A marriage on the brink is the foundation for fantastical co-op game. But it hardly stops there.

When May and Cody, parent to Rose, finds themselves transformed into clay-toys, they are at the brink of ending their marriage. Ironically, that is the beginning of their marriage-fixing journey and visually feasting co-op game. It Takes Two is nothing you have ever seen. Hazelight Studios takes a common topic – divorcing couple – and turns it into a couples’ therapy game. And boy, are we glad.

The game takes place in the shed, inside a discarded vacuum cleaner, Rose’s room, in the tree to name a few. It is perfect setting for co-op, screens split into two for convenience while levelling up. Under the guidance of the game love-book Dr Hakim, each level corresponds to each aspect of a relationship like communication, time etc. Co-op games are meant to be about time management and watching each other’s back and It Takes Two is that and so much more. From fighting Janet, the Elephant to racing through a Space station, each chapter that narrowly needs about an hour to complete, players have to co-ordinate every step to complete. Failing to do so will not cost much, as respawning happens in less than 2 seconds.

Each level set up in the most things but transformed by the power of a child’s imagination. A visit to the pillow fortress is a space stations mission control, a cuckoo clock is a time-warping level, a snow globe is a winter village – common household items turned wacky for the sake of the game. With each new setting, May and Cody are granted powers. From anti-gravity mechanics in the space station to time warming capabilities in the clock, the couple’s journey gets wackier with each round. Even the Tree House grants Cody and May a showdown. Cody wields a sap-launching mortar and May a matchstick-firing rifle.

But not everything is about mission and levels. Each level scrutinizes aspects of Cody and May’s relationship. In the second half, nostalgia and trips down the memory lane is brought in perfectly, where the couple share moments reminiscing the good old times. They even get a race down the snow mountains. The travesty of each level is soaked up in fun and co-op game experience but also boggles the players into getting emotionally invested in Cody and May’s relationship. From setting aside marital bickering and working on the mission to get back to their daughter, Cody and May manages to rekindle the charm and beauty in their togetherness and proves that it does take two to make the game and any relationship work.