Before playing It Takes Two, neither Zack nor Hannah had ever imagined such a large-scale co-op game.
After playing for an entire day, it felt like they had only experienced about half of it.
And even in the later parts of the story, It Takes Two still kept up its earlier brilliance.
The cutie scene, while reducing some of the earlier joy, added a bit of weight to the journey.
But soon, the two were drawn in again by even cooler levels and powers.
In the cuckoo clock scene, May and Cody once again got two strange abilities.
Cody could control time, restoring destroyed things.
May could create a double of herself.
Just like the earlier levels, every spot required them to use their unique powers.
This scene also had plenty of stunning moments, like soaring through the sky on the back of a bird, which left a deep impression on both of them.
But during this part of the journey, Zack and Hannah also noticed something different.
Cody and May were working together more smoothly and becoming a bit closer.
Especially at the end of the level when the clock exploded — Cody used time reversal to help May escape, perfectly showing their teamwork.
That parkour section felt just like a sci-fi blockbuster — tense and exciting.
The moment they crashed into each other, and later when Rose happily looked at the fixed cuckoo clock, helped Zack and Hannah shake off some of the gloom from the cutie scene and made them even more curious about what would happen next.
After the cuckoo clock, it was back to the loud and dramatic "love expert" Dr. Hakim.
Under his lead, Cody and May arrived at the next stage — Snow Globe.
In this level, the tool they had was a magnet split into two halves.
They had to use the idea of like poles repelling and opposite poles attracting to get past the challenge.
But this time, things were different.
After the dangerous adventure in the cuckoo clock, Cody and May's relationship seemed to have eased a little.
Inside the snow globe, they even started to look back on the past.
In front of a tree with a saw stuck in it, old memories came flooding back.
"Oh, look! A saw!"
"Hey, remember our first Christmas with Rose?"
"You mean the year when all the Christmas trees were sold out?"
"Yeah!"
"And we snuck into the woods."
"To cut down a tree?"
"I was sure we were going to get caught."
During their journey, the two of them chatted about the old days.
Along the way, they came across a dead, silent little town, frozen under layers of snow and ice.
Dr. Hakim told them they needed to ring the bell to bring the town back to life.
The game didn't say it outright, but Zack and Hannah, who were playing, understood the meaning behind it.
It was clear that this was a metaphor for Cody and May's frozen hearts.
During this part of the game, May and Cody talked about their past.
"This is where we got engaged. I was so nervous back then."
"I know, that's what made it so special."
"Really?"
"You forgot the entire speech you prepared."
"That had to be the worst proposal in history."
"No, I didn't care what you said, I cared about how you acted. You didn't try to hide your fear. That was brave."
Just like the frozen, lifeless town was brought back by the sound of the bell, their feelings seemed to be slowly mending too.
The town, the clock tower, the underwater candy factory—each place had its own charm and clever puzzles.
Eventually, the two of them found themselves reminiscing about everything they'd been through.
"Finally, we can take a break."
"Yeah, we earned it."
"Definitely!"
"Totally!"
"You know, since Rose was born, we've never taken a vacation."
"It's been that long!?"
"Yeah, why didn't we ever go skiing together?"
"Well… back then, Rose was just born, and the family's expenses went up."
The two chatted while riding the cable car, and in this stage, the players could really feel the warmth between them.
When the cable car reached the bottom, Cody and May started racing each other down an icy slope.
Two back-to-back thrilling ski runs gave Zack and Hannah a real rush.
Then Dr. Hakim showed up again, and this time, the magnets they carried could actually attract each other.
This was no longer a hint—it was almost spelled out.
In front of the screen, Zack and Hannah thought back to all the earlier themed areas, realizing that none of them had been pointless.
The shed and the tree had simply introduced the story and helped players learn the game's mechanics.
The angry vacuum cleaner and the squirrel-and-bee battles subtly showed the struggles of married life.
Once they reached Rose's room, the game truly entered its most dramatic stage.
The couple mistakenly believed that Rose's tears were what turned them into dolls.
While trying to destroy her toys to make her cry again, a space toy monkey appeared to stop them.
Parents trying to make their child sad, while a toy tried to protect her—this sharp, almost cutting bit of storytelling dove deep into the parent-child relationship.
And later, when they broke the elephant toy, it pushed the game's conflict to its peak: they had never truly cared about their child's feelings.
But from that moment on, the game's tone began to shift.
The cuckoo clock stands for time. Faced with the chores and daily grind of life, will they give each other enough time together?
The snow globe stands for attraction.
What was it that brought them together in the first place?
After clearing the snow globe stage, the two of them stand there talking about the past, clearly showing they care about each other again.
Outside the snow globe, their daughter Rose sees it glowing again, and some of the gloom in her heart lifts.
By this point, Zack and Hannah also realize the game is probably close to the end.
And that's exactly the case.
Next comes the garden, filled with new tools and very fun levels.
There are also more fun mini-games to play here.
But aside from the enjoyable teamwork, Zack and Hannah are now also drawn in by the story.
The purple mist, withered branches, and broken ruins in the garden all show that it's an abandoned, forgotten place.
This used to be the place Cody cared about most.
After beating the boss, the purple mist fades, green plants sprout again, and tiny yellow lights float in the air, bringing the garden back to life.
The once-withered Joey comes back to life, symbolizing Cody's passion returning.
"I'm sorry… I didn't know how important this was to you back then, Cody. Now… I understand," May says as she looks at Joey in bloom again.
But Joey instead comforts May.
"Cody giving up gardening wasn't your fault."
"Cody, no one can take away your dream except you. Are you going to give it up again?"
From this talk with Joey, Cody realizes that no one can take away his dream.
It all depends on his own choice.
Love is what drives people to discipline themselves, and with love, they'll take the initiative to solve problems.
In the final scene, Dr. Hakim leads Cody and May up to the attic.
The last theme is music, which was once May's dream.
Drums and singing become Cody and May's special abilities for this stage.
Working together and with Dr. Hakim's help, they find the speakers, microphone, and lights, defeat the flying monster, and rescue the orchestra. Most of the concert preparations are done — now they just need a rehearsal and an audience.
By heading to the disco, Cody and May find the audience for their concert — a crowd of glow sticks.
After all that, a one-of-a-kind concert begins with countless glow sticks watching.
From backstage, May slowly walks onto the stage.
She overcomes her worries, stands on stage, and sings her heart out.
With May's music, the fireworks, and the cheers from the glow sticks, Cody and May float above the stage, holding each other close in a deep kiss.
This moment shows their once-broken relationship finally coming together again.
This time, in their doll forms, they finally find the real way to turn back.
May wakes up on the sofa, and Cody wakes up on the table.
As Cody and May found their love again through all their trials, their daughter Rose was also trying to save her parents' love.
In her young mind, she thought their fights were because of her, so she decided to leave so they could be friends again.
Of course, in the end, Cody and May find Rose.
At the train station, the three of them walk home hand in hand.
The game ends here, but the ending credits give players a nice surprise.
The fixed vacuum cleaner, the tidy toolbox, the space monkey put back in place, the cleaned-up garden with flowers in bloom, the repaired Cutie, the cuckoo clock on the wall, the snow globe on the table, the record player playing music, and the Book of Love sitting alone on the shelf — all bring a smile.
Seeing all this, Zack and Hannah both smile.
"This is probably the most fun co-op game I've ever played," Zack says with feeling.
Hannah nods. "Take away the word 'probably'!"
(End of The Chapter)
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