It Takes Two, switch edition
4.5 stars

This is actually my second play through of this game, so that by itself says something. The first time I played it with my husband , and I played the character of May. This time I'm partnered with my daughter, and I'm playing as Cody.

The story of the game was not my favorite. The basic premise is of a married couple who don't get along and have decided to get a divorce. Their young daughter wants them to "be friends again" and ends up casting a sort of spell that traps them in toy bodies with a talking book that acts as their marriage counselor. I personally found the couple's bickering really annoying and felt they would all be much happier if they did get the divorce. Perhaps other people have more patience for that kind of antagonistic relationship, but I didn't like it. Setting aside the story, however, the rest of the game was great.

This game fully embraces the spirit of cooperative gaming and the overall gameplay is terrific. The two characters are each given tools and abilities that differ both from each other and are dependent on which environment they're in. None of the puzzles can be solved unless the characters are working together, so this isn't the kind of co-op where one player can sit back while the other takes the lead. The puzzles, exploration, and combat were well balanced. The character abilities were unique and thematically appropriate. The graphics were charming, and the amount of detail put into the sets was wonderfully immersive. There was also a good dose of rather dark humor.

This is exactly the kind of game my husband and I love playing together, and if not for how bitter the characters were toward each other and the idea that they should be forced to remain together despite making each other miserable, I would have given it a perfect score.