Arguments, fits of laughter, encouragement and joy. Helping hands and synchronization. Players who have already been able to try two are required they have certainly recognized what they have already been through.
The hit title from Electronic Arts, crowned with multiple awards and even crowned game of the year in 2021, has given a new face to video games by bringing to life the real cooperation between players… sitting in front of the same television. A situation that has become rare, except sports simulation gamesand a job that above all forces players to really collaborate to advance the story.
Collaborate to progress
We owe this revival still little copied to Josef Fares. The creator of the Hazelight studio, behind Two are required had already made a strong impression with An exit, a game in which two prison escapees had to cooperate to get out of prison and take revenge. Cooperate literally and figuratively. Because for the players it was also about thinking about different game mechanics in common, knowing how to help each other, joining forces to unblock situations and move forward (taking oneself, turning two objects at the same time, covering the other in a sequence… infiltration or shooting…). Alone, in Josef Fares games, it is impossible to win.
“Usually games think of a single-player campaign first and add a cooperative mode to it, and then multiplayer where you eventually play alone. I think that’s the strength of our game and the key to its success. success, his freshness and what he does is unique.
Within two are required, Cody and May are a couple who are tearing each other apart in front of their daughter, Rose. The latter wants to do everything possible for them to reconcile. His parents then find themselves transformed into dolls, miniaturized in the middle of their own house. They will have to learn to help each other and listen to each other to get out of this situation and find their daughter. A game that derives its strength from both its narrative and its gameplay where each player depends on the other.
And finally, it is quite logical that the EA game finally arrives on Nintendo Switch this November 4, the multiplayer video game console in essence. Because two are required It is a work for the whole family, all ages, that reconnects with the pleasure of playing together. The port of the console game on Switch was produced by the Turn Me up Games studio and brings some new features without distorting the initial title (games with one or two Switches, addition of joy-cons or Pro controllers, French version). It is possible, like on the console, to play with a friend who does not have the game thanks to the buddy passan option to invite another player locally or online.
Because the game in duo, the Hazelight studio has it in their veins. “This type of game is the DNA of the studio, of my life as well. I have a true love for video games,” explains Josef Fares. “We are our games and we make sure that people understand and love what we do.” But to warn however: “We do not make games to please this type of player or another. It is very important to us, because we make our games with passion, with our hearts and that is what we want people to feel.”
“A Good Relationship Test”
With two are required, the heart is also in the narration, with true attention to this story of separation and necessary reunion. The character in the book named Dr. Hakim, a kind of couple’s psychologist, is as funny as he is, capable of provoking reflection in each of the players. But it is above all the importance of playing together that prevails, both to support each other and to evolve. “It’s important to choose who you play with, if your communication skills are good, especially if it’s your girlfriend or your boyfriend,” warns Josef Fares with a laugh. “It’s a good test of whether or not they want to stay together. A good relationship test, actually.”
It is true that the games that put communication and moral support so much to the test are no longer legion, at a time when online games prevail, especially multiplayer. There are some titles like Overcooked, Super Mario Party either Movebut they are above everything party games without any real narration. others like spiritual traveler Where Untitled Goose Game play in the work of two people, but this is a cooperative mode added to enrich a game originally intended as a solo player.
“I would love to see more games like Two are needed. I hope there are others”, laments the Swedish director to whom we also owe Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, single player adventure game this time. “We’ve become co-op specialists and I hope to inspire other developers. Because these are the games I want to play.”
If cooperative games are his DNA and that of the studio, Josef Fares does not hide a desire to try other styles in the future. “We’ll see,” he slips into a smile. His next game is already in preparation, he has already published the photo of two actresses, an adult and a girl, in a motion capture session. A new cooperative game in the offing or an attempt at a solo adventure game?
Source: BFM TV
