It takes two
In an age where almost every mid- to high budget game has some form of online multiplayer, but games that can be played in pairs (let alone more people!), on the couch (hence “couch co-op”) and offline seem to be an endangered species. Any title that offers such a mode is worth its weight in gold. It’s especially useful for new players who can rely on the support of a more experienced companion in couch co-ops and for occasional players – casuals – who do not want to disappear in their dungeon on Saturday at dawn and emerge from it only at dusk on Sunday, after beating all possible achievements, and instead want to spend a pleasant evening in company – watching a movie or playing a game together.
If a game is so focused on delivering a social experience that it says that in the title, we most certainly have a recipe for a casual’s dream, right?
NO.
It Takes Two is a
1. three-dimensional,
2. platform,
3. arcade
4. puzzle
and each of these features is a red flag for casuals and n00bs, and four red flags, ladies and gentlemen, is a lot of flags.
The game has nice graphics, pleasantly cartoony, maybe a bit too Toy Story, but the plot justifies such aesthetics. The story is fine: a bit of magic, a bit of family drama so you can identify with the characters. Maybe – contrary to cartoon appearances – it is not suitable for playing with some children (although I would not demonize this plot, as some reviews do – just an individual matter). But the gameplay…
It Takes Two throws at us a frustrating puzzle after puzzle, after puzzle, and each of them breaks the flow. Its solution instead of satisfaction like “man am I good!” (like in Portal 2, for example) gives only a brief “phew, we made it…” relief before another frustrating challenge. There is always only one solution to each puzzle, it must be done precisely, skillfully and quickly. The game has no difficulty levels. You do a jump, left, squat, right, right, shoot! What’s wrong with your aim!? Once again! Jump, left, squat… Why are you jumping!? AGAIN!!! OK, LET’S CALM DOWN! Jump, Left, Squat, Right, Right, Shoot, Back, Run Away from the Hammer! Ok, back, shot… Your companion didn’t have time to press the lever between your “shot” and “back”. Try again…
Sounds like fun?
Well. For many players? Yes! Many people derive satisfaction from unraveling the sequence of actions to be performed, and then their perfect execution. Like playing the violin, solving Rubik’s cube, chess or Flappy Bird. Some in Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will visit all the shrines with mini puzzle games before even looking at the storyline.
But for most casuals, this is not a recipe for a successful evening. Even those occasional players and gaming rookies who are thirsty for arcade games will have more fun with, for example, a racing game (without a platform or puzzle element), because winning the race will give satisfaction and a dopamine spike, and the dynamics of a race give a sense of flow. And those who want to solve puzzles together will probably do better by choosing, for example, Degrees of Separation, because although a puzzle-platformer, it at least gives you time to think, and beautiful 2D graphics make orientation easier for new players than chaotic 3D.
It Takes Two is a flagship example of the couch co-op gaming problem. The creators of such games have a wrong vision of their market target. They imagine players as house party participants who also have ninja reflexes (Overcooked), as parents with children with the patience of a saint (Rayman Legends) or couples with a distance to competitiveness worthy of a Buddhist monk (Mario Kart). These body and spirit qualities are indeed necessary to enjoy most modern couch co-op games, but if you have them, you are probably not a casual player.
It Takes Two combines all these flaws, packs them into a semblance of affordability, pumped up with enthusiastic reviews and… spoils an evening for the whole family on a Saturday afternoon worse than Monopoly. Don’t believe the reviewers – they play all day, they have developed habits, they have dexterity, they have 8 hours a day to repeat the same level over and over again and co-workers with similar characteristics with whom they will play through It Takes Two in half a day. No casual will do it and few will manage to the end of the game.
Final Izzy Mode Score for It takes two
Casual score: how suitable the game is for casual players – casual players who like a challenge from time to time, but generally just wanna’ have fu-u-n🎵 a few hours a week without stress and just for the fun of playing. The higher the score the more casual-friendly the game.
n00b-o-meter: how suitable the game is for n00b players – new players whose gaming career started and ended with Candy Crush, Tetris or browser games or even never played a game and would like to start. The higher the score the more n00b-friendly the game.
General Izzyness Level: between Izzy Mode, Normal, Hard and Nightmare – how would the title score in the difficulty scale known from games?
