We’ve ventured through a mythical Nordic landscape. We’ve plotted our escape from prison. Now, it’s time to prepare for another groundbreaking EA Originals co-op adventure from Hazelight, in their next title It Takes Two set for release in 2021! Watch the announcement from EA Play Live now
Josef Fares, founder of Hazelight, and his award-winning studio made their debut with Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons back in 2013 on Xbox 360. Brothers introduced us to an emotional tale where you played as two young boys journeying through a fantastical world to find a cure for their dying father.
In comparison, Hazelight’s first EA Originals game A Way Out took cinematic co-op to the next level in a heart-pumping prison break thriller. Tailored to be experienced together, A Way Out could even be played online with a friend who didn’t own the game, through its innovative Friend’s Pass mechanic.
Josef wrote and directed movies before he founded Hazelight, and emotional stories remain at the heart of their games. When comparing the two mediums, Josef states that it is more difficult to make a game, as the audience has control of the story’s pacing. While in movies, the story is paced for you. Even though there are plenty of good stories in games out there, few of them grasp the potential of gaming’s interactivity.
Ever played a videogame with a fun story but repetitive game mechanics? Or did you ever get the feeling that the game designers were heading in one direction, and the storywriters in another? That is exactly the kind of experience Hazelight wants to put a stop to, and that is why marrying the story with the gameplay mechanics is central to their vision with It Takes Two.
The narrative in It Takes Two begins with Cody, May, and their daughter Rose. Cody and May are separating, and Rose is secretly devastated by the situation. When she is by herself, in distress, she builds two dolls out of wood and clay, wishing for her parents to stay together. By magic, the dolls come alive, and it turns out that Cody and May have been transformed!
It is the starting point of a crazy co-op adventure, where you and a friend will have to work together to get Cody and May back into their human bodies. In some instances, the mechanics will mirror the feelings of Cody and May, creating an unexpected and highly emotional action-adventure platformer where gameplay and storytelling work as one.
It Takes Two is an EA Originals title coming to Xbox One in 2021. Stay up to date by watching this space and the official It Takes Two website.