Hazelight, developer of the 2018 co-op adventure A Way Out, recently shared a first look at It Takes Two, a cooperative platformer published by EA and coming to PC and consoles in early 2021. It Takes Two appears to build on the narrative-driven co-op nature of A Way Out. As such, fans who love playing with friends will want to know more about It Takes Two’s story, gameplay, and release date.

Most of the best co-op video games focus more on repeatable challenges than cinematic storytelling or one-off campaigns, making A Way Out a relatively unique experience. The narrative-driven adventure follows two prisoners, Leo and Vincent, as they attempt to escape captivity. And unlike many drama-focused games, it requires two players to progress.

It Takes Two is a lighter offering than Hazelight’s previous projects, replacing A Way Out’s ephemeral protagonists with a pair of tiny dolls. But the games seem fundamentally similar, as It Takes Two again offers diverse gameplay, tells a central story, and is a purely co-op experience.

It Takes Two Release Date & Friend’s Pass

It Takes Two is set to be released on March 26, 2021, for current and previous generation Xbox and PlayStation consoles, as well as PC. A Nintendo Switch version is not currently planned. Despite the console’s inherent focus on cooperative mode, Hazelight previously explained in a Reddit AMA that A Way Out may not be coming to the system because it requires both players to control the camera, which makes it impossible (at least in part) to play in a shared two-player mode with one Joy-Con controller. As with the Switch’s relative weakness, this could be why It Takes Two was not released on the Switch, although it’s theoretically possible that a Switch version could be distributed via cloud streaming.

Players who purchase It Takes Two will automatically receive an It Takes Two Friend Pass, which will allow those who don’t own the game to play online with owners for free. You can only invite one friend at a time, but the game owner can use the same Friend Pass with multiple friends consecutively. For more information on Friend Passes, see the official Hazelight FAQ.

It Takes Two Story

It Takes Two follows Cody and May, a human couple who are transformed into doll bodies by a magic spell. Tasked with repairing their broken relationship in a new, fantastical alternate reality created by a love guru named Dr. Hakim, the quirky setting is sure to provide some tender moments.

It Takes Two Gameplay

Like A Way Out’s story-based challenges and mini-games, It Takes Two’s gameplay seems to rely on variety. In addition to traditional platform gameplay, It Takes Two’s reveal trailer shows Cody and May piloting vehicles (bobs, rockets, and even frogs), using weapons and tools from a third-person perspective, and more. All takes place in beautiful environments that look like the yarn-filled levels of LittleBigPlanet, only blown away by the more immersive and expansive spaces.