Not many co-op games give you two characters who are actually worth caring about. Most of the time, one player is the hero and the other is either a sidekick, a colour swap, or a structural afterthought. It Takes Two is different. The reason starts with the two It Takes Two characters you spend every minute of it inhabiting.
Cody and May are a married couple on the brink of divorce, accidentally transformed into dolls by their daughter's desperate wish. They are equally flawed, equally funny, and equally impossible not to root for, even when they're driving each other up the wall. Their relationship is the engine of the entire game, and understanding who they are makes replaying it feel completely different depending on which controller you're holding.
Here's everything you need to know about the duo that earned Hazelight Studios its Game of the Year in 2021.
First time through? See our guide on how long It Takes Two actually is — how long It Takes Two actually is — you'll want to clear your schedule.
Who Is Cody?
Cody is impulsive, competitive, and deeply invested in his own world. A hobbyist at heart, he's most comfortable when he's making something with his hands, tinkering in his workshop, fixing things that are broken. His arc through the game is about learning to listen, to let go, and to accept that not every problem can be solved alone.
In gameplay terms, Cody typically receives the more tool-driven, force-heavy mechanics: nails, springs, magnetic pulls. His toolkit is literal in the best possible sense. What he can do maps directly onto who he is. He is built to repair. The quiet irony running through the entire game is that the thing he most needs to fix is the one thing his hands can't reach.
Playing as Cody asks you to inhabit a specific kind of emotional stubbornness. The game is clever enough to make you feel it rather than just watch it.
Who Is May?
May is an architect by profession and precise by nature. Where Cody improvises, May plans. She's competent, driven, and carrying her own share of the weight that brought their marriage to this point. Her gameplay tends toward fluidity and movement: resin, paint, the counterforce to Cody's mechanics. Her instinct is to flow around a problem rather than hammer through it.
What makes May such a compelling It Takes Two character is the way the game lets her professionalism become both her strength and her blind spot. She is excellent at getting things done. She is less good at knowing why it matters to the people waiting at home.
From May's controller, the emotional beats of the game land differently. The same scenes read from a different angle. That's not a coincidence. Hazelight built the game so that your character determines how you experience the story, not just what you see.
Why Having Two Equal Characters Changes Everything
Most co-op games give you one "main" character and one "player 2." It Takes Two refuses this entirely. Cody and May have equal narrative weight, equal screen time, and equal mechanical importance throughout every chapter. Neither player is ever the passenger.
This matters for the co-op experience in a way that's difficult to overstate. When something emotionally significant happens on screen, both players have been living that character's perspective for hours. The story doesn't belong to one person holding the controller. It belongs to both of you.
It's also precisely why It Takes Two works so well as a couples game. Both people have an equal stake in what's happening. Both are being asked the same questions by the story, just from different angles.
For a deeper look at how this plays out in the game's hidden moments, see our breakdown of 10 Things You Probably Missed in It Takes Two.
Cody and May vs. Hazelight's Other Iconic Duos
Hazelight Studios has built its entire identity around two-character co-op, and every game they've made features a central duo that reflects the game's themes. Cody and May are not alone in the Hazelight universe.
Leo and Vincent, A Way Out (2018)
Leo and Vincent are the duo that started it all. Two prisoners, one escape plan, a dynamic that begins as pure mutual necessity. Where Cody and May are trying to salvage something that once existed, Leo and Vincent are forging something entirely new from nothing. Their relationship is rawer and more combative, which fits A Way Out's crime-thriller energy perfectly. And the same Hazelight principle holds: neither player's character is more important than the other's.
Mio and Zoe, Split Fiction (2025)
Mio and Zoe are complete strangers when their story begins. The polar opposite of Cody and May's years of shared history. They're writers with opposing imaginations, one sci-fi and one high-fantasy, who find themselves trapped in a simulation of their own stories. Their journey is about building a friendship from scratch, which gives Split Fiction a completely different emotional texture.
What's remarkable when you look at all three Hazelight duos together is that each explores a distinct kind of human bond: a relationship trying to survive (Cody and May), a partnership born from necessity (Leo and Vincent), and a friendship built from nothing (Mio and Zoe). They're not variations on the same story. They're three separate answers to a single question: what does it mean to go through something with another person?
Curious how the latest duo compares? We've broken it down in 7 Things Split Fiction Does Better Than Most Co-Op Games.
Is It Takes Two the Perfect Couples Game?
The honest answer is yes. But not for the reason you might expect.
It Takes Two is the perfect couples game because it doesn't soften anything. This isn't a romantic fantasy about a relationship that was always fine. Cody and May have real grievances, communicate badly, and carry unresolved weight the way actual people do. The game makes both players confront that honestly, from opposite sides of the same argument.
Playing it together means experiencing the same conflict from two distinct perspectives simultaneously. That's something almost no other co-op game attempts. And because both characters are equally developed, neither player ever feels like they're watching someone else's story unfold.
The mechanics reinforce the message at every turn. Every chapter introduces tools that require equal contribution from both players. Neither person can carry the other. The game is built, mechanically and narratively, around the idea that this only works if both people show up.
It's also significantly more accessible than most action games, which matters enormously when one player is less experienced. The story never gets held hostage by the difficulty.
When you finish It Takes Two, and you will want to finish it, you're left with something most co-op experiences don't produce: a shared story that genuinely meant something.
Official It Takes Two Merchandise: Take Cody and May Home
For fans who want to keep a piece of the adventure, the official Hazelight store carries a full range of It Takes Two merchandise. All officially licensed and built around Cody and May's journey together.
Collectibles & figures:
- Cody Mini Action Figure — A detailed It Takes Two action figure of the game's blue-clad protagonist; essential for any collector
- May Mini Action Figure — Her counterpart, because one It Takes Two figure without the other simply isn't the story
- May Plushie — A soft, huggable It Takes Two plush; a thoughtful gift for anyone who played her side of the story
Browse the full collection:
- It Takes Two Collector's Collection — Apparel, posters, pins, and dolls inspired by Cody and May; It Takes Two merch built for co-op partners who experienced the adventure together
The collection is designed specifically for couples, co-op partners, and friends who played through It Takes Two and want something tangible to carry the adventure home.
FAQ
What are the names of the characters in It Takes Two?
The two main It Takes Two characters are Cody and May, a married couple on the verge of divorce, magically transformed into dolls by their daughter Rose's wish. Every chapter follows their attempt to return to human form, with completely new mechanics in each level that mirror their emotional journey.
Is It Takes Two a good game for couples?
It's widely regarded as one of the best. It Takes Two was built specifically for two players and centres on a story about partnership, communication, and what it means to make things work. It's also accessible enough for couples where one player has little gaming experience, since the story never gets held hostage by the difficulty.
How do Cody and May compare to Hazelight's other characters?
All three Hazelight duos, Cody and May (It Takes Two), Leo and Vincent (A Way Out), and Mio and Zoe (Split Fiction), are designed with equal weight for both players. Each pair explores a different kind of relationship: an established bond under pressure, a partnership built from scratch, and a friendship forged from nothing. For a deeper comparison of It Takes Two and Split Fiction, see our post on 7 Things Split Fiction Does Better Than Most Co-Op Games.
