Way Out (2018)
- It Takes Two (2021)