May and Cody are playing an arcade game against each other. Image/Electronic Arts/TNS
By: Christopher Machine, Reporter
The 2021 Game Awards recognized the hard work of game developers had their hard work recognized and one game managed to shine through and be named the best game of the year, “It Takes Two.”
Released on Mar. 26, 2021, the game follows the story of a divorcing couple who were accidentally transformed into dolls by their daughter. Follow our protagonists Cody and May as they try to reclaim their bodies in the cooperative, puzzle-solving, platforming adventure game of 2021 that players can access on Playstation and Xbox consoles as well as PC.
Nathan Grayson of the “Washington Post’’ reported that while accepting the award, “It Takes Two’s” director, Joseph Fares said “If you don’t have children, go get them.”
In a post-awards interview with the “Washington Post,’’ Fares showed off his toddler daughter, Mio Fares and said that he attributed the success of “It Takes Two” to Mio, relating having children to being a “wild ride.”
Beware, as this game is only playable with another person, and there is no online matchmaking to speak of. However, there are various sources to find friends outside of the game’s matchmaking, or lack thereof. Social media platform Reddit brings together various enjoyers of the game, and often have many potential new friends looking for someone to play with them in their subreddit, r/ItTakesTwo. While forced cooperative might be seen as a deal-breaker for most games, It Takes Two makes up for it’s flaws by allowing two players to play with only one copy of the game purchased, even if there is only one copy of the game purchased!
This means that so long as you are willing to make a new friend online and play with them, you could complete the game in its entirety for free! Adam Bankhurst, from ign.com, listed the trio of awards that “It Takes Two” won.
On top of Best Game, “It Takes Two” managed to also receive an award for the best family game, managing to come out on top against 4 different Nintendo games. “It Takes Two” also received the award for best multiplayer game, undoubtedly due to the game’s core focus being multiplayer.
“It Takes Two” is the second game to be produced by Hazelight studios, and in concept seems to follow its predecessor “A Way Out” for being a completely cooperative game focusing on the journey of two individuals. “A Way Out” was released in 2018, and follows the tale of Vincent and Leo, two prison inmates who unite to attempt to escape prison, and what mischief they find themselves in once they escape.
According to imdb.com, “A Way Out” also managed to win an award in the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for Best Multiplayer.