Hey, Josef Fares here, and I’m the Founder and Creative Director of Hazelight.
Everyone here at the studio is really excited to show off what we’ve worked so hard to finally reveal. Our new game, It Takes Two, is a co-op platform adventure that will blow your mind, and it arrives on PS4 and PS5 on March 26, 2021.
After the success of A Way Out, we really wanted to make another cooperative game. I think cooperative games are very underrated for telling strong stories. There is so much to explore, especially from a narrative perspective. When you watch a movie or go to the theater, doing it together is always more fun.
We also saw this in A Way Out and it will be an even stronger experience in It Takes Two, so it’s something we’re super excited for.
As with A Way Out, we will have the Friend’s Pass. This means that you will only have to buy the game once and your friends can join it for free. If you buy a game created for co-op, it is only fair that your friends can play it with you, without having to buy it for themselves. There’s a whole page about it on EA’s official website, so Check it out
It Takes Two is literally a romantic comedy, which is not so common in video games. It is about a small family, a little girl, Rose, the father Cody and the mother May. Cody and May are about to go their separate ways. Rose is devastated of course, so she creates these two dolls representing her parents who magically come to life in this fantastic world. You and a friend will play the game as doll versions of Cody and May, and you’ll go through a lot of weird and messy things from there.
I think people will be surprised at how touching and hilarious the story is and how it turns out. We also have this very crazy book character in the story, Dr. Hakim, who is kind of a love guru, and will try to put Cody and May’s relationship back together by throwing them into a lot of unexpected situations.
What we really want is for the story to go hand in hand with the gameplay. Narrative-based games generally require less repetitive gameplay and more mechanics that actually fit into the story.
In It Takes Two, there are times when we actually connect Cody and May’s emotions to the gameplay.
It’s hard to explain if you haven’t played it, but it’s really important to us. This is important because you see a lot of games where it’s almost like the designers and the writers are having two different experiences.
Another thing about the gameplay is its great variety, mixing a lot of different game genres. You will be shocked! And the variety isn’t just there for fun. The strain itself is important in keeping her fresh, yes, but then again, she’s actually there to reflect what happens in the story. Our goal is to have players who are willing to complete the game and play 100% and not just 30% – which is often the case.
It Takes Two is going to be a wild roller coaster ride through a lot of emotions. I love to play with the spirit of the players! Make them doubt. But at the end of the day, it’s a love story. I promise you will definitely feel something when you are done with it.