Really fun! It Takes Two is the kind of game that does a lot of things, and for the most part, does it well. Coming from the same developers of the co-op-only game A Way Out, It Takes Two takes that familiar brand into a more gameplay-oriented experience.

The game at its core is a 3D platformer and builds on top of that by throwing a variety of different gameplay concepts and scenarios built around the co-op experience.

There's a lot of enjoyable platforming sections, and while going through them, you and your friend will be occupied as well with a different gimmick through each chapter of the game. Such gimmicks come in a mixture of different combat methods such as having one player cover enemies and obstacles with a flammable sap that the other player can detonate with their own unique fire projectile.

During sections where it takes a focus on puzzles instead, you get different gimmicks such as the player navigating through an obstacle while another uses a device or ability to help the other player get through things. I found myself just enjoying spitballing ideas and figuring things out with my friends, and on the times we got stuck, it's less on the game being obtuse and just more on us just having moments of hilarious stupidity, which is its own kind of fun.

Optional activities also are peppered throughout the game, with various competitive minigames and moments of exploration to serve as breathers between chapters. If you loved goofing off and playing minigames such as Connect Four in A Way Out, It Takes Two amplifies that idea further in this game.

The game keeps this pacing mostly consistent throughout, and you'll never be doing the same thing twice. However, it does feel like the ideas start to falter towards the end, where the new gimmicks start just feeling like less interesting variations of what you were doing a few hours earlier. The game could have merged and cut out a few things to make the experience tighter and make the last hour less of a slog. Still, for the most part, there's hardly a dull moment throughout the game thanks to just the sheer variety it offers throughout the hours.

Visually, the game looks fantastic. The environment variety alone is great, but the details put into them really show how much work is poured into the game. From experiencing daily household areas as miniature toys to beautiful snowy mountains, green gardens, and even really abstract spaces, it consistently manages to look really good.

The narrative itself unfortunately isn't as compelling as A Way Out, and at best you might find the dialogue passable with a few chuckle-worthy moments, and at worst annoying. Nevertheless, the premise does serve its purpose as a vehicle for the scenarios you go through the game, and it does have a few notable moments, which I won't spoil, but I can say that it's both hilarious and horrifying and can guarantee that it will elicit a reaction.

It isn't a deal-breaker but it would have been interesting to see if they minimized the plot further and just focused on the gameplay parts, as I feel like it is enough to carry the game, and taking out the story won't really impact the main enjoyment of the gameplay itself.

I personally played this twice with two different friends, with the playthrough months apart to keep my experience somewhat fresh, and absolutely enjoyed both playthroughs and had fun rediscovering solutions to the game, alongside finding new stuff I didn't come across on my initial playthrough. It isn't the easiest game to do full replays with considering its long length, though the option for chapter selections and jumping through minigames instantly is a nice way to do bite-sized revisits.

All in all, It Takes Two is a really enjoyable experience, and there is a lot of fun stuff to go through even on just a single playthrough. Like the neat thing with A Way Out, only one of you needs a copy to play the game together. If you're in the mood for a fun co-op experience, It Takes Two will provide a solid experience.