The head of Hazelight Studios, Fares is a maverick filmmaker-turned-game designer known for his outspoken opinions and enthusiasm for genre-defying titles. Game Rant spoke with Fares and members of Turn Me Up, the developer handling the upcoming Switch port of It Takes Two, about game development in the context of rule-breaking, and challenging conventions with shocking content.
RELATED: It Takes Two Director Will Be at The Game Awards
Josef Fares on ‘Fing S Up’
Fares is fond of F-bombs, and uses them to tremendous effect. At The Game Awards 2017, the developer infamously said “F*** The Oscars,” courting a storm of controversy. He later clarified his sentiment was not necessarily an expression of enmity toward The Oscars, but that The Game Awards - and video games as a medium - should not be compared to movies, or else the former will always be foreshadowed by the latter. Similarly, his game design philosophy also benefits from some clarification.
Fares’ point is oft-repeated by successful creatives, but well-made here. Pandering to an audience speaks of cynicism; games designed to chase trends become bait for monetization rather than earnest products. Using personal preferences and interests to fuel a project, by contrast, ensures that the team creating the game will be invested in a quality outcome. The resulting game may not appeal to everyone, but most titles that have universal appeal are excellent expressions of specific genres.
It Takes Two excels because it forces players to share a narrative experience that is often solitary. Persona 5 did not meet with universal acclaim because it is a JRPG, but rather because it refined the genre so completely that even people who normally don’t play RPGs could appreciate the formula. Hades did the same with roguelikes, and FromSoftware makes punishingly difficult games ecstatic rather than exclusionary.
The Edge of the Extreme
Fares believes that multiplayer games have an enormous untapped potential for narrative, and that the best way for developers to dig deep is to surprise themselves.
This design philosophy is readily apparent in It Takes Two, which, despite its wholesome premise and cartoonish-looking characters, has some surreal and shocking sequences. Fares affectionately describes It Takes Two as “A f***ed up game,” and embraces that strangeness fully, but even he pulled a few punches. The now-infamous “elephant scene” was originally more violent, and had to be dialed back. Peoples’ reactions were not the problem, however; Fares felt the scene drew too much attention away from the story, and that the current cut is well done because the scene enjoyed a bit of viral popularity without overshadowing the broader experience.
The ending of It Takes Two also had to be reworked, but not for concerns about content so much as player satisfaction. Fares felt that the original ending, which has since made its way to YouTube, changed the fundamental mechanics of the game too much, and didn’t satisfy players as a result. There’s another design insight to be had in that lesson: shocking content should not be cut merely because it gets a profound reaction from people, and rules can be broken until it affects the players’ sense of immersion.
It Takes Two is Sweeter for the Switch
It Takes Two is an ideal title for the Switch, and it boasts a few quality-of-life improvements that will hopefully allow fans to get the most out of the title. One feature is local Wi-Fi connectivity. Players will be able to enjoy the game across two Switches without the need for an Internet connection or a television, alleviating concerns about split-screen play on a small screen. Additionally, the Switch port is also launching with full voice-overs in four additional languages: Japanese, German, French, and Spanish.
It Takes Two is currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. It launches for Switch on November 4, 2022.
MORE: Streets of Rogue 2 Developer Talks Pixel Art Readability and the Procedural Appeal of Roguelikes
