WheelMates vs It Takes Two: How It Actually Compares

Quick answer: WheelMates and It Takes Two share the same basic idea — two players working together through puzzle-driven levels — but that's where the similarity ends. Players who've streamed both rated WheelMates around 6/10, specifically calling out that "it's just not on the same quality" as It Takes Two in narrative and overall polish. If you're expecting a Hazelight-level production, adjust that expectation before you buy.

There isn't a written comparison piece anywhere else for this search — the only real source is direct player commentary from a full playthrough, so that's what this page is built on rather than a marketing-style feature comparison.

The comparison is fair on genre, not on scale

Both games put two players through a shared world of environmental puzzles that require actual coordination rather than just co-located combat. That's a legitimate reason to search "wheelmates it takes two" if you loved that formula and are looking for something similar. It's also the comparison the game itself seems to invite, deliberately or not, given how central two-person puzzle interactions are to WheelMates' level design (see the puzzles overview).

Where it breaks down is everything around that core loop. One streamer, asked directly how the two compare, didn't hedge: "it's just not on the same quality." The same player wanted "a more narrative cinematic storyline," noting WheelMates felt "kind of reminiscent of old school [co-op games]" rather than a modern, story-driven production — a fair description, given the game tells most of its story through collectible audio logs (see the collectibles guide) rather than voiced cutscenes.

What's genuinely good: performance

Not every comparison point goes against WheelMates. A second player in the same session (streaming as Fox) noted solid technical performance — 180–200 FPS on Epic settings — which is a real, measured data point rather than a vague impression. If you were worried about optimization on a capable PC, that's a positive sign, even if it doesn't address the narrative gap.

What's missing: minigame variety and cutscene narrative

Beyond the story presentation, the same feedback pointed to a lack of minigame variety compared to what a bigger co-op production typically offers, and an absence of the cinematic pacing that carries a game like It Takes Two between its puzzle sections. WheelMates' puzzles themselves also skew simple (see the puzzles overview for more on that) — combined with lighter narrative presentation, the overall experience reads as smaller in scope on every axis, not just budget.

The scores, for context

Both streamers gave numeric scores after finishing their sessions: 6.5/10 and 6/10. Neither is a bad score, and it lines up reasonably well with WheelMates' Mostly Positive standing on Steam (see the full review) — solidly fine, not a standout.

What about Split Fiction?

Split Fiction is Hazelight's follow-up to It Takes Two, from the same studio, and the same logic applies: if you're drawn to WheelMates because of the co-op puzzle genre those games popularized, go in expecting a much smaller-scale, independently made take on the idea — not a competitor to either Hazelight title in scope or production value.

Bottom line

If "co-op puzzle game" is the genre you want and you're not particular about production values, WheelMates delivers that at a smaller price and a smaller scale. If what you actually loved about It Takes Two was the cinematic storytelling and variety, temper your expectations — by the account of people who've played both, WheelMates isn't aiming for, or hitting, that same bar.