It Takes Two Beginner Tips and Tricks - Co-op Puzzle Guide

It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios, published by Electronic Arts, is a two-player co-op platform adventure about Cody and May, a couple turned into dolls and forced to work together through changing puzzle, platforming, and action challenges.

This guide covers first-playthrough co-op habits. Full chapter walkthroughs, achievement routes, boss guides, minigame lists, and collectibles routes belong in dedicated coverage.

Essential Tips

1. Treat Every Puzzle as a Two-Person Job

If one player is idle, the solution is probably incomplete.

It Takes Two is built around cooperation, not a lead player dragging a second player through the level. When something looks interactable, ask what each character can do to it before repeating the same action.

2. Learn the New Ability Before Rushing Ahead

Each new level can change the rules.

When the game gives Cody or May a new tool, stop and test range, timing, movement, and interaction points. The puzzle usually expects both players to understand their side before the pair can progress cleanly.

3. Talk in Short Calls

Simple callouts beat long explanations during timing sections.

Use clear phrases like “ready,” “now,” “left side,” “hold it,” and “reset.” Long explanations are useful before an attempt; short calls are better once platforms, hazards, or moving objects are active.

4. Watch Your Partner’s Screen

Split-screen is information, not just presentation.

Your partner may see a target, path, switch, or hazard that your camera does not show well. Before assuming a puzzle is stuck, look at both halves of the screen and compare what each player can reach.

5. Let the Asymmetry Guide You

Different tools usually mean different jobs.

If May can interact with one object type and Cody can interact with another, the game is pointing at a paired sequence. Name the jobs out loud: one player sets up, the other triggers; one holds timing, the other crosses.

6. Reset Deliberately

Failed attempts are useful when you change one variable.

After a miss, do not immediately run the same route again. Decide whether the problem was timing, position, target order, or communication, then adjust only that part.

7. Pick the Right Co-op Setup Before a Long Session

Local and online play have different friction points.

Couch co-op is the simplest if both players are in the same room. For online play, confirm who owns the full game, who is hosting, and whether the invited player is using Friend’s Pass before starting.

8. Keep the Host’s Progression in Mind

The host’s save controls where the session can begin.

If one player owns the full game and hosts, plan around that player’s unlocked progress. This matters when returning later, replaying sections, or inviting a different partner.

9. Pause Before Moving On

Forward progress works better when both players are ready.

When an area opens up, make sure both players understand the current ability setup before pushing ahead. It is easier to solve the next sequence when nobody is still catching up.

10. Share Leadership

The stronger player should explain, then wait.

One player may read platforming or puzzle logic faster, but solving everything verbally can drain the fun for the other player. Give the other person time to test their tool and discover their half of the solution.

11. Match Your Pace to the Harder Role

Some sections ask more from one character than the other.

If your partner has the trickier timing or movement, slow down and build the attempt around their cue. The easier role should stabilize the sequence, not rush the finish.

12. Use Breaks After Repeated Timing Fails

Co-op frustration compounds quickly.

If the same jump, switch, or synchronized action fails several times, pause and talk through the order. A thirty-second reset often saves more time than forcing ten rushed attempts.

Co-op Mechanics Tips

1. Identify both jobs first: Say what Cody can do and what May can do before acting.
2. Use one countdown: Pick one player to call timing so both inputs follow the same rhythm.
3. Check both cameras: Look at your partner’s screen when your own view seems unhelpful.
4. Test new tools safely: Learn range, aim, and movement behavior before using a tool under pressure.
5. Agree on reset language: Use a quick word when an attempt has failed so both players stop improvising.

Resource Management

1. Attention: Do not both stare at the same object if the puzzle spans two areas.
2. Positioning: Stay close enough to react, but not so close that both players crowd the same jump or switch.
3. Timing: Decide who gives the cue before starting moving-platform or trigger sequences.
4. Progress: Let the full-game owner host when using Friend’s Pass for the full campaign.
5. Energy: Stop for a short break when communication gets sloppy; the game depends on coordination.

Hidden Mechanics

Mechanic	What It Means	How to Use It
Paired abilities	New levels give connected character tools	Find how one player’s action enables the other
Split-screen awareness	Both viewpoints can reveal puzzle information	Scan your partner’s side before calling a puzzle stuck
Host progression	The host’s save determines available starts	Keep the same host for a consistent playthrough
Friend’s Pass dependency	One full-game owner can invite a partner	Confirm owner, host, and invite setup before playing online
Offline couch co-op	Local co-op can be played without internet	Use it when both players are together and want fewer setup issues
Platform limits	Online compatibility depends on platform rules	Check platform and account requirements before a remote session

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Running ahead while your partner is still learning their new ability.
• Pressing switches or triggers before both players know what changed.
• Watching only your own half of the split-screen.
• Repeating a failed timing sequence without changing the cue.
• Treating one character as the helper instead of solving both roles.
• Crowding the same platform, switch, or target when the puzzle needs spacing.
• Rushing into the next sequence before both players understand the current tools.

Summary

It Takes Two works best when both players slow down, name their jobs, and solve as a pair. Learn each new ability before rushing, use short timing calls, watch both split-screen views, and keep host/Friend’s Pass setup clear before online sessions. Most early frustration comes from communication, not from missing a hidden stat or upgrade.