Can you play It Takes Two with one joycon?

As an avid gamer and content creator focused on co-op experiences, this is a question I‘ve been asked a lot recently about the hit game It Takes Two. Published in 2021 by Hazelight Studios and Electronic Arts, It Takes Two has quickly become one of the most acclaimed cooperative games thanks to its inventive two-player platforming challenges.

But with its strict focus on split-screen and online two-player modes, many friends and fellow gamers want to know:

Can you properly play It Takes Two using just one Joy-Con controller?

The Short Answer

No, you cannot play It Takes Two with just a single Joy-Con. The game requires each player to have a full set of controls, either through using two Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller.

Now, let‘s dive deeper into why this critically-acclaimed co-op title does not support single Joy-Con play.

It Takes Two‘s Co-Op Control Demands

As a purely cooperative experience designed around dual player interactions, It Takes Two offers no single-player component and does not feature any AI assistance. Progression through the game depends entirely on platforming, battling enemies, and solving physics-based puzzles together.

This means each player needs a full set of controls—the same inputs you‘d expect in a single-player adventure title. Here‘s a breakdown of the moment-to-moment actions required from each participant:

• Moving your character with the left analog stick
• Controlling the camera with the right analog stick
• Jumping, attacking, and interacting with all four face buttons (A, B, X, and Y)
• Accessing items and contexts with shoulder buttons/triggers

And keep in mind, many sections require performing these moves precisely in tandem with your co-op partner to swing, push, pull, and leap in perfect sync.

As you can see, limiting your controls to only half of what‘s available on a normal controller would make It Takes Two incredibly frustrating—if not impossible—to play.

Joy-Con Limitations

While Joy-Cons offer an ingenious, modular design as part of the Switch‘s versatility, they come with natural hardware limitations:

• No D-Pad
• Fewer shoulder buttons (only SL and SR buttons)
• No rumble features
• Smaller form reduces comfort/precision

These constraints are not typically deal-breakers for Nintendo titles crafted specifically around Joy-Con functionality. But It Takes Two relies on the full feature sets of both Xbox and PlayStation-style controllers.

And even with Pro Controllers overcoming some of those missing inputs, the need for two full controllers means getting by on a single Joy-Con simply won‘t cut it.

Controller Format Breakdown

To help summarize the controller requirements, here‘s a quick breakdown of what control schemes do and do not work with It Takes Two‘s local co-op mode:

As this table illustrates, each person playing It Takes Two locally needs access to two full analog sticks and a complete face/shoulder button array at bare minimum.

Why It‘s Unlikely to Change

Now, as an experienced gamer, I speculate the developers at Hazelight are highly unlikely to offer any single Joy-Con support via updates down the road.

The reason being: It Takes Two‘s entire gameplay flow relies on each player having robust, independent controls to manage characters, cameras, and complex context-sensitive actions.

In fact, in an interview, Director Josef Fares emphasized the importance of no compromises for his studio‘s co-op vision:

"We only do games where you play co-op and you play together. We only focus on that. We don‘t care about single-player, we don‘t care about multiplayer or online or any of that stuff. We only care about the two-player co-op experience."

Given this strict emphasis on quality two-player experiences, it‘s expected that It Takes Two won‘t bend its robust controller requirements to accommodate the limited Joy-Con format.

And as someone who has played through this incredible co-op journey, I feel that commitment to excellence shows in every ingenious stage full of vibrant sights and creative objectives.

So while one Joy-Con alone won‘t cut it, I highly recommend rounding up a friend and two full controllers to witness It Takes Two‘s delightful gameplay firsthand. Just be ready for an emotional rollercoaster filled with laughter, tears, and plenty of good-natured bickering with your partner!

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions about playing It Takes Two, and stay tuned for more of my co-op gaming guides soon!