UNIFICATION JAZZ
Also for: Playstation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series
If traditional and social media is an indicator, western civilization is on the brink of collapse. The divide between left and right, man and woman, youth and
adult, black and white - you name it - is deeper than it's been in a long
time. Looking at the world around us, we politicize everything, even things of
a deeply personal nature, because even our own identities have become a matter of
political debate. It is such a depressing spectacle to behold that I choose not to. I want no part of it.
Maybe that is why it feels so refreshing to play It Takes Two, the
celebrated cooperative action-puzzler from Hazelight. Much like its
eccentric creator Josef Fares, It Takes Two is a boisterous creation
of great imagination and humour. Instead of tearing people apart, it seeks to bring people together.
Fares started out as a celebrated filmmaker
here in Sweden, and after some really successful movies (and several award
nominations) he transitioned into making video games. It was a risky move, but
it paid off big time. Now he is celebrated even more around the globe than he
is back home (probably because of general video game disdain).
As a life-long fan of video games, Fares strives to recreate his childhood memories of enjoying good couch co-op games with friends and family. His latest
games are best experienced that way, although they can also be enjoyed online. It
Takes Two is specifically targeted toward spouses, because the story deals
with picking up the pieces of a failed marriage to, hopefully, make it blossom
again. Does it work? Play the game to find out.
I played it with my brother, which might sound awkward given the romantic theme, but for most of the
time it was not. And after watching thousands of movies, both of us know how
to disassociate from fictional characters on the screen whenever we have to.
Any self-respecting adult should be able to not insert themselves into
everything they watch on the telly or monitor.
The story starts out with a daughter, Rose, overhearing her parents, Cody and
May, discuss their upcoming divorce. This breaks the unsuspecting girl's heart and she
starts blaming herself. But she concocts a plan to fix it. With the aid of a
book she finds, The Book of Love, she casts a spell while the parents are asleep, which is meant to mend their broken relationship. What it actually accomplishes is transporting their
souls into a pair of small dolls.
When they awaken, the shocked parents
find that their precarious situation can only be remedied by working together.
Guided by the passionate Book of Love, which also springs to life alongside them, they
have to re-educate themselves in the matter of relationships, which sadly eroded away over years of household chores and a lack of encouragement.
Both characters are well-defined and their fun banter tells us
something about the chemistry that once brought them together. The gameplay
revolves around re-discovering the home they've shared for so long. Watching it from a closer perspective, they discover parts of it have been neglected, so they decide to team up to restore the place to its
former glory. The adventure is painted in a stark color palette and holds the charm of a Pixar movie, with a hint of seriousness lurking beneath. Although the
story itself might not reach the level of Toy Story, it propels the
players through one heck of a journey.
The gameplay utilizes the micro-perspective of these dolls, with two players controlling them
in third person splitscreen through a chain of household environments. You run around
ventilation shafts, rooms of different themes, a garden and a snowglobe - just
to name a few. In terms of level design, they range from grounded to really abstract or even surreal, like the caleidoscope stage. Although it's not an easy game, even players with limited experience should be able to see it through to the end.
Sporting some creative gameplay features, like using different toys for
weapons, bugs as vehicles, power cords for sliding, etc, the seven
long levels seem to constantly reinvent themselves. New
kinds of combat challenges and puzzles await behind every gateway to a new area. The linear
progression showers you with fun gameplay ideas, and you hardly have time to
adjust to one mechanic before it changes into something brand new.
It is flawlessly paced, with action segments giving way to racing
challenges, platforming, storytelling or bossfights. And once in a while,
the story presents a brief, unique one-off, like a rhythm-game dance section
or a flight challenge that requires the both of you to avoid incoming obstacles by balancing an aircraft to the sides. One short sequence can even be described as a
top-down, Diablo-esque action-RPG. Nothing feels superfluous,
and everything feels well-grounded in the storytelling.
Most players will have seen all of it before in other games, but the
combination and execution of the mechanics are astounding. With his
background in moviemaking, Fares knows exactly how important pacing is to an
audience, and It Takes Two plays you like a fiddle. The communication
between players is the oil that keeps the machine running, and the controls
work well no matter what subgenre the game throws at you. However, I found
the hitbox for my player character to be a bit unforgiving at times.
It is a pretty game, but many surrounding details - as well as the
soundtrack - are lost in the speed of forward momentum. The levels are often
very linear and as a result the gameplay gets hectic and energetic, which
can become a bit exhausting. You do get the opportunity to wind down in
certain larger areas. This opens up the possibility to explore, which might
reveal objects to interact with for fun, as well as some mini-games. In a storyline
laser-focused on cooperation, it's fun to break off for a little friendly
competition once in a while, like a snail-racing game, a tug-of-war or snowball fighting.
The puzzles revolve around the different situational weapons and skills,
awarded by The Book of Love for diligent learning, that are unique to your
current location. As comically obvious as the metaphors are, they're also neatly woven into the story. Like the power of attraction in a couple of differently
charged magnets, that you combine to pull each other through a blizzard. Or
the protection of a shield-like cymbal against crushing sound waves, as the
other player sings to soothe a couple of aggressive microphones that try to
swallow you whole.
Not all the challenges are perfectly balanced. Some players might feel a bit
left out by a lack of things to do in certain segments, where the partner
gets most of the excitement. But it evens out in the long run and besides,
you're free to change roles at any time, switching back and forth between
Cody and May. A couple of stages tried our patience a little. For instance,
it was never fun having to backtrack across an entire obstacle course
because one of you screwed up close to the end. Also, a few puzzle solutions
felt kinda obscure, in particular one involving a railroad track.
But overall, It Takes Two excels as a journey. It is a smooth ride with
constant sense of progression and variation throughout. And yet, the game is
surprisingly long. It took us 15 hours to beat, but we didn't spend a long
time stuck on any particular section. Thanks to its many checkpoints, it is
very forgiving, constantly funny and never rote.
Although the experience left no deep, everlasting impression, it would be
wrong to disregard its effect as something shallow. In a world where people seem to mostly seek out the flaws in one another and vehemontly call
them out, It Takes Two strives to be constructive. It strives to bring us back together, to fix our broken home.
Everybody's a critic, always - heck, even critics have critics - but few of us dare to
throw ourselves into the wolves den and create something of our own for others to sink their teeth into. This game not only encourages us to do exactly that - it also encourages the earnest support of family and friends, through thick and thin, and the cooperation that comes with it. It
Takes Two is not only excellent - it is a force for good and I'm glad it won
the most prestigious Game of the Year-award.
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