It Takes Two

Delightful from beginning to end. This game is crammed with diverse content: every area looks different, plays differently, and has different pacing and challenges. And toys! There is so much stuff here to just fool around with, without you having to worry about how it connects to the story or progress or anything else. It Takes Two wants you to have fun, to dazzle you with spectacle, awe you with its grand scope as well as attention to detail, and for you to already miss it when the end credits roll (after ~20 hours).

Difficulty level is casual to medium, making it accessible to most gamers, though I suspect that complete newbs might find some of it challenging. There's a bit of fast reflex boss combat here, a bit of confusing 3D platforming there, and intentional coordination challenges. But that's why it takes two: an experienced gamer can team up with a newb and help them learn how to, well, play video games.

So much stuff! Lots of little homages to classic video games. Lots of silly characters. Majestic environments. Soaring music. Special effects. I can't think of a single moment that was boring or tedious. That said, if I must really dig deep to complain about something, there were a few areas where affordances weren't very clear or controls were a bit wonky. But, here's the thing: the price of death is small. So, go ahead and try something crazy. Worst case you die, best you die in a hilarious way.

There's a story to it, too. It's rather skin-deep, but perhaps it could be meaningful to certain couples dealing with relationship trouble. Everybody else: don't worry about it. It's just a proverbial carrot dangled in front the proverbial donkey that keeps the action going. This is not a story-driven game, but an experience-driven game.

Fun, fun, fun. Get a friend and play. Only one of you has to buy it!