It Takes Two was unquestionably one of the best games of 2021. Coming at a time when the world needed co-op games that could bring people together more than ever, the game blended familiar and unique elements to consistently create puzzles and missions that needed both players to be completed.
Players have been grabbing friends and settling down to It Takes Two ever since it was released, but in all that time there are still many secrets that only a few eagle-eyed players will have spotted while traversing the many levels of the game as either Cody or May. Now that the game is coming to the Switch, players should keep an eye out for these secrets.
6 Rainbow Road
At the beginning of the Turn-Up section, there is a room that even Cody will note looks very familiar to him. This room is brightly colored and has a track that is irritatingly easy to fall off of. This track is a reference to the infamously annoying Rainbow Road track from Mario Kart. The best part of this is what happens if players fall off the track.
In Mario Kart, players that fall off the track on Rainbow Road will be lifted back onto it by Lakitu. In It Takes Two, Dr. Hakim takes on this role and performs the same task if players fall off the track. Not only is this a humorous reference to a great piece of gaming history, but Hakim lifts players back onto the track just as annoyingly slowly as Lakitu does in Mario Kart.
5 A Way Out
One of the most beloved but well-hidden Easter Eggs in It Takes Two is found in a room inside the Pillow Fort. After the mini-game with the Tank Brothers, there are two paths and the upper one leads to a room with two statues in it. If players are unsure of the identities of these two, they are the main characters of Hazelight Studios' previous co-op gameA Way Out.
Vincent and Leo have their trademark personalities and can be made to speak by pounding on the buttons in front of their statues. They will have an interaction where Leo threatens to attack Vincent, but is reminded that he is a doll and can’t get near him. There are other familiar lines and throwbacks to the pair's adventures in A Way Out which can be heard in this hilarious addition to the game.
4 Ocarina Of Time
This is as brazen as the team behind It Takes Two can get about adding an Easter Egg referencing one of the most famous video games of all time. In the Cuckoo Clock level of the game, there is a secret room that is an almost exact recreation of the Hylian guardhouse from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. And equally strange but hilarious is that players can unlock an achievement in the game by entering this room.
The achievement is just as cheekily named as the room is designed. The name of the achievement is Force Triangulated. Cody and May are able to break the pots inside the room, which they greatly relish doing, and collect emeralds that can be found inside just like Link commonly goes about doing in Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time.
3 The Game Awards Speech
Many die-hard gaming fans will remember a speech made by Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares at the game awards in 2017 where he said “f*** the Oscars.” This speech can be found in the space level of It Takes Two in what is perhaps the strangest and most wonderfully self-referential Easter Egg that the developers could have included.
Players have to rotate a satellite at one point in the space level of It Takes Two, but if they just rotate the satellite around completely and point at a certain point in the sky instead, they will begin to hear the speech given by Fares where he spoke about how video gaming is the best art medium. This impassioned speech is a memorable part of gaming history and is another hilariously strange inclusion in It Takes Two.
2 The Pirate’s Treasure
While not a reference to any particular property, the ice level of It Takes Two features an interesting Easter Egg. The icy area has several secrets, such as an ice skating mini-game and an achievement that can be unlocked by harpooning a swordfish.
However, if players board and explore the pirate ship which can be found in the level, they will be able to find a chest filled with gold. This unlocks another achievement called “Terror of the Seven Seas,” which is another fun unlockable for players looking to complete and see every aspect of the game possible.
1 The Helltower Reward
Players may have begun climbing the Helltower in the Cuckoo Clock level only to feel relieved when they realize that this mini-game is completely optional. The platforming challenges through It Takes Two aren’t usually too difficult, and when added to the kindly checkpoint system, it becomes a generally pleasant journey.
The Helltower is the most annoying section of the game, and most players will likely avoid it as an (almost) pointless and unnecessary challenge. However, for players who reach the top of the tower, there is some fathom of reward. There is a fireworks show, in addition to an achievement called “Platforming Prodigy” for anyone brave enough to find their way to the top.