Trigger Cut Game Reviews

It Takes Two is about a crumbling marriage that is on the verge of divorce. As a married man, I can attest to how a long term relationship can go through its ups and downs. How love can almost inevitably lead to conflict.  How you can hurt your spouse without intending to.  How resentment can grow if you do not communicate your feelings to your partner.  While my marriage has never led to the outright hatred these characters feel towards one another, it is not cliche to say marriage is difficult, even if you are in a healthy relationship.  It Takes Two attempts to tackle these themes and it is a bold narrative choice that I have never seen in a video game before.  The characters are not exactly likable, and are sometimes outright grating but I feel like this was intentional.  These characters are getting divorced for a reason, their love has soured, their friendship has ended, and they no longer can stay together for their child.  My parents divorced when I was 5 and it was far from an amicable split.  I found myself relating to this child that does not understand why her parents are getting divorced or even understands what divorce is.  Their child is heartbroken and teary eyed.  Her tears turn her parents into dolls (don’t think about this part too much) and now the parents need to figure out how to return to their bodies.  What follows is an interesting dichotomy of serious themes and a cartoonish art style.  It’s as if the writers of this game were making a Pixar movie while listening to a lot of Joy Division. The gameplay is couch co-op only similar to Hazelights previous game, A Way Out.  The gameplay here is far more in depth than A Way Out.  Hazelight’s greatest strength is pacing.  They are constantly switching up the mechanics and abilities of these characters and they never stay on one mechanic too long. This is essentially a co-op platformer that explores other genres such as shooters and others that I won’t spoil.  If you are looking for a couch co-op game to play with a friend or partner, this is a must play. Just make sure your relationship is in a good spot before playing.