It Takes Two Review Roundup -- Here's What The Critics Are Saying

After years of development, Hazelights's follow-up to A Way Out is here and it's getting very good reviews across the board. To help you get a quick snapshot of the review scores, we're rounding up excerpts from a variety of publications.

Written and directed by Josef Fares, It Takes Two tells the story of Cody and May, a struggling couple going through a divorce. Through magic, their child turns them into dolls and they are transported to a fantastical world where they must solve puzzles together to escape and re-forge their relationship.

The game can only be played in co-op, but every copy comes with a Friend's Pass that allows anyone to play the entirety of the game for free with someone who owns the game. Additionally, there is a Friend's Pass Free Trial, separate from the main game, that allows you to play the first level of the game at no cost (except for Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus if you're playing online).

• Game: It Takes Two
• Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PS5, Xbox Series X, PC
• Developer: Hazelight
• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Release Date: March 26
• Price: $40 USD

GameSpot -- 9/10

"It Takes Two is the best 3D platformer I've played since Super Mario Odyssey, and like that game, it has a flair for variety. You may ride a frog or fly a plane with wings made from Cody's boxers or hack-and-slash through a Diablo-style castle. Despite the downright wild amount of things to do, It Takes Two manages to handle every mechanic well. This is the second release from Hazelight, and while A Way Out had plenty of fans, it seems that it may just take two to make a thing go quite this right." -- Andrew King [Full review]

IGN -- 9/10

"It Takes Two is a spectacular co-op adventure that lays down a path of great gameplay ideas and uses it to play a giddy game of hopscotch. It’s beautiful, breakneck-paced, and bubbling over with creativity, and playfulness and experimentation are rewarded at every turn. If you have any kind of co-op partner in your life, be they spouse, friend, sibling, or other (even a child, though the themes might be too mature for them), It Takes Two is a truly joyful trip you really need to take together." -- Tristan Ogilvie [Full review]

Polygon -- No Score

"Most big-budget games could use an editor to trim away the unnecessary bits that seem to exist to pad the length of the adventure and justify the price on the box. It Takes Two would benefit from a similar trim, requiring a more experienced writer to fix the weak narrative and dialogue, alongside a producer to make the tough choices of which segments of the game are fun versus those that are downright dull. Without that edit, the game feels unbalanced, like a solo performed by a singer going on one too many runs, unaware that the audience has shifted from entertained to annoyed." -- Chris Plante and Russ Frushtick [Full review]

Eurogamer -- Reccomended

"If you can swat the story away to the background, and consider it a slightly ill-chosen set-up for an adventure, then there's a lot about It Takes Two to enjoy. This is a rare kind of co-op experience, with an energy and imagination and playfulness that sometimes rivals Nintendo's. As a toy, it can be a joy, and it will create some co-op moments to remember." -- Robert Purchese [Full review]

GamesRadar -- 5/5

It Takes Two is a unique experience that makes the most of what it means to offer truly co-operative gameplay. Your relationship with whoever you're playing with is just as important as that of May and Cody, as you'll get nowhere without robust communication and teamwork. But its blend of reality and fantasy is also refreshingly different, especially within a framework that offers the kind of unique gameplay that never stops surprising." -- Sam Loveridge [Full review]

VG247 -- 5/5

"Honestly, It Takes Two is one of the most pleasant surprises in video games I've ever had. I went in more or less expecting a fairly gimmick-laden brief but fun escapade, but it's so much more than that. This is a game that I would recommend to anyone who longs for the kind of no-holds-barred childlike fantasy so common in the 80s but seems less common today. If that is you, don't sleep on this real gem." -- Tom Orry [Full review]