The last time I had so much fun in a co-op was with Heavenly Bodies on the PS5. That’s replicated here with Toodee and Topdee – a puzzle game from dietzribi and Top Hat Studios, also on the PS5, and it’s absolutely brilliant.
First impressions weren’t, “I gotta have it!”. These past few weeks have seen a heap of review titles, so ploughing through and prioritising them fits into two distinct categories: the release date and whether I immediately want to play it. The truth? I didn’t immediately want to play this, but my little girl asked if it was a two-player, and that’s where we begin…
Toodee and Topdee is an unlikely partnership between a 2D platformer and top-down puzzler combined after some universe meddling without being tediously meta. When a semi-colon goes missing, the two must work together to locate it and bring stability to their worlds. Anyone who’s experimented with basic coding will appreciate that a missing semi-colon is as irritating as dry nipples on a 25-mile run.
Toodee and Topdee Review – PS5
To spell it out, Toodee is the 2D character, and Topdee is the top-down representative. It’s in the title, so if you’re up for a revelation, that’s the skinny. With Toodee, players can drift around the playing area, jumping onto platforms, collecting keys, and whatnot. Most important for Toodee is gravity, as they’re pretty partial to it.
Topdee is unaffected by gravity but cannot climb over objects or jump chasms, so they manipulate the environment to make make-do bridges or platforms for – you guessed it – Toodee. Each has its advantages/disadvantages, but the key thing to note is they MUST work together. To do (there’s a character in it called Toodoo) this effectively, you’re able to switch characters with the square button.
Time stops for the other player, and Topdee can perhaps tuck in a crate underneath Toodee, switch back, and just as Toodee is falling, jump onto the crate, jump again, and then switch back to Topdee. Again, you can manipulate the environment and work in unison, ensuring both characters reach the warp at the end of each level. However, a lot of precision is required in Toodee and Topdee, as is timing.
Time It
Toodee and Topdee is a decent one-player suited for anyone without friends or who thinks they can do a better job than their local co-op partner. I played exclusively as a two-player with my daughter, who is six. Telling her how it works, i.e. as Topdee, she needs to pick up objects/remove them so that I can reach different areas, took about 30 seconds of explanation, and I was genuinely blown away at her problem-solving skills.
That’s what Toodee and Topdee is about: coming up with a solution together to reach a common goal. The two characters don’t know each other before the events occur, but they suck it up and get through together, as you should with a reliable co-op player (my eldest daughter is a sadist and likes to sabotage play – not something you want here). Before long, we were easily smashing through each stage, that is, our communication skills (though the difficulty spikes big time). From what I remember, player one controls the switch option, so it was a case of asking for assistance, then saying, “Ok, let me switch to you… now!” and vice versa.
Our character selections were best suited to our skill levels as Topdee is a little more laid-back than Toodee when it comes to precision jumping. Often you will have to time the jumps perfectly, and there isn’t much scope for error. Due to our skill levels, we had the option to put on trainers, so to speak, to provide extra health and avoid the one-hit kills. That said, the options here are pretty good, so you can adjust them accordingly without spoiling the experience.
Verdict
In short, Toodee and Topdee is one of the best co-op platformers that I’ve played. The simple controls but challenging gameplay make for an entertaining experience for all levels (just add the trainers if you’re struggling), though I must stress that the game is best played with another player. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy it on your lonesome. Highly recommended.
