Normally it’s done in cases where you have a single-player mode that you can also play co-op, things like that. We go to the movies or the theater together. What attracts you to that concept?įares: When we experience stories, we do it together. Question: This is your third project based on cooperation between two characters as a core design element.

Combining the story and the gameplay is the toughest thing. Of course, a rom-com for two players, it couldn’t fit better. It’s always fun to create a moment between players. Something we love to do at Hazelight is testing what hasn’t been tried. The rom-com hasn’t really been tried in gaming.

Josef Fares: We wanted to push forward with co-op, take it to the next step. It might copy the Pixar blend of childish and grown up storytelling, but it’s far less brave when it comes to the big issues.Question: What was your inspiration to follow up A Way Out with a love story? It would have been a much more powerful ending if May and Cody went through all of this and the lesson learned was to put their differences aside for their child a little bit more, to understand that even in divorce, they need to be a team for her. Instead, May sings, Cody kisses her, their child runs away to the bus stop and is promptly rescued, and everything is happy families. To remind us that actually, sometimes good people try hard at things and it just doesn’t work. And that’s why I was waiting for It Takes Two to flip the script. The game seems to present the idea that people get divorced because they don’t love each other enough, because they don’t work hard enough at their relationship, or maybe even just because they’re bad people. That doesn’t mean you need to stay trapped in an unhappy marriage that fulfills neither of you. It’s admirable that they can put their differences aside to help their child, but also… yeah. The reason the game made me root for divorce was because it seemed right for them. We do see the couple revisit some of their old memories, and work together effectively, but that doesn’t mean they should stay married. ‘Do a bit of singing’ just isn’t a solution. She is the sole breadwinner in the house, and is under the stress that comes with that position while constantly feeling a lack of support from Cody at home. She’s going through a troubled marriage, so no, she’s not belting out hits while she struts around her home. When she finally gets the courage to sing again, she sounds incredible - but so what? She has a fantastic job as an engineer that she loves. Meanwhile, May is pushed to pick up her passion for singing. Mate, she’s at work all day and you’re in the house. She didn’t abuse or belittle him, he just didn’t think she was that enthusiastic about it. As solutions to the roadblocks in May and Cody’s relationship, Cody is encouraged to reignite his passion for gardening - something he has always had the resources, space, and ability to do anyway, he just felt May didn’t support him. Sometimes, divorce is just the best solution, and that’s why the game’s weirdly anti-climactic ending was such a letdown.įrom a raw gameplay point of view, the game is incredible, but its narrative lets it down, especially when dealing with as sensitive a subject as a child dealing with a parental divorce. I didn’t want these two to get divorced as a punishment, or because I wanted them to fail, or out of resentment. Cody becomes especially irritating, complaining that his wife does not support his passion for gardening - even though Cody has no job and she works long hours as an engineer. I wasn’t a huge fan of the central characters, Cody and May - Dr Hakim is so much more fun. That being said, this is a game that revolves entirely and simplistically around a divorce, and by the end, it had me hoping that the couple would just break up already. Of course, tackling complex themes with winking adult humour in an ostensibly childish setting has worked wonders for Pixar for decades - Cars trilogy not withstanding - so that alone shouldn’t be held against It Takes Two. Not only does the mix of genres, level styles, and side activities make it feel like it’s every game ever, but it presents itself as a cuddly, kid friendly game while dealing with mature themes and throwing in lots of jokes for grown ups.

It takes two voice actors