Source basis: this guide is cross-checked from three walkthroughs — VGTimes' full bosses-and-puzzles walkthrough (for the chapter order, the per-chapter ability pairs, the bosses and the few fixed-sequence puzzles), tastn0's 5-star Steam “How to 100%” guide (for the 25 minigames and the hidden achievements), and an ExitLag overview used only for high-level framing — plus the Steam store for official details and the screenshots, and an embedded full-game video. It Takes Two is a co-op action-platformer, not a puzzle game built on fixed codes, so this is a chapter-by-chapter tour: what each world is, the pair of abilities it hands the two players, and its bosses — not a click-by-click dump. Nothing here is invented; where the sources disagreed, the detailed ones won.
What is It Takes Two?
It Takes Two is a cooperative action-platformer from Hazelight Studios (director Josef Fares), published by Electronic Arts under the EA Originals label and released in March 2021. It went on to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2021. It usually costs $39.99 but is frequently discounted heavily.
You play Cody and May, a married couple on the edge of divorce who are magically shrunk into two small dolls by the tears of their daughter, Rose. A sentient self-help book, Dr. Hakim (the “Book of Love”), insists on mending their relationship as they fight their way home through a series of fantastical worlds — each one a playful metaphor for a part of that relationship. We'll keep this guide spoiler-light about how the story lands.
The one thing to know before you buy: It Takes Two is strictly two-player co-op. There is no single-player mode and no AI partner — you need a second person, whether next to you on the couch or online.
How the co-op actually works (and why it never repeats)
Master one idea and the whole game makes sense: every chapter hands the two players a brand-new, complementary pair of abilities, and they only work together. One player's tool sets up what the other's resolves. That's why the game can't be soloed, and why no two chapters ever feel alike — you're effectively learning a new game every couple of hours.
- Neither character is “better.” Cody and May are equals; the abilities just differ per world, and which player holds which mechanic swaps from chapter to chapter. On a replay, switch characters to see the half of the game you didn't play.
- Communication is the real mechanic. Most set-pieces need simultaneous or precisely-timed actions, so a headset (or sitting together) matters far more than twitch reflexes.
- There are almost no codes to memorise. The challenge is execution and coordination, not numbers — which is exactly why a video is the best companion to a written tour like this one.
- Friend's Pass: only one of you needs to own the game. The owner can invite a friend to play the entire game free online via the Friend's Pass. (Local split-screen still needs both people at the same console or PC.)
Full walkthrough video
The chapters, in order
Seven chapters, plus a short shed “intro” that doubles as the tutorial. For each one: the theme, the ability pair it gives you, how the two halves interlock, and the bosses. (The exact execution is best watched — that's what the video above is for.)
Intro — The Shed (tutorial)
Generators, fans and air-pipes teach the basics: move, double-jump and dash, the ground-slam, and the first paired actions — pressing two buttons at once, and holding air-pipes up for each other to cross. It ends at the first boss.
- Boss — the Dust/Vacuum tower. One player grabs the pipe and vacuums up the scattered spray-cans; the other stands on the rising platform and aims that pipe at the boss. Repeat, then finish with the on-screen prompt at its pipes. Smooth play kills it in two or three rounds.
Chapter 1 — The Shed
Cody = nails (thrown into yellow wooden surfaces to make anchors or pin platforms in place). May = hammer (swing off Cody's nails, smack yellow buttons, break walls). The loop is constant call-and-response: Cody fixes a platform, May rides or hammers it.
- Handy tip: to recall a specific nail, aim at it before pressing recall — otherwise you yank back the last one you placed.
- Boss — the Toolbox. When it strikes with its left hand, pin that hand with a nail so May can cross on the nails and knock off a lock. After two locks, ride the descending spade up and throw nails into the canister on top to finish it.
Chapter 2 — The Tree
Cody = sap gun (sprays flammable sap that weighs down wood and slows wasps). May = matches (igniting the sap, and shooting wasps). Spray, then ignite — that combo opens passages and fights the bug kingdom. (Some guides print these two guns the wrong way round; in-game it's Cody's sap and May's fire.)
- Enemies include the shielded Wasp Shield (wait for it to drop its guard, sap the weak spot, then May shoots).
- Boss — the Giant Beetle: fill the four holes on the platform with sap, lure the beetle onto them, and shoot.
- Boss — the Wasp Queen: destroy her two insect swarms to expose the red-crossed weak points, then sap-and-ignite them (use the rail to reach her back); survive a bullet-hell second phase; finally, on the rail, cut the chain holding her together.
- There's also a one-on-one brawl against the squirrel Chief during the escape.
Chapter 3 — Rose's Room
Cody = resize (grow huge or shrink tiny to reach, push or fit through things). May = walk on white/magnetic surfaces, ignoring gravity. (This is not the time/clone chapter — that's next.) Rose's Room is a toybox of mini-worlds: a space level full of optional portal challenges, a school (math, find-the-pair, connect-the-dots), a railway, Dinosaur Land, a pirate ship, a castle, and an isometric dungeon where you briefly get combat powers (Cody freezes, May burns).
- Bosses: the Space Monkey (three phases — bait its laser into the glass platforms, then redirect its spent rockets, then board the saucer), the slow Giant Octopus (shoot its tentacles, blast it with the ship's cannons), the Bull (lure it into the chained walls four times, then strike its hands), and the King & Queen.
- This chapter contains the deliberately heart-wrenching Cutie the Elephant scene — the most talked-about moment in the game. Go in knowing it's meant to land hard.
Chapter 4 — Cuckoo Clock
Cody = rewind time (restore broken statues, levers and platforms, and hold them in their restored state). May = clone & teleport (drop a clone, then teleport to it). The two interlock beautifully: May plants a clone past a closing door, Cody rewinds the door open, May teleports through. Most players rate this the hardest chapter for its tight timing.
- Boss — the Wind-Up Bull: Cody activates the far platform; May leaves a decoy clone and stands on the bait, then teleports away the instant the bull charges so it smashes the pedestal. Three times.
Chapter 5 — Snow Globe
The magnet chapter. Cody attracts blue magnets and repels red; May does the opposite (attracts red, repels blue) — and later you can attract each other to cross gaps and resist wind. When something won't move, just read the colour of the magnet on it. The standout stretch is a candy factory with three colour-coded pipes (red, blue, green) feeding generators, followed by a windy slope of magnet-signs where you cling to opposite-coloured signs while pulling your partner along. This chapter is more puzzle and traversal than boss fights.
Chapter 6 — Garden
Cody = a head-flower to grab and swing on branches, plus plant transformations at soil spots — dandelion (float), cactus (shoot spines / clear thorns), leaf-flower (drop platforms), mushroom (bounce). May = a sickle (attack and cut) plus water (soak the soil so Cody can transform, and wash away the slime that blocks him). It's the chapter about rediscovering a lost passion, and the abilities reflect that — nurturing things into being.
- Boss — the Mole / Burrower: dodge until it surfaces, then Cody's tendril holds it while May hacks it with the sickle.
- Later there's a greenhouse fight against two big Weeds (same idea: hold the small enemies, May strikes), and a multi-stage infection finale where Cody rams the weeds as various vegetables while May clears the slime so he can build up speed.
Chapter 7 — The Attic
The music chapter. Cody = a cymbal he can throw, and also raise as a directional shield. May = her voice, used to push CDs, tape and other objects and to send impulses into speakers. You'll fight wire-snakes (May aims and exposes the weak part with her voice; Cody lands the cymbal on it), then take on a Cloud Room and a Demon Room challenge before the “Everyone to the Dance Floor” finale at the DJ booth. We'll leave the ending for you to discover.
The handful of fixed-sequence puzzles
It Takes Two has almost no “codes” — but there are a few set sequences where one player reads them off and the other inputs them. The real ones:
- Rose's Room — the “Classics” animal cubes (one player rides the rail and calls them, the other steps on the cubes):
- First set: Pig → Mouse → Horse → Mouse → Pig (or Horse) → Bear.
- Second set: Frog → Dog → Lion → Sheep → Frog → Lion.
- Cuckoo Clock — First Tower clocks, activated in order: Bee → Bird → Cat → Moon → Dog → Sun.
- Cuckoo Clock — Gates of Time: set the gate's clock hands to match the tower shown behind the gate — there's no number to memorise, you just copy what the game shows you.
Everything else is execution, not memorisation — which is the whole point of the game.
The 25 hidden minigames
Scattered across the chapters are 25 optional minigames — quick competitive 1-v-1 diversions like tank duels, whack-a-mole, chess, races and rhythm challenges. Playing all 25 unlocks the Minigame Megalomania achievement, and honestly they're some of the most fun (and most petty) moments in the game with the right partner.
A taste of what to look for, so you know the kind of thing they are:
- The Shed & The Tree: Whack-a-Cody, Flip the Switch, Tug of War, Plunger Dunger.
- Rose's Room: Tank Brothers, Rodeo, Birdstar (rhythm), plus the Space Walk and Laser Tennis hidden in the space elevator.
- Cuckoo Clock & Snow Globe: Horse Derby, Shuffle Board, Ice Race, Snow Warfare.
- Garden & The Attic: Snail Race, Slotcars, Chess, Volleyball, Track Runner.
A couple are unmissable (you walk straight through them on the story path); the rest sit just off the main route — often at the very start of a section, on a stack of pillows, or down a rooftop dead-end. For the exact spot of every one, the Steam 100% guide and the video are your friends; we're deliberately not dumping all 25 locations here.
Going for 100% — the one rule that trips people up
Two achievements are unmissable: It Took Two (finish the story) and Minigame Megalomania (play all 25 minigames). Beyond those are around eighteen secret, easter-egg achievements — mostly “do a silly optional thing in one specific spot.” A few favourites: photograph your partner on the squirrel photo stage, eat your partner with the toy dinosaur, flatten yourself in the castle printer, reunite the turtle's lost babies on the frozen lake, meditate in the Attic's tambourine, and press the forbidden “torture” button in the Tree.
The rule that catches everyone out: many of these only unlock for the player who actually performs the action — the other player doesn't get it automatically. The fix is simple: restart the checkpoint from the pause menu and swap roles, so both of you earn it. (A handful — the torture button, the dinosaur, the swing, the turtle reunion — do pop for both at once.)
The single hardest one is Platforming Prodigy, the optional “Helltower” climb in the Cuckoo Clock town square. Take it slow: at the moving-wall section, do one wall-jump, then hold nothing and cling until the walls realign, and repeat — a single fall sends you back to the bottom. Worth knowing: many players report you can also just glide to the top later using the metal-bird gliders and the achievement still pops.
Co-op & setup notes
- You need a second person. No solo mode, no bots — couch split-screen or online.
- Only one of you has to buy it. The owner invites the other through the Friend's Pass to play the whole game free online; local split-screen needs both at the same machine.
- It's always split-screen, even online — you can usually see what your partner is doing, which helps enormously on the timed set-pieces.
- Fixed difficulty. There are no difficulty settings; the “difficulty” is how well the two of you communicate.
- Replay value: after finishing, use Chapter Select to mop up minigames and achievements, and consider a second run with the characters swapped to play the other half of every mechanic.
Frequently asked questions
Can I play It Takes Two alone?
No. It Takes Two is mandatory two-player co-op — there's no single-player mode and no AI partner. You play either online or in local split-screen with another person.
Do both players need to own the game?
No — only one player needs to own it. Thanks to the Friend's Pass, the owner can invite a friend to play the entire game free online. (Local split-screen still needs both people at the same console or PC.)
How many chapters are there, and how long is it?
Seven chapters (The Shed, The Tree, Rose's Room, Cuckoo Clock, Snow Globe, Garden, The Attic), plus a short shed intro that serves as the tutorial. A full playthrough runs roughly 10–14 hours; 100% (all 25 minigames and the hidden achievements) adds a few more.
What's the hardest chapter?
Most players say Cuckoo Clock, because of the tight, simultaneous rewind-and-teleport timing. The Tree's combat — especially the Wasp Queen — is the other common sticking point.
How many minigames are there?
25, hidden across the chapters. Playing all of them unlocks the Minigame Megalomania achievement. A couple are unmissable; the rest are tucked just off the main path.
Are the chapters replayable?
Yes. After you finish, Chapter Select lets you jump back to any section to grab minigames or achievements you missed — without losing your overall progress.
Sources & further viewing: VGTimes' full bosses-and-puzzles walkthrough and tastn0's 5-star Steam “How to 100% It Takes Two” guide, cross-checked, with an ExitLag overview for high-level framing; official details and screenshots from the Steam store page. For exact moment-to-moment execution, the embedded longplay above covers the whole game; a second no-commentary full walkthrough is here. More co-op and puzzle walkthroughs are on 9puz.com.