About Characters Nintendo Switch™ PC System Requirements Friend's Pass Media News Merch About Characters Nintendo Switch™ PC System Requirements Friend's Pass Media News Merch Divorce is a pretty serious subject, and the game never really treats it as such. The notion that Cody and May may be fundamentally ill-suited for each other never comes up. Instead, all their fractured relationship needs is for them to just “love each other again”. While the narrative’s frequent tonal whiplash is frustrating, the biggest issue is with a single character: Dr. Hakim. This talking Book of Love is among the most cringe-inducing characters you're likely to encounter in any medium, even outside of video games. Think Jar Jar Binks, but dialed up to 11. I’m not expecting a game in which a bumblebee controls a giant robot wasp queen to be realistic, but I had hoped that it would have a more genuine perspective on marriage and divorce than it ultimately did. I’ve seen firsthand that there can still be affection and love in between the fighting in relationships, but if the fighting, neglect, and other issues still cause unnecessary pain for anyone in that relationship, or especially the couple’s children, biting the bullet on divorce will often cause less long-term pain than the alternative of staying in an unhealthy family environment. Used to have a green thumb? We’ve got some serious gardening ahead of us. Or did you stop singing because you “grew up”? Let’s put on a show, baby! Lesson number three: Attraction!

In It Takes Two, the plot matches the gameplay. As you and your co-op partner solve puzzles, Cody and May start to solve the broken aspects of their relationship. It’s a cute idea, and there’s a lot of whimsy in the tale, but it also rings rather hollow in places. However, on the positive side, 61% of US respondents said that playing video games together has a positive effect on their relationship. Chloe Dubini, EA Originals Brand Manager and Marketing Lead, highlighted that ‘compared to passive pastimes like watching TV or streaming services, playing a co-op game like It Takes Two cannot be done without fully engaging in the moment. This creates a dynamic where couples can truly enjoy their time together while unknowingly working on their collaboration and communication skills.’Dear mom and dad, I'm sorry I did this to you, I know how to make everything good again. All you have to do is stop fighting. I know I’m not a perfect daughter. I’m sorry I don’t like to brush my teeth. I’m sorry I read books after bedtime. I’m sorry I don’t put toys up where I should. I know it’s my fault you want a divorce. One of my complaints with the video game industry is that there aren’t many couch co-op games anymore. Yes, I know that the majority of them offer some sort of an online multiplayer experience, but it’s not the same. Personally, I love the option of being able to sit next to my husband or friend on a comfy couch and enjoy going through the experience together. This is one of the reasons why I enjoy the Gears of War franchise so much. Thankfully, we have visionary Josef Fares to help fill the co-op void with titles like Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. Now he and Hazelight Studios have graced us with yet another co-op adventure, It Takes Two, which is their best title yet. Although the ending portion is a sweet moment, there's the reveal of how a little girl like Rose got her hands on Dr. Hakim's self-help "Book of Love": she found at school, in a trash can. This paints a picture that somewhere out there, a teacher bought the book and then threw it out, either because they thought it was too raunchy, too hammy, or both.

Now! It Takes Two comes out March 26, so you will have to wait just a little longer. But as Valentine’s Day is already upon us, I wanted to give you a taste of my Three Lessons to Save a Broken Relationship and how they connect to It Takes Two’s gameplay. What else, besides love, make couples stay together? Mortgage? Kids? No, it’s the attraction of course! It pulls people together. See, attraction is like a magnet. But you need both poles for it to work. North, south. Plus, minus. You, me! The gameplay variety overall is staggering. There’s plenty of puzzle-solving, but there are also several boss encounters, vehicle segments and even a section when the game turns into an isometric dungeon crawler, like Diablo. You’ll never be bored in It Takes Two, as the game is always throwing new ideas at you.

Lesson number two: Passion!

You know, love is like a mountain and you are the river that flows through it. You are like flowers growing on a lush hillside. However! It’s not always sunshine, sweet strawberries and pretty little butterflies out there. I will let you soak up all of that eye-opening wisdom for a bit, but you can already see what I’m getting at, eh? I would like to give special thanks to Josefine Persson who sparked my creativity with some great concept art, our Creative Director Josef Fares who always makes us to step out of our comfort zone and make some truly crazy shit and the animation team that kept pushing the boundaries on what was possible when it came to animating this highly unusual character. It’s not the worst possible way to end things, but it still comes across as anticlimactic and wishy-washy. At the very least, I’m relieved the game sets the positive example of the “we both love you” phrase, which, although a bit cliché, is genuinely helpful to hear and something I wish I would have heard more often than the not-so-subtle jabs at the other parent I’d become more acquainted to. Rose found Dr. Hakim's "Book of Love" in a trashcan at her school. When Rose found out that her parents were getting a divorce, she fled to the shed with two dolls she made of her parents and took out the "Book of Love". Rose would then make a wish for Dr. Hakim to help keep her parents together. Unbeknownst to her, Rose's wish was granted and Dr. Hakim promised to fix May and Cody's relationship. Sure, it has all the platforming standards like running, jumping and ground-pounding switches. But the vast majority of the game's puzzles require you and your companion to work together in harmony.

On the other hand, it’s not as if the concepts introduced by Dr. Hakim aren’t worthwhile. Making time for each other, rekindling attraction and encouraging passions are all healthy and important things for people in any type of relationship to maintain. It’s not unrealistic to think that a failing relationship could benefit or even recover if both people in that relationship make genuine efforts to fix whatever problems are causing it to fail. They’re pretty surface-level observations, but valid ones nonetheless.

Lesson number three: Attraction!

Dr. Hakim’s Three Lessons to Save a Broken Relationship Give each other enough time! Let passion light the path to the purpose of life! Rediscover your lost attraction! In preparation for the Better Together Experience, EA commissioned an online survey to be conducted by market research company OnePoll, taking a sample of 1,850 US and 1,540 UK adults in a relationship. The survey found that: Respondents said they would be willing to give up social media (33%), tasty food (23%), and sleep (21%) to have more time with their partner, and 16% even said they would be willing to sacrifice a limb in return for more quality time with their partner It Takes Two follows a husband and wife, Cody and May, who are on the brink of divorce. When their young daughter overhears their latest row, she escapes to the family’s shed with two small dolls that bear more than a close resemblance to her own parents.