It Takes Two Cody: Character, Abilities & Co-Op Guide
Explore It Takes Two Cody, his clay doll form, personality, voice actor, and chapter abilities. Learn how to coordinate with May through co-op challenges.
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Who Is Cody in It Takes Two?
Waking up as a clay doll is bad enough; having to cooperate with a partner you're struggling to get along with makes things complicated fast. This It Takes Two Cody guide covers the dad behind the doll, his changing abilities, and his role alongside May. The appeal of an It Takes Two Cody playthrough is the variety: your tools keep changing, and your partner's abilities help make them useful.
Cody is one of the two playable protagonists in It Takes Two, alongside his wife, May. He's a stay-at-home father who loves gardening, has plenty of imagination, and sometimes struggles to turn good intentions into action.
Their daughter, Rose, accidentally transforms the couple into dolls through mysterious magic. Cody ends up in a clay body, while May becomes a wooden doll. Returning to their human bodies means navigating a fantastical world together while confronting the problems in their relationship.
| Character detail | Cody |
|---|---|
| Story role | Playable protagonist alongside May |
| Family | May's husband and Rose's father |
| Everyday role | Stay-at-home dad |
| Personal interest | Gardening |
| Doll form | Clay |
| Personality | Creative, affectionate, and scatterbrained |
| English voice actor | Joseph Balderrama |
Cody's appearance makes him easy to distinguish from May, but his identity goes beyond the material he's made from. His affection, frustration, and neglected interests all matter to the adventure. Even when the game hands him an outrageous new ability, there's still a recognizable person underneath it.
Cody's Personality and His Relationship With May
Cody brings warmth and imagination to the partnership, along with a tendency to become defensive. The opening captures that tension quickly: discovering their transformed bodies doesn't stop him and May from falling into familiar arguments.
Image: Steam / Hazelight Studios
Their situation becomes stranger when Dr. Hakim, a talking relationship book, enters the picture. Getting along is already difficult for this couple; now they're dealing with enormous household objects, magical environments, and a self-appointed love expert.
For an It Takes Two Cody character overview, the important distinction is that being affectionate doesn't make him free of responsibility. He has dreams and cares about his family, but the story also asks him to recognize what he has allowed to slip away.
Why Gardening Matters to Cody
The Garden chapter gives Cody's personal interests a physical setting. His greenhouse has become infected after he abandoned his gardening passion, turning something he once cared for into a shared challenge.
That connection gives his plant transformations more meaning. Gardening belongs to his life before the adventure, and the chapter brings that part of him back into focus.
May has a similar connection to music, which becomes central in the Attic. Both characters have interests buried beneath the strain of their relationship and responsibilities.
Watch how their conversations change as they revisit those interests. Their arguments explain the distance between them, while moments of cooperation give them opportunities to reconnect. The Snow Globe, for example, lets them remember happier experiences together amid the action.
Cody's Abilities Across the Chapters
The central gameplay detail in any It Takes Two Cody guide is that his abilities change throughout the adventure. Choosing Cody means learning a succession of tools rather than settling into one permanent combat or puzzle role.
Image: Steam / Hazelight Studios
His abilities also connect with May's. Sometimes he prepares something she activates. Elsewhere, they approach the same obstacle through entirely different movement options.
Nails, Sap, and Size Changes
The Shed introduces Cody's throwable nails, which can jam gears and help create a route for May. This gives him a direct role in manipulating the environment while she handles a hammer head.
The Tree changes that arrangement into an explosive partnership. Cody fires tree sap, and May carries a weapon that shoots matchsticks. Combining their weapons creates chain reactions against obstacles and attacking wasps.
Later, the space section of Rose's Room gives Cody the ability to change size. May instead gains the ability to walk on walls, creating puzzles that ask each player to consider different routes and interactions.
| Area | Cody's ability or equipment | May's ability or equipment | Shared puzzle or combat connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Shed | Throwable nails | Hammer head | Cody jams gears and helps provide a route for May |
| The Tree | Sap-firing weapon | Matchstick-firing weapon | Their weapons combine to create explosive chain reactions |
| Rose's Room: Space Station | Size changing | Wall walking | Each character approaches the space puzzles with different movement possibilities |
When playing Cody in the Tree, tell your partner where you're placing sap before asking for a matchstick shot. Calling out the target gives both players the same immediate objective.
In the Shed, explain which gear or route you're working on. May's player needs to understand what your nails are accomplishing, especially when your attention is on different parts of the screen.
For the space puzzles, experiment with Cody's size changes while May examines the wall routes. Keep both abilities in mind when discussing a blocked path.
Time Powers, Magnets, Plants, and Music
Cody's later tools continue changing the partnership. Inside the Cuckoo Clock, he can reverse and speed up time, while May uses a clone she can teleport to.
The Snow Globe equips both characters with magnets. The Garden then connects Cody's abilities to his love of plants, with May using water and a scythe. In the Attic, Cody carries a cymbal while May's voice becomes part of the puzzle solving.
| Chapter | Cody's tool or power | May's corresponding tool or power |
|---|---|---|
| Cuckoo Clock | Reversing and speeding up time | A clone she can teleport to |
| Snow Globe | Magnet | Magnet |
| The Garden | Transforming into different plants | Water gun and scythe |
| The Attic | Cymbal used as a throwing weapon | Singing and shouting abilities |
Treat each new tool as a reason to reconsider how you cooperate. Time manipulation asks for different coordination than setting up a sap explosion, and plant transformations create another kind of partnership entirely.
The Garden makes that connection particularly clear: May waters soil so Cody can transform into plant life. Coordinate the watering and transformation together when working through those sections.
An It Takes Two Cody playthrough keeps changing what you're responsible for. You might manipulate an obstacle, prepare an attack, or use a transformation while May handles a complementary task. Pay attention to the current tools instead of carrying the previous chapter's habits into every puzzle.
How to Coordinate With May as Cody
Cody and May's abilities give you plenty to discuss during play. Use specific calls tied to what each character can do: “I'm covering that target with sap” communicates more than “Do something over there.”
Image: Steam / Hazelight Studios
The game supports split-screen play, making your partner's view useful context for a shared problem. Check what May is facing before deciding that Cody's side of the puzzle is finished.
Keep these habits in mind:
- Name the interaction. Say whether you're jamming a gear, placing sap, changing size, or manipulating time.
- Ask about May's tool. Include her hammer, matches, clone, water, or voice in the discussion when that ability is relevant.
- Coordinate connected actions. Agree on the sap target before May fires, or discuss watering before Cody's plant transformation.
- Describe the obstacle clearly. Identify the object or route you're discussing so both players can follow the plan.
For your It Takes Two Cody run, focus on the connection between abilities whenever progress stalls. In the Tree, that means considering sap and matches together. In the Garden, it means considering May's water alongside Cody's transformations.
Different abilities also give you different perspectives. Cody's player may be focused on changing size while May's player is looking at a wall route. Describe what each of you can interact with before choosing the next action.
Leave room for the playful parts, too. The adventure includes minigames and interactive spaces alongside its puzzles and combat. Explore the Snow Globe village, try the activities in Rose's Room, and give yourselves time to enjoy the environments between challenges.
That variety is part of Cody's appeal. His adventure moves through household spaces, a squirrel conflict, a magical clock, a garden, and musical environments, with each setting changing how the partnership works.
Cody's Voice Actor and Co-Op Options
Joseph Balderrama voices Cody in English. He also voices Dr. Hakim, giving him two very different roles within the same adventure. Annabelle Dowler voices May, and Clare Corbett voices Rose.
Cody's performance has to carry both the absurdity of becoming a clay doll and the friction of a troubled marriage. His exchanges with May keep those personal stakes present even when the surroundings become increasingly strange.
If this It Takes Two Cody guide has you ready to choose him, arrange your co-op setup with your partner. The adventure is built for co-op, with couch and online options.
| Play option | How you play together |
|---|---|
| Couch co-op | Play together locally with split-screen play |
| Online co-op | Join another player online |
| Friend's Pass | Join through Friend's Pass with a partner who owns the full game |
Friend's Pass requires its installation and the applicable platform account. Online play requires a friend on the same platform, and a partner must own the full game for both players to experience the full adventure.
Visit the official It Takes Two website for purchase options and Friend's Pass information.
When discussing character choice, compare the abilities that interest you. Cody offers nails, sap, size changes, time manipulation, plant transformations, and a cymbal across different sections. May has her own complementary tools throughout the journey. Whichever character you choose, plan to keep learning together as the game changes your equipment.
FAQ
Who Is Cody in It Takes Two?
Cody is May's husband, Rose's father, and one of the game's two playable protagonists. He's a creative, affectionate stay-at-home dad with a passion for gardening who becomes a clay doll through mysterious magic.
Who Voices Cody in English?
Joseph Balderrama voices Cody in English. He also provides the voice of Dr. Hakim, the talking relationship book who becomes involved in Cody and May's adventure.
What Abilities Does It Takes Two Cody Have?
Cody's abilities change by chapter. They include throwing nails, firing sap, changing size, manipulating time, using a magnet, transforming into plants, and throwing a cymbal. May receives complementary abilities for the shared challenges.
Can You Play Cody Without a Co-Op Partner?
It Takes Two is built for co-op. Play locally through couch co-op or join a partner online. Friend's Pass lets another player join the full adventure when a partner owns the game and the applicable requirements are met.
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It Takes Two May: Her Story, Abilities, and Co-Op TipsExplore It Takes Two May, from her wooden doll form and voice actor to chapter abilities, puzzle strategies, and teamwork tips for an adventure with Cody.Join the community
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