Leveling Up Love: 8 Relationship Lessons We Learned Playing It Takes Two
Playing It Takes Two with my husband taught us more about love, patience, and teamwork than we expected. From epic boss battles to everyday mishaps, we discovered how gaming together can level up a relationship—in real life.
I’ve always believed that video games have a hidden power—one most people tend to overlook. Beyond the explosions, boss fights, and virtual adventures, they often carry deep emotional truths and personal growth opportunities. Over the years, games like Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, Shadow of War, Horizon, The Legend of Zelda, and Hogwarts Legacy have offered me not just entertainment but resilience. I’d even go as far as to say that some of these games helped preserve my sanity during rough patches in life.
But today, I want to talk about a different kind of game—one I recently played with my husband that unexpectedly turned into one of the most enriching relationship tools we’ve ever used: It Takes Two.
Yes, the TikTok-famous, co-op adventure game known equally for saving relationships and for pushing couples to the brink with its teamwork-heavy challenges. Spoiler alert: we survived it—and came out stronger.
It Takes Two tells the story of Cody and May, a couple on the edge of divorce, magically transformed into dolls by their daughter’s tears. What follows is a journey of collaboration, chaos, and emotional reckoning as they navigate wild worlds to find their way back—to their human forms, and potentially, to each other.
But this game wasn’t just about saving a virtual marriage. It became a mirror—one that reflected back some of the best (and hardest) lessons in our own partnership. Here are the big takeaways:
1. Patience Is a Power-Up
There were many moments when one of us got stuck in a puzzle or missed a timing-based challenge. And the other? Couldn’t do anything but wait. No shortcuts. No skipping ahead. Just... wait. It was frustrating—at first. But over time, we developed a deeper patience with each other, a kind that translated into everyday life. Whether it’s waiting for the other to finish processing emotions or tackling a task at a different pace, we’ve learned to breathe, pause, and respect each other’s tempo.
2. Communication Is Your Strongest Weapon
When a boss fight knocked us out again (and again), we had two options: rage-quit or regroup. We chose the latter. We’d pause, talk it out, strategize, and go back in with a plan. That simple act of stopping to communicate—without blame or ego—helped us win the game. And now, we use that same process when tackling real-life stressors. Plan first, then push forward together.
3. Teamwork Isn’t Optional—It’s Essential
You literally can’t progress in It Takes Two without your partner. This was a beautiful reminder that, in our relationship, we need each other to make progress—not in a co-dependent way, but in a deeply collaborative one. Failures weren’t individual. Successes weren’t either. Everything was shared.
4. Different Minds, Different Paths
One of the most surprising lessons was realizing how differently we both approached problems. What seemed obvious to one was totally foreign to the other. Instead of trying to convince the other to think our way, we learned to explore each other's perspectives. This shifted everything—especially outside the game, when dealing with life’s bigger puzzles.
5. Failure Isn’t Fatal (It’s Inevitable)
Just like in the game, real life is full of fumbles. Forgot to take off your shoes? Tripped over the same damn bedframe? Forgot an anniversary? Mistakes happen, and they don’t need to spiral into drama. In the game, failure was a chance to learn and adjust. In life, we’re learning to do the same—with grace and humor.
6. Winning Together Feels Better Than Winning Alone
Beating a tough level after countless tries? Pure dopamine. But what made it magical was high-fiving each other, screaming with joy, and celebrating that we did it. That feeling? It's what we now chase in everyday accomplishments too—whether it’s handling finances, completing a home project, or surviving a long week. Shared success is a love language.
7. Find Joy In the Challenge
We’d often stop mid-fight to admire the beauty of the game. The music. The animation. The creativity of a level design. It reminded us to zoom out. In life, when things feel hard, we now ask: what’s still beautiful right now? Sometimes it’s the food we’re cooking. Other times, it’s the simple fact that we’re facing this hard thing together.
8. Healthy Competition Can Inspire Growth
We stumbled on mini-games that let us compete for fun—target practice, obstacle courses, all those cheeky side quests. Naturally, one of us was better at some than the other. But instead of breeding resentment, it sparked playful motivation. We laughed, we learned, we pushed each other to do better. A little competition, done right, brought us even closer.
We could probably blend some of these lessons together—they often overlapped—but each one hit differently depending on the situation. And every single one made our journey through the game (and through life) a little more rewarding.
So here’s my invitation: play more games together. They don’t have to be video games. Board games, puzzles, made-up games—anything that challenges you both, sparks joy, and reminds you to play.
Because sometimes, healing doesn’t look like deep talks and serious work—it looks like two people laughing at their fourth consecutive failure to beat a virtual vacuum cleaner boss.
Regina Zuniga
The Skin Deep Digital Content Specialist
