With top ratings from both the dia and players, and with hot discussion threads in every gaming community and forum, the hype around It Takes Two kept rising.
It wasn't just players paying attention; many designers in the gaming industry were also watching It Takes Two and studying what made it successful.
Although It Takes Two is packed with content—the main story alone takes over ten hours, spanning from the first level in the shed to the final level with the gramophone—
At its core, it's still a mid-sized ga.
For so indie developers, It Takes Two is clearly too big for them to handle.
But for second- and third-tier studios, its size is sothing they could afford.
Compared to the big first- and second-tier companies, which usually focus on FPS or ARPG titles, these smaller studios often choose niche genres and thes.
It Takes Two is obviously a great example.
Co-op gas were already rare in the market, and the success of It Takes Two also sparked player enthusiasm for this genre.
This naturally created a market.
So, where does the success of It Takes Two really co from?
Can its success be copied?
Can it be used as a reference?
These beca the key questions for many studios and designers.
Its level design, balance, guidance, art style, music, and even the small details—
All of these were repeatedly analyzed, making It Takes Two the new standard for co-op gas.
But for Lucas, It Takes Two had basically reached its end.
And this ga is different from previous titles like Fall Guys or Overcooked.
It's not suitable for a workshop system.
The ga is simply too complex. The art style of each thed scene, the level designs, and the special chanics are all tightly tied to the story and the.
If any part is changed, it would break the whole experience.
So even though It Takes Two is a level-based ga, it's not fit for a creative workshop.
And for Lucas, the ga's achievents so far were enough to satisfy him.
After all, the original goal of making this ga was to let players feel the joy it brings.
Looking at it now, that goal was perfectly achieved.
In Nebula Gas' office, Lucas leaned back in his massage chair, holding his phone and browsing his official page and community forums.
Under his posts were ssages from players who had played It Takes Two.
Most of them were similar, basically full of praise.
What really made Lucas happy was that players finally saw him in a new light again!
One sentence sumd it up: "The Warrior of Love lives up to the na."
While Lucas was scrolling through his phone, there was a knock on the office door. After he responded, Lisa ca in and said, "Lucas, the reporter from GaSpace is here."
"Okay, I'll be right there." Lucas nodded.
After *It Takes Two* beca a huge hit, GaSpace reached out to Nebula Gas to arrange a special interview with Lucas about the ga.
After all, the main buzz lately has been centered around It Takes Two, and GaSpace wanted to publish a feature.
Nebula Gas and GaSpace had already worked closely together last year.
Lucas had also done interviews with them before, and the reports were fine, so he agreed to this one as well.
He walked into the lounge.
The three GaSpace staff sitting on the couch stood up. Lucas vaguely rembered the reporter in the middle.
"Last year, when GaSpace interviewed , was it also you...?" Lucas said, looking at the na William on the reporter's badge.
"That's right, Lucas, good mory!" William smiled, but in his head, he rembered last year's interview.
Back then, he was too inexperienced. The whole thing turned into him just taking notes and being completely led around.
This year, he wasn't going to make the sa mistake.
Looking at Lucas with a smile, William thought to himself.
Determined not to ss up this ti, he took the lead: "Lucas, thank you for taking the ti for us. Shall we start now?"
"No problem, let's get straight to it. Lisa, bring those Cokes over." Lucas nodded and sat down, then turned to Lisa.
Lisa responded and got a few bottles of Coke from the fridge, handing them out.
"Thanks…" William said instinctively as he took an ice-cold Coke from Lisa.
Then he paused for a second. This felt oddly familiar.
But this ti William had learned his lesson. As the interviewer, he quickly started: "Lucas, last year your ga Dark Souls had a huge impact worldwide and even won Best Role-Playing Ga of the Year."
"At the sa ti, its story sparked heated discussions online. Many players thought your next ga would be a sequel to Dark Souls, continuing its story. But this year, you released sothing completely different with It Takes Two. Why is that?"
Lucas smiled and nodded: "Mainly, I wanted to give sothing special to the players. After Dark Souls launched, I noticed a lot of players misunderstood , thinking I enjoy making them suffer. Especially after the Ga of the Year awards, many misread my thank-you speech. Honestly, that hurt a little."
"I've always tried to see things from the player's perspective. Whether it's ARPGs, RPGs, action-adventure, or casual simulation, I'm not the kind of designer who sticks to one genre. I enjoy challenging myself with different types of gas."
"But there's one thing that never changes, and that's why I make gas: every ga carries my love for players. I've always wanted to create gas that warm people's hearts."
"Dark Souls is known for being hard, but if you really study it, you'll see it's not so hard that most people can't beat it. Once you understand its level design, bosses, and combat system, the ga becos much easier."
"The key is whether players can figure out the tricks. If they don't, it feels hard. But once they do, most people can finish the ga smoothly. It's just like It Takes Two: once players work together and solve the puzzles, everything flows naturally. Dark Souls works the sa way."
"The difference is, Dark Souls hides this, while in It Takes Two, I made it clear."
William nodded while listening, but sothing felt off. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
Because everything Lucas said was true!
"Lucas, can I ask sothing players really care about? Will there be a sequel to Dark Souls?" William decided to steer the topic away. He didn't want to fall into Lucas's rhythm again.
"Of course. It's already in our developnt plans. The sequel to Dark Souls will tell a prequel story, but it'll take so ti before players can see it. Still, they can look forward to the gaplay reveal in May." Lucas smiled.
Compared to last year, they didn't even have a folder created yet, but hey, hyping the ga early isn't called lying—it's called building anticipation.
William didn't know that. In his head, he was already imagining the prequel demo at the showcase a month later.
He asked excitedly, "Lucas, how hard will the prequel be?"
Lucas smiled: "Like I said before, I always want to bring joy to players, sothing that warms their hearts. I don't think about whether a ga is hard or not, but whether it makes sense."
"As for what I can share, it'll be a brand-new and crazy adventure. Players will find even bigger surprises than before, and I believe the art and gaplay will surpass the original."
Sitting on the couch, Lucas and William talked about a lot, not just Dark Souls but other things players cared about too.
Like how Nebula Gas' other titles were doing overseas.
For William, this interview was pure gold.
Especially the news about a Dark Souls prequel. That made him thrilled—he was a die-hard fan himself.
With many Nebula employees watching, William walked out of the building with a bright smile.
The next day, GaSpace's hopage featured a bold, red headline: "Lucas's True Vision."
(End of The Chapter)
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