So my wife and I used to play a lot more relaxing couch co-op games than we have recently. We started playing games like Overcooked, but ended up too much on edge. So It Takes Two seemed like it'd be a good fit for us to just chill and play a game together.

And I have some mixed feelings about the game. Much of the platforming is good and it mixes things up with new abilities and it doesn't overstay it's welcome.

Plus there's little mini-games and distractions around the place that allow you to goof off. It was always good to be able to go the wrong way and find something interesting.

The voice acting is good (apart from the book), but there are occasional prompts from the characters that come far too early. In some cases the cut scene ends we go towards what needs to be done and the character explains what needs to be done. Like yeah, give me a chance. Other times the dialogue seems aware of itself and one character would respond with exactly what we were saying.

I guess it's the story that grates. You play as Cody and May who tell their young daughter Rose that they're getting divorced. Rose asks a book about relationships to make her parents love each other again and magically the parents are transferred into the bodies of two toys. The book, who is the most annoying character in our tale, comes to life to coach Cody and May through their issues. OK good premise.

So let's get down to the worst bit of the game from a story point of view. Cody and May have decided that because Rose cast the spell (somehow) that they need to get to her to get changed back. So they finally get to her and they yell and scream but she can't see them. She's written a letter and May kicks the eraser and Rose sees it move. And at this point my wife and I go "use the pencil to write something!"

But the characters instead go "Let's destroy something she loves so she cries on us and reverses the spell". And then they do that. What great parents. It really feels like they added this to pad the game out because in the end it's a useless diversion and it's the only time that the book is not guiding them.

Anyway, I was hoping that the story would lead down a path of "Yes you two shouldn't be married, but that doesn't mean that you need to hate each other. Get divorced, but do it in an amicable way." But no... they stay married. I can't help but feel like that couple that goes on holiday and think that they're relationship is now fine and perfect and it goes bad a year later.

Rose herself is a bit of a nothing as well. I'd worry that if my parents were basically in a comatose state and would probably call an ambulance, but I guess that goes to how they treat the kid in the first place?

Maybe I'm bringing too much to this game that isn't there, but I wonder how the game would play out with a different theme. Divorced of the divorce them, would I treat it any differently? I don't know.

TL:DR Fun game for couch co-op, but didn't enjoy the story.