Chapter 1 of 7
The Shed Walkthrough
The Shed is where Cody and May — magically shrunk into dolls by their daughter Rose's tears — learn that nothing moves without both players. It introduces the game's core promise: asymmetric co-op, where May and Cody never share the same tool.
| Theme | Resentment and Utility |
|---|---|
| Playtime | 1.5–2 hours |
| Minigames | 2 (both in The Depths) |
| Core mechanic | Hammer & Nails |
| May's tool | Hammer — smashes obstacles, swings from nails |
| Cody's tool | Nails — pins objects, creates swing points |
Co-op roles: read this first
Every puzzle in The Shed is built so one player's tool is useless without the other's. Before you touch a puzzle, agree who leads.
May — Hammer
- Smashes cracked obstacles, glass, and locked panels.
- Swings from nails Cody has pinned into the world.
- Often the one who triggers the environment (levers, switches).
Cody — Nails
- Throws nails that pin objects and create grapple/swing points.
- Builds the path May needs to cross gaps.
- Usually the one launched or lifted by May's swings.
Co-op playbook for The Shed
The Shed is the tutorial chapter, yet it still trips up pairs who read "co-op" as "do the same thing." Each puzzle here pairs one tool with the other, so the two players are complementary, not interchangeable. Skim the four notes below before you begin and you should clear it in a single sitting instead of replaying the same puzzle.
Communication cadence
Pick a caller. In a hammer-and-nail puzzle, the player who can see the landing spot should name it: "nail above the ledge, left side" beats a vague "over there." Call your action one beat before you commit — May should say "smashing" before the hammer falls so Cody is not mid-throw. If voice chat is unavailable or unreliable, the game's built-in emote ping is enough to mark a target for your partner.
Pacing & difficulty at a glance
The Shed runs about 1.5 to 2 hours. Difficulty stays low across the board because it is a teaching chapter, but the ramp is real: the opening is gentle and the pressure climbs from the rotating fans in The Depths into the two boss fights. Use this map to pace yourselves.
| Section | Rough time | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Wake-up Call | ~10 min | 1 of 3 |
| Biting the Dust | ~20 min | 1 of 3 |
| The Depths | ~25 min | 2 of 3 |
| Wired Up | ~15 min | 2 of 3 |
| Vacuum Tower (boss) | ~10 min | 2 of 3 |
| Toolbox (boss, 3 phases) | ~15 min | 3 of 3 |
Times are editorial estimates for a first clear by a new co-op pair and exclude replays plus minigame detours.
Camera & movement
It Takes Two uses one shared, auto-framing camera that pulls back when you separate and tightens when you are close. A frequent cause of falls here is walking off-screen: if your partner dashes ahead, the camera lags and you lose your footing. On the grinding rails in Wired Up, stay within a body length of each other and let swing arcs finish before you act. When a puzzle lifts one player, the lifter should center the camera so the lifted partner can see the landing.
If you get stuck
Most Shed stalls trace to one of four causes — check them in order:
- Split tools: confirm May still has the Hammer and Cody the Nails; a dropped tool resets the whole loop.
- Stale swing point: if May cannot reach a ledge, Cody likely pinned the wrong surface — re-pin rather than re-smash.
- Missed minigame: Flip the Switch hides off the main path in The Depths; backtrack to the "Danger: Moving Parts" button if your count sits at 24 of 25.
- Boss reset: the Toolbox's third phase needs the launch lined up — if Cody keeps missing the canister, May should re-center the aim instead of firing faster.
Track your full run, including both Shed minigames, in the Completion Tracker, and open the minigame index for where every one lives.
1. Wake-up Call (tutorial)
You awaken as dolls on the workbench. This section teaches movement, the double jump, and the ground pound — and ends with your first cooperative door puzzle.
Steps
- Follow Dr. Hakim's prompts to learn run, jump, and double jump.
- Use the ground pound (jump + press down in air) to break weak floors.
- Reach the first sealed door: one player holds a mechanism while the other slips through.
May: stand on the pressure plate / pull the lever to hold the door.
Cody: dash through the gap the moment it opens, then return the favor for May.
2. Biting the Dust
Dr. Hakim (the talking book) hands out your tools here: May gets the Hammer, Cody gets the Nails. The rest of the section is a teaching run for the hammer-and-nail loop, capped by the mid-chapter mini-boss.
Steps
- Cody pins a nail into a soft surface; May swings off it to cross a gap.
- May smashes a cracked wall to open the route; Cody pins the next swing point.
- Repeat the pin-smash-pin rhythm until you reach the Vacuum Tower.
Cody: call out where you're pinning — "nail left, above the ledge."
May: confirm the swing arc is clear before committing; don't smash while Cody is mid-throw.
3. The Depths
A dark underbelly section built around rotating fan puzzles. Both of The Shed's minigames live here — and one is easy to miss if you rush (see Minigames).
Steps
- Time your movement through spinning fans; Cody pins safe ledges on the far side.
- May smashes blocked vents so Cody can reach the next pin point.
- Watch for the sawdust room (Whack-a-Cody) and the "Danger: Moving Parts" button (Flip the Switch).
4. Wired Up
A vertical, high-speed section. You ride moving cables and throw nails mid-grind to clear hazards. Pace yourselves — this flows straight into the final boss.
Steps
- Hop onto a rail and grind; Cody throws nails at targets while moving.
- May smashes any lock that stops the cable.
- Reach the arena and prepare for the Toolbox.
Boss: Vacuum Tower (mid-chapter)
A possessed vacuum cleaner that sucks up the room. Cooperate to pin it down and smash its weak points.
Cody pins the vacuum's hose or body to a surface so it can't reposition; May hammers the exposed weak panel. When it inhales, back off together — then re-pin on the exhale. Repeat until it's disabled and the path opens.
Fine step timing for this fight is pending a PowerPyx cross-check in the batch pass (see Source cross-check).
Boss: Toolbox (final, 3 phases)
The chapter's true finale: an angry toolbox with a three-phase fight.
Cody pins the Toolbox's flailing arm; May hammers the locks holding it shut. Clear all locks to open Phase 2.
The Toolbox goes on the offensive, firing nails and lurching around the arena. Keep distance as a pair, dodge together, and re-pin whenever it exposes an arm.
A launch mechanism flings Cody across the arena to strike an explosive canister. May lines up the launch; Cody aims the hit. Detonating the canister ends the fight and the chapter.
Minigames in The Shed
Minigames are It Takes Two's collectible system — triggered by following tambourines with purple streamers. They give no rewards, only bragging rights, and each takes about a minute. Both Shed minigames are in The Depths.
Whack-a-Cody
Triggers automatically in the sawdust room during The Depths. You can't miss it on the main path — just play it when the room opens up.
Flip the Switch Easy to miss
A side path near the "Danger: Moving Parts" button, also in The Depths. If you rush the main route you'll blow past it. Backtrack to the button area and take the branch — this is one of the 25 you'll need for a full completion.
Source cross-check
- Chapter order & story: IGN wiki and hone.gg agree (The Shed is Chapter 1 of 7).
- Mechanic: hone.gg (Hammer & Nails) used; earlyguides' "magnet" wording is treated as an error — magnetism belongs to Chapter 5 (Snow Globe), not The Shed.
- Boss count: hone.gg lists Vacuum Tower (mid) + Toolbox (final, 3 phases). earlyguides mentions only a "vacuum cleaner boss" — likely referring to Vacuum Tower; the two-boss structure is kept.
- Names: IGN wiki text erroneously writes "Max and Cody"; canonical is May & Cody (hone.gg, earlyguides, official). Corrected.
- Pending: PowerPyx boss-phase fine timing to be cross-checked during the batch production pass (B1).