It used to take two; it still does, but it used to, too
A Way Out, the game that Hazelight Studios made before It Takes Two, is similar but not as well-made. Shocker, right?
Where its successor uses surreal magic as a basis for fantastical levels, puzzles, and action sequences, A Way Out leans on ideas from crime-thriller cinema. You and your partner will more-or-less re-enact movie and TV scenes about prison breaks and life on the lam - helping them survive a yard beating, distracting guards while they smuggle an escape tool, giving them a boost to the air vent - inbetween trite minigames like "mash X to bench-press weights."
A Way Out's storytelling also feels heavily influenced by (what I assume are) Josef Fares's favorite films, although that narrative doesn't really warm up until the game is mostly over. Its first half or so over-emphasizes purely mechanical scenarios for the sake of gimmicky co-opportunities, neglecting plot and character development; It Takes Two's story may have been far from perfect, but it was certainly paced better than this.
(This game also suffers from a bit more not-quite-right English than its follow-up -- totally understandable, for a Swedish developer, but very noticable in settings like "American prison" and "American trailer park.")
And it should be - unfortunately - unsurprising that A Way Out also suffers from occasional-to-frequent confusing button prompts, missing button prompts, and frustrating controls. I don't think that the game ever explicitly tells you that you need to "move" away from cover to detach from it; you've just got to figure that out by accident or luck.
Co-op games that don't suck are few and far between, so, I appreciate that A Way Out put in the effort. But I appreciate even more that Hazelight continued banging this drum with It Takes Two, and I hope they continue refining these ideas with whatever they do next.
Better than: Biped
Not as good as: It Takes Two
It's hard to call out some of the clearest film references without spoiling anything: but in general, if you've watched a movie about organized crime, you'll probably find this story pretty familiar.