Honestly, playing Hazelight’s Game of the Year winner feels less like a platformer and more like a high-stakes stress test for your relationship. Whether you’re playing with a partner, a sibling, or that one friend who refuses to jump when you say "now," you need an It Takes Two guide that actually understands the chaos. Most people dive in thinking it’s a cute Pixar-esque romp about dolls coming to life. It isn’t. It’s a relentless gauntlet of mechanics that change every thirty minutes, and if you aren't prepared for the shift from "vacuum cleaner boss fight" to "intergalactic space physics," you’re going to have a bad time.
The game is brilliant. But it's also mean.
It forces you to communicate in ways that most modern games simply don't. You can't carry the team here. If Cody fails, May fails. If May loses her cool during the clocktower segment, Cody is just standing there spinning his wheels. It’s a literal manifestation of "git gud together," and that is exactly why so many players hit a wall in the Cuckoo Clock or the Snow Globe chapters.
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The Mechanic Trap: Stop Trying to Master One Skill
One thing this It Takes Two guide needs to make clear right away is that mastery is a lie in this game. In most titles, you spend forty hours getting better at one thing—shooting, jumping, or casting spells. Josef Fares, the director, hates that. He wants you to learn a mechanic, use it for an hour, and then throw it in the trash forever.
Take the Shed chapter. Cody gets nails; May gets a hammer. It seems simple. But the game quickly pivots. Suddenly, you're flying a plane made of boxers. Then you're fighting a squirrel on top of a moving aircraft in a 2D fighter parody. If you’re struggling, it’s likely because you’re trying to play it like a standard platformer. Stop. Look at the environment. The game almost always gives you a visual "breadcrumb" before a major shift. If the camera angle changes slightly, the controls are probably about to change too.
The beauty of the Cody and May dynamic is the asymmetry. Cody’s abilities are usually about setup, while May’s are about execution. If you’re playing as Cody, your job isn't to be the hero. It’s to be the floor. You’re the one holding the platform steady or growing the plant that May needs to swing across. If you two aren't talking constantly, you’ll spend three hours on a puzzle that should take ten minutes.
Communication Isn't Optional
I’ve seen couples nearly break up over the Rose’s Room chapter. It’s huge. It’s sprawling. And it requires a level of coordination that feels like a surgical strike.
One specific tip: Use the "ping" system, but don't rely on it. Use your actual human voice. Tell your partner exactly when you are pressing the button. "Three, two, one, GO" is the most powerful weapon in your arsenal. This is especially true for the magnets in the Snow Globe section. The polarities (Red and Blue) are simple enough, but the momentum physics can be janky if your timing is even half a second off.
What Most People Miss in the Boss Fights
Bosses in this game are puzzles disguised as combat. You can’t just "DPS" your way out of a fight with a giant mechanical bull or an angry toolbox. Every single boss has a rhythm.
- The Vacuum Tower: Focus on the projectiles. May needs to distract while Cody handles the hose mechanics. It’s tempting to both just run around screaming, but that leads to a quick death.
- The Moon Baboon: This is where the game tests your ability to dodge while performing a secondary task. If you’re Cody, keep your eyes on the laser grids. If you’re May, you’re the pilot.
- The Great Beetle: This one is a pure test of Cody’s "Sap" gun and May’s "Match" gun. The mistake people make? Over-sapping. If Cody puts too much sap on an area, it takes May longer to ignite it, which can actually trap you in an explosion.
The Mini-Game Obsession
Listen. Do not skip the mini-games. There are 25 of them scattered throughout the world, and they provide the only "break" you get from the co-op tension. They allow you to be competitive for a moment. Whether it's Whack-a-Cody or Tank Brothers, these are vital for venting the frustration that builds up during the harder platforming sections.
Finding them all isn't just for the "Minigame Megalomania" achievement. They actually teach you subtle variations of the game’s physics engine that you’ll need later. The volleyball game in the tropics, for instance, is a secret primer for how the physics work in the final musical stages.
Technical Nuances You Actually Need to Know
A lot of players ask about the Friend’s Pass. It’s one of the best moves EA ever made. Only one person needs to own the game. The other just downloads the Trial version. However, a common technical hiccup involves the EA App (formerly Origin) and Steam syncing. If you’re on PC, make sure both players have their EA accounts linked and the overlay enabled, or the invite system will act like it’s 2005.
On consoles, the game runs beautifully at 60fps on PS5 and Xbox Series X. If you’re on an older PS4, be prepared for some slight frame drops during the more particle-heavy scenes like the Kaleidoscope. It shouldn't break the game, but it can mess with your jump timing during the "gravity flip" segments.
Why the Story Matters for the Gameplay
Some people try to skip the cutscenes. Don't do that. The narrative beats actually prepare you for the emotional tone of the next level. When the characters are arguing, the levels are usually more frantic and "split." When they start to reconcile, the mechanics start to overlap more. It’s a subtle bit of game design that helps your brain get into the right headspace for the challenges ahead.
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The Book of Love (Dr. Hakim) is annoying. We all know it. He’s loud, his accent is everywhere, and he won’t stop thrusting. But listen to his specific advice. He usually hides a hint about the upcoming mechanic in his rambling dialogue. If he mentions "rhythm," prepare for a timing-based puzzle. If he talks about "perspective," get ready for a 3D-to-2D shift.
The Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about Cutie the Elephant. It is one of the most traumatizing moments in modern gaming. It’s a sharp tonal shift that catches people off guard. From a gameplay perspective, this isn't a "how-to" tip, but a psychological one: just get through it. It’s the game’s way of showing the desperation of the characters. Don't let it sour the experience; the levels that follow (the attic and the symphony) are some of the most visually stunning environments ever put in a video game.
Actionable Steps for Your Playthrough
If you want to finish this game without a headache, follow these specific beats:
- Switch Roles Periodically: If you’re stuck on a puzzle for more than 15 minutes, swap controllers (if playing locally) or swap characters. Sometimes a fresh perspective on the same puzzle is all you need. Cody’s view is fundamentally different from May’s.
- Look Up: Hazelight loves verticality. If you're lost, the solution is almost never on the floor. Look for yellow paint—it’s the universal gaming sign for "climb here," but in It Takes Two, it’s often hidden behind a breakable object.
- Adjust Your Sensitivity: The flying sections (especially the owls and the planes) have very high default sensitivity. If you're crashing constantly, go into the settings and dial it back to 4 or 5. It makes the precision flying in the late game much more manageable.
- Prioritize the Garden: The Garden chapter is widely considered the hardest in terms of combat. Cody needs to master the "tether" mechanic early. If he isn't pulling enemies toward him, May can't finish them off.
- Use the Environment for Speed: You can "slide" on almost any inclined surface to gain speed. Use this during the clocktower escape to stay ahead of the rising hazards.
This It Takes Two guide is meant to keep you moving, but don't rush. The game is about the journey of these two flawed people. If you rush to the end, you miss the tiny details—like the way the toys in the bedroom react to your presence or the hidden "A Way Out" easter egg.
Take your time. Talk to each other. And for heaven's sake, Cody, jump on three. Not on two, not after three. On three.