"This game actually uses split-screen? That's so retro!" Zack said with some surprise.
Split-screen was indeed an old-school design.
Nowadays, in the age of online gaming, multiplayer games rarely require players to share the same screen.
But back when the internet wasn't so developed, that kind of online play simply wasn't possible.
So for two-player games back then, local split-screen was the norm.
The display would be divided in half—one half for Player 1's view and the other for Player 2's.
That's why Zack was a little surprised to see It Takes Two use split-screen.
"I think it's fine. This way I can see your screen too—maybe it'll be needed for some puzzles later?" Hannah said, not thinking much of it.
The two of them kept chatting as they moved forward.
Soon, they came across the first puzzle.
After pulling a lever, instead of lowering the elevator, three fuses inside suddenly grew legs and ran off.
Two of them didn't get far, but the other mischievous fuse ran off completely.
"The fuse actually grew legs and ran!?" Zack stared at the scene in the game, looking amazed.
"What's the big deal? Haven't you read fairy tales as a kid? It's just personification. If books can come alive, a fuse growing legs is nothing. We're made of clay and wood, remember?" Hannah teased from the side.
This fuse-chasing scene was basically a tutorial for the game's basic controls — flipping switches after landing, wall jumps, double jumps, double jump with dash, climbing, sprinting, and so on.
Still, the tutorial gave Zack and Hannah a pretty unique experience, and this was when they really started to see the benefit of split-screen mode.
They could see the other player's screen in real time and watch what they were doing.
If the other person was doing something wrong, they could immediately point it out and explain how to get through.
Without split-screen, they'd have to be in the same spot to figure out what was going on, otherwise it would be hard to know why the other player was stuck.
And with It Takes Two's fairly large playable areas, the split-screen setup felt just right.
The early puzzles were easy, so Hannah and Zack played with lots of laughs, quickly tracking down the runaway fuse and putting it back in place.
The lift launched them up onto a desk, where their daughter was writing a letter.
Just as Cody and May were about to run over and talk to her to find out how to turn back into humans, Dr. Hakim appeared and opened a cabinet door.
Inside was a broken vacuum cleaner.
Faced with Cody and May, the vacuum showed obvious hostility.
It had been ruined because Cody used it to suck up all kinds of junk — apple cores, plastic bottles, and so on.
May claimed she would fix it, but instead just tossed it into a corner and forgot about it.
"Didn't you break your keyboard the same way by spilling Coke into it?" Hannah glanced at Zack after seeing this scene.
"It was an accident… an accident. Anyway, stop talking and watch the cutscene. This is a new level — not the tutorial anymore!" Zack coughed twice, trying to change the subject as the game's view shifted.
Hey, everyone has broken something by accident, right? And he did try to fix it — immediately put it in water, left it in the sun for two days… sadly, the keyboard still didn't make it.
Hannah just curled her lip but kept her focus on the game.
No matter what, the opening had already hooked her curiosity.
Unlike Dark Souls where the main character just grunted their way through, Cody and May actually talked to each other during gameplay based on what was happening.
Through their lines, you could feel the tension in their relationship.
Each thought they were right, and the other was wrong.
From a story perspective, It Takes Two was clearly a classic family drama setup.
Even though they'd just finished the tutorial, between the trailers and what they'd seen so far, Hannah — and most players — could already guess where the story was going.
May and Cody would, with the help of Dr. Hakim — the Book of Love — work together, rediscover their feelings for each other, and reunite as a happy family.
It was a very predictable storyline.
And judging by the dreamy, cartoonish art style, most players didn't expect any major plot twists.
But even so, what they were curious about wasn't the ending — it was the journey to get there.
What kind of challenges would Cody and May face? What obstacles would they overcome together before finally understanding each other?
After being launched away by the vacuum cleaner, the game truly began.
Compared to the tutorial, the puzzles now were a bit more complex.
It was impossible for a player to progress alone.
You had to interact with the map in ways that helped the other player reach certain spots, so both could move forward.
For example, in one section with an air duct, a player could crawl in and get blown out the other end — but they couldn't reach the goal without the other player tilting the duct upward.
And once the player on the other side arrived, they had to press a switch so both could pass the section.
It wasn't just about cooperation — some levels also required precise timing between players.
In one ventilation shaft puzzle, there were three fans: hot air, cold air, and hot air again. One player would jump while the other switched between hot and cold.
With cold air, the player could be lifted and jump again.
With hot air… well, that meant instant death.
Pulling the lever changed the fan temperature.
So this part was all about teamwork and perfect timing.
When one player jumps, the other has to switch the fan's temperature right away.
This is where cooperation and timing really shine.
And with split-screen mode, it's not just Cody and May in the game who need to work together—the two players behind the screens also have to be in perfect sync.
Three updates first, like yesterday I'll keep going tonight, no less than ten thousand words.
(End of The Chapter)
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