It Takes Two, the two-player cooperative adventure game from Hazelight Studios, releases in just two days. Yet even before It Takes Two launches, it's already attained an impressive achievement. Pre-release reviews of It Takes Two have already begun to be delivered. In fact, enough reviews have come in that It Takes Two is already being described as the top-rated game released so far in 2021.
As of last measurement, It Takes Two has received very positive reviews as tracked by the two largest meta-review sites online. Metacritic measures It Takes Two's current score as 88%, while OpenCritic measures it as an 88% Top Critic Average with 90% of critics recommending. For the time being, that makes It Takes Two the top-ranked PC game on Metacritic and the top-rated overall game on OpenCritic released in 2021 on both meta platforms.
To be fair to other 2021 releases, it's a very close ranking. Metacritic's top-rated PC games include Hitman 3 just below It Takes Two with an 87 score, with the Nioh 2's complete edition having the same score. On OpenCritic, upcoming release Monster Hunter Rise is also just one point below It Takes Two with a Top Critic Average of 87 and Hitman 3 just below that with an 86. Suffice to say, It Takes Two's average is tenuous at best, but being in first is worth recognizing as something special.
But as noted, while It Takes Two currently has the top placement, it still hasn't been released. It's only been reviewed by outlets who have specifically been chosen to receive an early copy of the game by publisher Electronic Arts. Reviews that come after full launch may have different opinions of the game, or It Takes Two could review more poorly on different platforms. Further, critical reviews don't always line up with user opinion. Some may prefer waiting for user reviews to be available before checking the game out.
For those who aren't familiar, It Takes Two is an adventure game with platforming elements. It's designed for two player co-op, and as such requires two people either locally or online. The premise of the game involves a couple going through relationship problems who are transformed into small dolls and must rekindle the flame, so to speak, to transform back. It's a romantic comedy in a medium where the genre is a rarity.
That the game is being well-received won't surprise anyone familiar with Hazelight Studios. The team previously made A Way Out, and before that game director Josef Fares made Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Both titles were very well-received, and both focused on coordinating two characters to overcome challenges. Needless to say, Hazelight appears to be honing its craft with each release.
It Takes Two releases on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on March 26.
Source: Metacritic, OpenCritic