Are you one of the millions of people who fell in love with the instant co-op classic It Takes Two? You’re not alone. This 2021 Game of the Year was a smashing success when it came out and has sold more than 7 million copies to date. Of course, part of the appeal is the fact that you get to play the game with someone else.
If you’ve gone on this fun narrative adventure to rekindle a couple’s relationship, then you know how absolutely engrossing the game happens to be. Unfortunately, it’s fairly short and that’s left a lot of gamers wanting more. Fortunately, there are a number of games out there with two-player co-op that can get you right back into that cooperative spirit.
Let’s go through eight of them.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
I have some good news for It Takes Two lovers. The studio responsible for it made a few other games, with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons being the first. This game also follows the story of two people trying to solve a common goal, but this time it’s two brothers who want to cure their dad’s illness.
They live in a world full of trolls and orcs and they need to work cooperatively to progress. It’s not quite multiplayer per se – you control one brother with the left stick of the controller and the other with the right. You need to guide both brothers past puzzles and obstacles, and when one dies you go back to a checkpoint.
There’s also a multiplayer version of the game but that’s only on the Nintendo Switch. If you have one, you’re in luck. Otherwise, you can take turns with someone to try and figure things out. One of the brothers is stronger and can do things like pull levers and boost his smaller brother to high places.
The other brother can slip through tight spaces. Sometimes one brother has to distract a monster while the other one sneaks by. Regardless, the meat of this game is the narrative. Like It Takes Two, it’s an emotional story that unfolds with various surprises along the way. The dialogue is a fictional language based on Arabic, so most of the story is told through gestures, actions, and expressions.
A Way Out
After the success of Brothers, head developer Josef Fares created Hazelight Studios and partnered with Electronic Arts for his next game: A Way Out. Just like It Takes Two, there’s no one-player option. It can be played either locally or online with a stranger or friend.
The game was specifically designed for split screen and sometimes one player will be playing while the other watches a cutscene. The game follows prisoners Leo and Vincent as they escape from prison and help each other avoid capture. You’ll perform tasks that are exciting and some that are a bit more mundane.
The story’s told in flashbacks, with the two convicts on a plane. Once the story catches up we move forward from there into an amazing conclusion that will surprise you and I won’t spoil. It lasts about six hours and there are a lot of cutscenes to watch, most of which are extremely well done.
The two convicts both have their own personalities – Leo being the more violent one and Vincent with more of a silver tongue, which he uses to get out of predicaments. The game’s basically a collection of mini-games that let you drive, shoot, play darts, arm wrestle, punch, sneak and choke out bad guys and it’s all a blast. At one point you’re even playing baseball.
The story is also incredible, and there are times when the writing is so good you feel like you’re one of the characters. It’s a little short, but definitely worth the journey.
Portal 2
You’ve played Portal, right? Seriously if you haven’t stopped everything you’re doing and go play it right now. Thank me later. You’re back? Okay now go play Portal 2 and marvel at the fact that it’s somehow better. Phew. Now that you’re all caught up it’s time for great news: there’s a co-op-only mode in the game.
That’s right. There’s a whole self-contained story involving two new robots and it picks up right where the single-player game leaves off. It’s weirdly almost better than the story. Seriously, it has no business being this good. Because there are two robots, there are now four portals available and developer Valve takes full advantage of this.
The puzzles are more complicated and require more coordination than the single-player ones. You also can’t just sit around and let your partner handle everything – it becomes very clear very quickly how much cooperation is necessary.
One of the more cohesive additions is communication, which is paramount when playing with strangers. Valve gives you the ability to set markers around the room to show your partner where to shoot a portal, something that will be increasingly helpful in the more complicated, later levels.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury
The original Super Mario 3D World came out in 2013 for the Nintendo Wii U, a console that didn’t quite sell as much as its predecessor the Wii, or its successor the Switch. It was a marvel of a game that allowed for four people to play at once.
Between both versions, however, more than 15 million units have been sold. Sure it’s Nintendo but you don’t move those kinds of numbers unless you have something really special, and this is really special. You can play as Mario, Luigi, Toad, or Princess in this 3D jump fest that takes old Mario tropes and puts them on their head.
The multiplayer is hectic and requires some communication, but it’s also just fun to go for it and see what happens. Honestly, it’s easier with two people than four but four needs to be experienced at least once in life. While not as freewheeling as say, Super Mario Galaxy, this one is still a blast.
Unravel 2
Another fun platformer that can be played alone but is more fun with someone else, Unravel Two actually has a lot in common with It Takes Two in a lot of ways.
Your character Yarny can jump, climb, lasso and rappel all while trying to reach a level’s destination. What’s really fun is the addition of anchor points. Either character can act as an “anchor” to the other to allow for the crossing of gaps and other obstacles.
It’s fun to do alone and requires concentration but it gets hilarious with two people, mostly because of the precise timing required to get things done correctly. You’re going to get frustrated at first but once you get the hang of it things get a lot more fun. There’s a lot of planning necessary but the satisfaction of getting it right makes it worth it.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby’s been in his fair share of games over the years, but the Forgotten Land takes everything and dumps it in the river (in a good way). It’s a brand new take on everyone’s favorite anthropomorphic pink circle and it comes with a wonderfully laid-back co-op mode that’ll keep you busy for hours.
The co-op is unlocked when Kirby finds Elfillin, a little flying creature, and Bandana Waddle Dee (the second player). Waddle Dee can’t suck up enemies but he can fight with a spear and use Kirby’s evolved abilities. One of the more annoying things about the co-op is when Kirby uses mouthful mode and turns into an object like a car or a safety cone and player two has to simply hang out while this is happening.
It doesn’t ruin the game at all but there are going to be some moments of downtime. The levels are huge and get more challenging as they go on so the addition of co-op is actually a huge help. It’s one of the better co-op experiences around.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
For players of a certain age, this is a fast-paced fun romp through childhood. Everything is here: the retro graphics, the callbacks, and those classic TMNT enemies. Also, you can play as Splinter, April O’Neil, and Casey Jones. Be warned, this is a beat-em-up game so those looking for an emotional, nuanced experience aren’t going to find it here.
What you will find is heart-thumping arcade action that mimics the glory days of arcades back when people went to malls and rented movies from Blockbuster. This is a game that is fun playing solo but much, much more fun when playing with friends.
There are sixteen bone-crunching levels to work through with nods to a number of TMNT games from the past. If you want simple, mindless fun, this is your game.
As Dusk Falls
This one plays almost more like a movie than a game, but it has such a cool interactive component that it would be a shame to not put it on this list. Dusk Falls is an interactive drama that deals with family issues, kind of like in It Takes Two.
It’s actually a masterwork in storytelling and will keep you engrossed despite the fact that you’re mainly just making choices. You can play it alone but you can also play it with up to 8 people, making it a real party game. Dusk Falls is full of difficult votes, and allowing other people to chime in on which one to choose really gives it a unique quality.
It’s also insanely replayable, with chances of seeing everything the first time through being basically impossible. If you want something different, then this one’s for you.
Published: Jan 1, 2023 06:25 pm