It Takes Two: Every Chapter, Ranked

Summary

• It Takes Two is a cooperative puzzle platformer about a couple’s journey through marriage – now on various systems.
• Explore unique chapters with different obstacles, from flying on mechanical birds to fighting squirrels.
• Experience creative minigames and emotional moments as Cody and May mend their relationship along the way.

It Takes Two is a cooperative puzzle platformer that takes you and a friend on a journey through the end of Cody and May’s marriage (it’s more cheerful than it sounds). The quarreling couple has been magically transformed into dolls crafted by their daughter, Rose, although her actual role in the deed is unclear.

The split-screen platform game has you using teamwork to conquer pillow forts, messy toolboxes, and even a particularly aggressive squirrel army. Each chapter in It Takes Two offers creative obstacles and a unique way to overcome them. Here’s our ranking of all the chapters in Hazelight Studios’ Game-of-the-Year winning title.

Updated on March 26, 2025, by Bobby Mills: With the impending release of Split Fiction, the latest co-op adventure from the brilliant brains behind It Takes Two, we thought it’d be a fab time to go back and spruce up our ranking of this iconic GOTY’s chapters. Of course, it being Valentine’s Day may also have skewed our decision somewhat. Enjoy your Cutie destruction! Since we first published this list, It Takes Two has become available on systems outside the Sony and Xbox umbrella. You can now help mend Cody and May’s relationship even on Nintendo Switch – but you will still need a human co-op partner by your side, or to download a separate (free) multiplayer app for the game if you’re apart.

9

The Shed

Nailed It

In the Shed, both players will find themselves equipped with elements of their environment. May handles the head of a hammer, breaking everything in her path. Cody can throw nails to jam gears, and even provide a path for his partner. The contrast between Cody and May as people and their current doll forms is highlighted by their tiny size in a room so familiar to them.

This level is great fun, and you can expect to solve all kinds of puzzles: chase down power cells, dodge nails, and battle a giant vacuum cleaner hellbent on revenge. In comparison to other featured chapters, though, the concept is fairly straightforward here. It’s the tutorial, so we’ll let it off.

8

The Attic

The Music In May

The Attic chapter focuses on May reigniting her forgotten passion for music. Turns out that’s all that was needed to repair a broken love; who knew? She can shout to break obstacles and sing to raise records into the air and provide a way through. Cody, on the other hand, has a cymbal that he uses like a frisbee. Together, you can explore the inside of an old jukebox and the far reaches of musical heaven.

The Attic is littered with minigames, including a literal game of chess (a good way to teach those unfamiliar with the game) and they’re all fun. This chapter features a lot of interesting concepts, but can also feel massively disjointed at times. The ending of this chapter is rather moving, though, as Cody and May start to feel their romantic connection once again.

7

The Tree

Squirrels, Wasps, And Fatalities

In The Tree chapter, Cody and May find themselves captured by talking squirrels. The scheming squirrels (who have an entire civilization inside the tree in Cody and May’s backyard) decide that they’re the perfect people to fight the ongoing wasp threat that has plagued the tree. If you play as May, they’ll hand you a weapon that fires matchsticks, while playing as Cody means you’ll be shooting tree sap.

Together you’ll create explosive chain reactions to progress through the tree and blow attacking wasps out of the sky. There’s a wholesome opportunity to pose and take photos together with your own giant camera, too, but the real kicker is the airplane section that leads into a Mortal Kombat battle against one dedicated rodent. Seriously.

6

Cuckoo Clock

A Magical Time

Cody and May have been transported into their cuckoo clock, and now must fly on stunning mechanical birds to navigate their way around. Cody has been granted the ability to reverse and speed up time, whilst May can now place a clone of herself to teleport to. Once again, you must use these powers to solve puzzles.

They come in handy when fighting a clockwork bull, especially as a clone can make a great decoy. The time-bending nature of this chapter will have you dizzy as you frantically leap over spinning clock hands and relive the past few moments over and over again. This chapter also wins points for being both fantastical and thematically coherent all the way through.

5

The Garden

Green Thumb

This chapter, The Garden, is second-to-last in the game. Cody discovers that his greenhouse has been taken over by infection because he gave up on his passion. Much like May’s singing, getting to know himself again is what rekindles the spark of love in the marriage.

He and May must combine both of their abilities to restore vitality to the garden. These include May’s water gun and scythe, which help her not only attack enemies but also water soil so that Cody can transform into a variety of plantlife. The Garden level is carefully thought out and incredibly detailed, which makes it so enjoyable to play.

Take extra care when sneaking past the sleeping moles, as you don’t want to get caught. There’s even an achievement tied to ’em!

4

Snow Globe

The Snow Globe chapter has Cody and May utilizing magnets to traverse a majestic world. The globe includes a fully explorable village, packed with life and minigames. There are segments that feature ice skating, snowball fights, and underwater candy factories. At one point, it’s your mission to reunite a family of turtles, too.

This chapter also features the first, genuine kindness between Cody and May, as they reminisce about some of their better memories. We can’t stress enough how beautiful this part of It Takes Two is, and we highly recommend slowing down to take it all in.

3

Rose’s Room: Pillow Fort

Cozy And Cuddly

We’ve split the ‘Rose’s room’ chapter up into three sections as there are three distinct areas within the same chapter. Why the development team didn’t just make this a three-chapter stretch, rather than one overly-bloated one, is anyone’s guess.

At the beginning of the chapter in Rose’s room, you explore Rose’s Pillow Fort, which forces you to accept that all of your personal attempts at making a fort in the past have been hilariously subpar. The entire thing is soft and magical, and excitingly explorable.

You can mess around with plenty of novelties that belong to Rose, such as the Etch-A-Sketch and a spinning Earth, but we recommend you head straight for the Tank minigame. There’s even an Easter egg featuring Vincent and Leo from A Way Out, another co-op game made by the same developers as It Takes Two.

2

Rose’s Room: Space Station

Out Of This World Fun

Rose’s toy Moon Baboon, which she got from the space museum, overhears Cody and May saying they need to make Rose cry (long story). He’s decided his mission is to protect Rose, and so he tries to leave you stranded in space forever. This level is full of antigravity antics, with May having the ability to walk on walls and Cody having the power to change size.

This area’s aesthetic can leave you staring in awe. The puzzles also challenge you to think harder than ever. You have to reinsert batteries to charge the final portal, leading to a battle with Moon Baboon. You even get to fly his spaceship to nuke him from orbit after dealing enough damage to him. It’s the first of (surprisingly many) hits you’ll carry out on stuffed animals during the campaign.

1

Rose’s Room: Road To The Magic Castle

The Elephant In The Room

At this point in It Takes Two, your objective is to get to Rose’s toy elephant Cutie in order to dispatch her (brace for a harrowing experience when you get there), which means reaching the castle she is Queen of. This section of the game is full of activities, including a pirate ship fight with a giant toy octopus and a section where you control toy dinosaurs and must help each other navigate a treacherous path.

There’s a top-down RPG section that transforms both players into D&D classes, but most of this area is circus-themed. Get ready to propel each other from canons and try your hand at being a trapeze artist. Every section of this chapter is action-packed, and has that instantly-memorable emotional ‘showdown’ with Cutie, making it a stand-out in the entire game.