I went back to the group chat after my appointment this morning and Katharine asked me to take a look It takes two goods – namely plushy elephant. And I said, “Sure!” and go for a walk to have a look. I was delighted! But I think Katharine predicted it would spark a different emotional response in me to what it actually did, because she used the word “horror”.
It Takes Two is a really enjoyable one co-op game, kind of Borrower-Meets-Couple consultation where a pair of soon-to-be-divorced parents are transformed into mini-toy versions of themselves and split platforms around their home and garden. On almost every level, Cody and May (that’s the last name, that’s the character’s name) have something different to do, so it really never gets old. There’s grappling, swinging, shooting, giant squirrels, giant wasps, giant spiders – lots of giant versions of the usual stuff; you get it. There are also boss battles, and some of them to be horrifying, in a way that contrasts with the early afternoon learning TV show’s look at everything to make it all funny. Enter Cutie the elephant. Front spoilers.
May and Cody decide (for… reason) that they can get back to normal by making their daughter Rose cry. After making her cry, they got themselves into this mess, so it would definitely work the other way around then. So with perfect logic, they are determined to kill her favorite toy. Cutie’s death scene, in which an infant stuffed toy elephant begs for her life, Cody and May drags her to the edge of her toy castle, is hilarious. Apparently it’s pretty dark since you’ve ripped off Cutie’s legs and ears in the process. But its solidity and high drama make it perhaps the most memorable scene in the whole game. Cutie screams the pitiful circumstances of childhood like, “Friends help each other!” And it’s more effective because it’s an interactive scene; You, the player, have no choice but to press X on the killer toy. Great! You can watch a play of it here.
So imagine how excited I was to see that not only is the Cutie elephant available for pre-order now, but the Cutie plus also has detachable ears and legs! It’s hilarious! (Let’s agree it’s hilarious). Cutie’s death is probably the closest thing the It Takes Two icon has, and the developers know it. I would be more appalled if you can not pull the leg out.
Everything else It Takes Two merchandise is your usual parade of mugs and t-shirts (and an okay kind of pin badge that you won’t actually wear as it will continue to get caught in the wrong parts). other of your clothes). Too many goods, should not put a too beautiful point on it, damn bored. At this point, what brand out there doesn’t have at least one t-shirt with a vintage logo that looks distressed? Most of the nerd toys that I really like are made by indie shops trying to fly under the radar of copyright. But an elephant whose limbs you can rip off? Recreate a unique bit of the game that players remember? So great! Let this be a lesson for other game franchises to really use your imagination. I won’t buy your button badges or beer mugs anymore, buddy hack.
Obviously, this depends on how you feel about the Cutie scene in general. You can fall into horror camp with Katharine (there are two types of people). Plus, the Cutie costs $35. In this economy?!
