Who knew a story about divorce could bring so much joy to couples?
Gracie and I were looking for a game to play together on PS4. The shift to online play has taken developers' focus almost completely away from playing with people in your house which is a real shame. Grace and I have been playing single-player RPGS and I would mostly just coach from the sidelines and take over when she got too frustrated. We stumbled into a GameStop which is still one of my favorite things to do. I started chatting with the employees and told them we were having trouble finding a game to play together. They suggested trying a few games on Switch or this game called "It Takes Two". A love story to gaming together We brought it home and we were a little skeptical at first.
From start to finish this is a love story to games past and pop culture. The main characters are a chubby guy and a slender wife with blue hair--an homage to America's favorite yellow family?
This is your time for a spoiler alert.
I'm not going to full-on ruin the game, but I will get into a few things while I give this review.
The teamwork aspect of the game is on full display from the rip.
The creators don't ease you in, this is next-level puzzle-solving, and each player needs to figure things out on their own for the team to succeed.
Beating the monster vacuum together sucked us in, and taking down the power saw cut through any doubt we had.
We made the right call to give this game a shot.
You don't need to have amazing stick skills to progress, but you do need to be armed with a critical mind and patience.
I have to admit there were a few times I just wanted to take the controller from Gracie in the beginning.
As we played more she showed me how bad of a decision that would have been.
I didn't just need her because the game requires two people, I needed her because she was good at the game.
Multiple times she figured out things I didn't see.
This game gives both players their time to shine and does a great job of bringing them together.
We exchanged several low fives on the couch.
We will never be able to say Cody without saying it all British like “Cohdee”.
If you try and explain the concept of this game to your friends, chances are they going to nervously lie to you and say "Oh, haha sounds cool".
A little girl makes a wish that her parents won't go through with a divorce.
The parents magically get transformed into dolls.
They are seemingly kidnapped by a Latinx talking book against their will.
The only way back to their human bodies?
Rekindle their love through a series of levels based on memories and places in and around their home.
Who the Hell wants to play through a divorce fairy tale?
We did, and you should too.
The team that made this game deserved every award they won. I took notes while playing and wrote down all the vibes I got while playing.
You go from feeling like you're playing "Zelda", to "MarioKart", to "Mortal Kombat", to "Gauntlet Legends".
You don't spend long in these worlds, and if you want to well this game can get the juices flowing to go back to them.
It's enough time for the developers to get you to smile and say "that was familiar yet so different".
They hit this mark with precision in a way I've never seen before.
My issue with so many newer games is how predictable and redundant they can get.
With this game, you feel like you are playing something new and fun every time you play.
Part of that success comes from the game's commitment to keeping you on track.
Instead of having you focus on treasure collection and side quests, you live in the moment. When you leave a level you move on.
That's not to say there aren't ways to lose a few hours away from the main storyline.
You are working together the whole game, but there are plenty of Mini-games where you can compete along the way.
I smoked Gracie in most of them but she would get me in a few.
I'm not being arrogant that's just what happened, sorry.
She would be sure to ask if I let her win when she would win, and sometimes I didn't.
This game came into our lives at a transitional time.
We were in year 3 of planning our pandemic delayed marriage.
It helped us escape the craziness of starting new jobs, living in a new place, and navigating our own love story.
I won't give away the ending by telling you if your hours of tireless work bringbrings Cody and May back together.
But I will tell you it's worth the ride, and it's a game that keeps you satisfied from start to finish.
ReplyForward
Comments