Chapter 147 Split-screen cooperation (Third update, Please Subscribe for Monthly Passes)

Chapter 147 Split-screen cooperation (Third update, Please Subscribe for Monthly Passes)

"The camera in this game actually uses split-screen? How retro!" Zhang Yi said with emotion.

The split-screen setting was indeed a very nostalgic feature.

In today's networked era, multiplayer games generally didn't require players to operate on the same machine.

But back when the internet wasn't developed, network conditions clearly couldn't support such operations.

Under those circumstances, games involving two-player co-op would adopt local split-screen mode.

That meant splitting the monitor's display into two halves: one showing the 1P player's view, the other showing the 2P player's view.

So when Zhang Yi realized that It Takes Two actually used split-screen, he felt slightly surprised.

"I think it's fine. Now I can see your screen directly. Probably some level designs later will require it?" Wang Han didn't overthink it.

The two chatted as they progressed.

Soon, they encountered the first puzzle.

After pulling the switch, the lifting staircase didn't descend. Instead, the three fuses inside sprouted legs and ran away.

Two stayed nearby, not moving far, but the mischievous third fuse dashed off completely.

"The fuse actually grew legs and ran away!?" Zhang Yi exclaimed in surprise at the game's story.

"Why so shocked? Haven't you read fairy tales as a kid? Personification! If books can come alive, why not fuses? We're made of clay and wood ourselves!" Wang Han grumbled inwardly.

This sequence chasing the runaway fuse served as a tutorial for several basic operations in the game.

Activating switches mid-air after landing, wall jumps, double jumps, double jump dashes, climbing, and sprinting—among other basic operations.

Yet this entire new player tutorial offered Zhang Yi and Wang Han a uniquely immersive experience. At this point, they also began to appreciate some advantages of the split-screen mode.

They could see each other's screen in real time and observe each other's actions.

If one made an incorrect move, the other could immediately point it out and instruct them on how to proceed.

Without split-screen, players would have to be physically together; otherwise, without seeing the screen, it would be hard to understand why the other was stuck on a level/quest.

Moreover, the map area in It Takes Two was quite expansive. The split-screen mode was perfectly suited for this!

The early level puzzles posed no real difficulty. Laughing and joking, Wang Han and Zhang Yi quickly found the missing fuse and reinstalled it.

The elevator launched them onto a table, where their daughter was writing a letter.

Just as Cody and May, excited, rushed toward their daughter to talk and ask how to reverse the doll state,

Dr. Hakim appeared and opened a cabinet door.

Inside was a broken vacuum cleaner.

Facing Cody and May, the vacuum cleaner showed intense hostility.

Cody had used it to suck up all sorts of random junk—fruit pits, plastic bottles—and damaged it.

May had promised to fix it, but instead left it abandoned in the corner of the room.

"Wasn't the keyboard from last time ruined because you spilled coke into it!?" Wang Han shot a glance at Zhang Yi upon seeing this scene.

"Accident... just an accident. Let's not talk about it—watch the story! A new level has started! This isn't the tutorial anymore!" Zhang Yi coughed twice, shifting the subject as he focused on the game's graphics.

Life happens—everyone accidentally breaks things sometimes. Besides, he had tried his best to repair it: first soaking it in water, then drying it under the sun for two days. Unfortunately, the keyboard still didn't survive.

Hearing Zhang Yi, Wang Han rolled her eyes but turned her attention back to the game.

Regardless, the opening had already piqued her curiosity.

During gameplay, Cody and May weren't like the Ashen One from Dark Souls, who only had three lines throughout the entire game: "Hey! Uh! Ah!"

Throughout the game, based on each other's actions, Cody and May exchanged lines of dialogue.

Through these lines, players could feel the relationship between Cody and May.

Each believed they were right, and the other was wrong.

From a story perspective, It Takes Two was clearly a clichéd family drama.

Although they had just finished the tutorial, judging from the game's promotional trailer video and the content so far,

Not only Wang Han, but most players experiencing the game had already speculated what would happen next.

Obviously, with the help of Dr. Hakim—the Book of Love—Cody and May would,

Through tacit cooperation, rediscover each other's love, and eventually reunite as a happy family.

It was an extremely predictable storyline.

Moreover, given the dreamlike cartoon animation art style, many players assumed there wouldn't be any dramatic twists.

Yet even so, what intrigued players wasn't the ending, but the journey in between.

What trials would Cody and May endure? What levels would they face? How would they overcome challenges together and finally understand each other?

After being knocked back by the vacuum cleaner, the game truly began.

Compared to the tutorial levels, the puzzles in the actual levels became relatively more complex.

In these stages, a single player couldn't progress alone.

Players had to interact with the map together, helping each other reach certain locations so both could advance.

For example, there was a blowing pipe: a player entered one end and was blown out the other.

But going through directly wouldn't reach the destination. Another player had to lift the pipe first.

Meanwhile, the player at the other end needed to press a corresponding switch, allowing both to clear a small level.

Furthermore, it wasn't just about cooperation—some levels required players to develop real-time tacit understanding.

For instance, in a ventilation duct level, players had to pass through three fans arranged in hot-cold-hot order. One player jumped while the other switched between hot and cold air.

Under cold air, the player would be lifted by the cold wind and could jump again.

But hot air would burn them to ashes instantly.

Pulling a lever switched the fan's temperature.

Thus, this level tested the players' tacit cooperation.

One player had to switch the fan temperature precisely the moment the other jumped.

Cooperation and tacit understanding were showcased perfectly here.

And the advantage of split-screen mode shone through: just as Cody and May needed to cooperate in the game, the two players behind the monitor had to work together seamlessly.

First update of three—same as yesterday, more tonight. Won't be less than ten thousand characters.

(End of Chapter) <>