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 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 players wanting solo play, deep challenge, a universally loved story, or the best visual version on Switch.
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.
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in platforming precision, monetization fairness, camera behavior, below average in character development, protagonist appeal.
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| character development | 2.0 | 4.0 | -2.0 |
| platforming precision | 5.0 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| monetization fairness | 5.0 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| camera behavior | 4.5 | 3.1 | +1.4 |
| checkpoint system | 5.0 | 3.6 | +1.4 |
| protagonist appeal | 2.6 | 3.9 | -1.3 |
| puzzle design | 5.0 | 3.6 | +1.4 |
| learning curve | 4.7 | 3.5 | +1.2 |
No. The review evidence consistently describes it as co-op-only and built around two human players working together.
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.
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.
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.
Not always. Reviewers note teen-rated language, mature divorce themes, and moments that may be too mature or challenging for younger children.
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.
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Choose The Last of Us Part II Remastered. It scores 5.0 vs 2.0 for character development, with a 4.2 overall score.
Choose Hades II. It scores 5.0 vs 2.4 for dialogue quality, with a 4.5 overall score.
Choose Resident Evil Requiem. It scores 5.0 vs 2.6 for protagonist appeal, with a 4.4 overall score.
Choose Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. It scores 5.0 vs 3.0 for age appropriateness, with a 4.1 overall score.
Good if you want fast, tactical roguelite combat with huge progression depth, striking art, and standout music. Skip it if repetition, resource micromanagement, or a less emotionally satisfying sequel story...
Pros: skill tree depth, dialogue quality
Cons: emotional impact, economy and resource balance
Best for joyful destruction, dense exploration, and a charming DK-Pauline adventure. Skip it if camera quirks, frame-rate dips, easy bosses, or premium Switch 2 pricing are dealbreakers.
Pros: gameplay mechanics, world interactivity
Cons: economy and resource balance, enemy variety
Best 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.
Pros: core gameplay loop, movement feel
Cons: character development, dialogue quality
Best for tense Grace-led horror, slick Leon action, and lavish franchise callbacks. Skip it if you want a bolder reinvention, evenly mixed pacing, or substantial post-game modes.
Pros: driving mechanics, protagonist appeal
Cons: platform-specific feature support, checkpoint system