It Takes Two

My biggest takeaway from playing It Takes Two is that despite all appearances, it's not a great choice for co-op with a non-gamer. I played through both Overcooked games with my wife so I thought she'd be up for this. But after a few hours, end-capped by major struggles with the giant beetle boss, we agreed that it was too difficult for her to enjoy. It's a shame, too, because the cinematics are top notch and she was enjoying the story.

So I started the game over with another friend, and we both found it to be an enjoyable platformer. The best part is that new mechanics are constantly being introduced. One minute you're exterminating bugs and the next minute you're defying gravity in outer space. It's a continual stream of fresh environments and new challenges. Thankfully, the controls remain relatively consistent; if you have experience with platformers or third-person shooters, you should be able to handle each new challenge with ease.

Because of all the different mechanics, some areas are more fun to play than others. My biggest disappointment was that the final area was one of the weaker ones and didn't climax in a satisfying way. Despite this, the rest of the journey is more than worth a play, and the sheer amount of imagination at work here is impressive. As someone who grew up watching Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves on VHS, I must say this is as close as a game has ever come to recreating that experience.