If you want better protagonist appeal
Choose Goodnight Universe. It scores 4.9 vs 2.6 for protagonist appeal, with a 4.2 overall score.
It Takes Two Review
Bottom Line
Choose It Takes Two for joyful, inventive co-op with a partner, especially on couch. Skip it if divorce themes, uneven story tone, or Switch visual compromises would distract you.
Best for
Best for two players who want a communication-heavy co-op adventure with constant new mechanics, strong platforming, replayable minigames, and a couch-friendly feel.
Not for
Not for players wanting solo play, deep challenge, a universally loved story, or the best visual version on Switch.
Verdict
It Takes Two earns unusually broad praise as a co-op-first platformer because almost every review highlights its constant mechanical variety, responsive movement, generous checkpoints, and playful environments. The strongest evidence centers on how completely the game is built around two people communicating, experimenting, and solving problems together. Its tradeoff is narrative: several reviewers liked the heartfelt marriage-repair premise, but others found the tone shallow, cringy, or uncomfortable, especially around Dr. Hakim and May and Cody’s behavior. Switch coverage adds another tradeoff, praising performance and play options while noting rougher visuals. Overall, the review evidence points to a highly polished, joyful co-op game whose gameplay consensus is much stronger than its story consensus.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
55 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.037 (67%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.410 (18%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.46 (11%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.42 (4%)
Pros highlights
-
Co-op experience is the clearest strength, with every review praising how essential, joyful, collaborative, or unusually strong the cooperative play feels.
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Fun factor is exceptionally strong, with most reviewers calling it joyful, blast-like, highly enjoyable, or one of their most fun recent games.
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Reviewers overwhelmingly praise the mechanics as simple to grasp yet constantly inventive, with several genres and toolsets executed well.
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Content variety is one of the strongest consensus points, with reviewers praising constant new mechanics, tools, genres, settings, and minigames.
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Controls are widely praised as responsive, tight, natural, and accessible, with only the Switch Joy-Con feel drawing a mild caveat.
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Interactive spaces are a major strength, with reviewers praising playful objects, rewarded curiosity, and dense environmental interactions.
Cons highlights
-
Narrative quality is divisive: some reviewers found the relationship story moving or healthy, while others called it shallow, predictable, or poorly told.
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Dialogue quality is mixed, with some humorous or realistic dialogue but repeated criticism of Dr. Hakim as cringy or uncomfortable.
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Difficulty is mixed: several reviewers found it forgiving or not very challenging, while others noted frustration or a gradual, approachable curve.
-
Protagonist appeal is polarized: some reviewers found Cody and May real or excellent, while others found them irritating, bitter, or unlikeable.
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Writing quality is split between praise for snappy, excellent writing and criticism that the tone is uneven or disappointing beside the gameplay.
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Age appropriateness is mixed-to-cautious: reviewers note mature themes, marriage metaphors, and challenge that may not fit younger children.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in monetization fairness, platforming precision, checkpoint system, near average in narrative quality, age appropriateness, below average in character development, protagonist appeal, dialogue quality.
Comparison summary
55 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher43 (78%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts8 (15%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower4 (7%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| monetization fairness | 5.0 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| platforming precision | 5.0 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| character development | 2.0 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| checkpoint system | 5.0 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| camera behavior | 4.5 | 2.9 | +1.6 |
| polish | 5.0 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| multiplayer design | 5.0 | 3.6 | +1.4 |
| puzzle design | 5.0 | 3.6 | +1.4 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better pacing
Choose Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight. It scores 5.0 vs 4.4 for pacing, with a 4.2 overall score.
If you want better character development
Choose Donkey Kong Bananza. It scores 4.9 vs 2.0 for character development, with a 4.5 overall score.
If you want better writing quality
Choose Hollow Knight: Silksong. It scores 5.0 vs 3.4 for writing quality, with a 4.3 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
A Way Out
- Worse: gameplay The reviewer says It Takes Two even tops A Way Out's great gameplay.
- Worse: gameplay depth The reviewer says A Way Out's gameplay suffered, while It Takes Two's gameplay is fleshed out.
- Worse: overall quality The reviewer says the leap in quality from A Way Out to It Takes Two is incredible.
Diablo
- Compared: genre-shifting gameplay style The reviewer compares one medieval section's gameplay style to Diablo.
God of War
- Compared: recallable tool feel The reviewer compares Cody's recallable nails to the axe recall in God of War.
FAQ
Can It Takes Two be played solo?
No. The review evidence consistently describes it as co-op-only and built around two human players working together.
Is it good for non-gamers?
Several reviewers say it works well for new or non-gamer partners because the controls are approachable, the learning curve is gradual, and the game teaches through play.
Is couch co-op better than online play?
Reviewers praise both, but couch co-op receives especially strong support as the more natural and enjoyable setup. Online play is still workable, with only rare stability caveats in the Switch evidence.
How strong is the story?
The story is the most divisive part. Some reviewers found it heartfelt and moving, while others criticized the tone, Dr. Hakim, and May and Cody’s characterization.
Is it appropriate for kids?
Not always. Reviewers note teen-rated language, mature divorce themes, and moments that may be too mature or challenging for younger children.
Does it have good replay value?
Yes for many players, thanks to character-swapping, replayable minigames, and Friend Pass value, though one reviewer personally found the co-op pressure too exhausting for a replay.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
Article Reviews
eurogamer.net
- Review score
- 4.1
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