Reasons It Takes Two Still Feels Like the Gold Standard for Co-Op Games Years Later

If there's one claim I'm willing to make about video games over the last decade, it's that Hazelight Studios has solidified themselves as the masters of the modern co-op genre. Sure, there's not exactly a shortage of great multiplayer experiences in 2026, but it's very rare for one to rise to the lofty standards set by Josef Fares and crew.

Plus, co-op gaming (in the case of how Hazelight presents it) really isn't just "multiplayer." This brand of co-op is strictly two-player, can be performed in its entirety on a couch, and really leans as hard as possible into the "cooperative" aspect of the name of the genre.

If I could go one step further with this potentially bold claim, I'd also tell you that the former GotY-winning It Takes Two is the best game Hazelight has ever produced, despite how excellent Split Fiction also was in 2025. That's why it's high time we reflect on why It Takes Two is still the Gold Standard when it comes to co-op video game experiences.

6 Insane Levels of Creativity

Bad News for Elephants, Though

Pound for pound, when it comes down to judging design creativity in a co-op video game, the two choices really are between It Takes Two and Split Fiction. While the Side Stories of Split Fiction (the result of company-wide game jam sessions) are absolutely insane and wildly creative, there's still just something about It Takes Two that hits a little differently.

Whether it's fighting alongside squirrels inside a tree, feeding seals inside a snow globe, or lounging in a spa run by bugs in the garden, It Takes Two just feels like magic.

This creativity also extends in some heinously upsetting directions as well, such as the scene with Cutie the Elephant. But I'm not sure if I'm ready to talk about that one yet.

5 Humor that Hits Much More than Misses

This is a Pro-Dr. Hakim Household

I've also yet to play another two-player co-op game that's as consistently, laugh-out-loud funny as It Takes Two. Yeah, Portal 2 is full of great humor too, and even Split Fiction has its moments. Still, I'm picking It Takes Two in the laugh department as well.

One of the main sources of the giggles comes consistently from Dr. Hakim, the book of love that's come to life in order help main characters May and Cody work through their failing relationship. Every scene he's in is hilarious and consistently showstopping.

I've heard there's actually a decently large group of gamers that think Dr. Hakim is a bad character, but I simply choose not to hear it. He helps elevate It Takes Two to the top of the genre in this cateogry easily.

4 Visuals Still Full of Wonder

May and Cody's House is Alive

Originally released in 2021, It Takes Two isn't technically the most graphically impressive game in the world anymore. In fact (and sorry for the constant comparisons, but they make sense), Split Fiction quite clearly looks substantially "better" in terms of straight-up graphical fidelity. I, however, believe in style and design over fidelity any day of the week.

This is where It Takes Two continues to outshine any other co-op video game to this day, and it's in large part to the story that allowed the art team to go as hard as they did here. Shrunk down to the size of their daughter Rose's toys, May and Cody find themselves in various locations around/inside their property that now have incredible proportions.

It's all a bit Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, and it translates to a nonstop visual feast that my playing partner and I would simply stop and stare at half the time we were playing the game. The attention to detail is second to none, and makes It Takes Two still the coolest-looking co-op game on the market.

3 An Insane Emotional Core

Not a Heartstring Un-Tugged

Even aside from the actual subject matter of the game (which we'll get to momentarily), It Takes Two has such a strong emotional core at its foundation that it's going to be a tall task for any other co-op game to ever come close. Split Fiction tried, but the story of Mio and Zoe was a bit too specific and arguably self-serving to resonate as deeply as the emotions throughout It Takes Two.

Themes of identity, family, chasing (or giving up) your dreams, and so much more are the backbone of It Takes Two, and you feel this emotion in every single chapter of the game. This also manifests in things like nostalgia for how life/the world used to be, as well as fears/hopes for the future and what's to come.

Bottom line, the writing here is a masterclass, and It Takes Two is in a league of its own here.

2 Ever-Relevant Subject Matter

We've All Been There in Some Way

Then, of course, there's the actual story itself of It Takes Two, which focuses around May and Cody navigating a marriage that seems destined for divorce. They also share a child, which amplifies the seriousness of the story tenfold.

Of course, not everyone has gone through a literal divorce, but that doesn't mean that the journey of a once flourishing, now completely falling apart romantic relationship is any less relatable. Most people have been there, and they can see themselves in either May, Cody, or a combination of the two throughout the game.

Maybe there wasn't a child to consider, but perhaps there was a pet in the mix. Whatever your personal relatable situation may be, romantic love and loss is a near-universal experience, and It Takes Two uses this to its advantage tremendously.

1 Worth Replaying

See Both Perspectives

At the end of the day, there really are a lot of co-op experiences out there that are worth your time, and I've become a big fan of them in recent years. Still, sometimes these games are so tailored to one single experience, that you'll ultimately only ever play them once, enjoy them, and then never come back to them again.

This is where It Takes Two is perhaps the most brilliant of all. Yes, you're going through the entire game with your same playing partner and ultimately working towards the same goals, but May and Cody also consistently have vastly different movesets, powers, and abilities in every single chapter of the game.

This means you can play through the entire game once as Cody, then run it back for Round 2 and control May the next time around. Both playthroughs will be vastly different, which really speaks volumes to just how well-designed and special It Takes Two is all these years later.