Most players finish Hazelight Studios' co-op adventure in 12 to 14 hours. If you stick strictly to the main story without hunting for side content, you can wrap it up in about 10 to 12 hours. Completionists who track down every hidden minigame and trophy will spend around 16 to 20 hours total.
Timing a cooperative game isn't just about raw clock hours. Because the game relies entirely on split-screen communication between two players, your actual pace depends heavily on puzzle-solving chemistry, controller familiarity, and how many times you get distracted by the interactive world.
Breaking Down Playstyles and Hours
Your total runtime depends entirely on how you and your partner approach the journey. Here is how the hours break down across different playstyles:
- Story-Focused Run: 10 to 12 hours. You push straight through the narrative chapters, ignore most optional minigames, and focus purely on progressing the plot.
- Casual Playthrough: 12 to 14 hours. This is the most common pace. You explore the environments, test out fun interactive objects, and play roughly half of the hidden minigames.
- Completionist Run: 16 to 20 hours. You hunt down every single minigame, unlock all achievements, and poke into every corner of the level design.
Speedrunners who master the movement mechanics and skip cutscenes can finish the entire game in under two hours, though that approach strips away the humor and emotional core that make the title unique.
Chapter-by-Chapter Time Estimates
The game is split into distinct chapters, each introducing new gameplay mechanics, traversal tools, and puzzle designs. Most chapters take between 60 and 90 minutes to complete.
- The Shed: Roughly 1 hour. This introductory chapter acts as an extended tutorial, teaching you basic movement, hammer-and-nail mechanics, and how to synchronize actions with your partner.
- The Tree: 1.5 to 2 hours. You explore a sprawling garden tree, using sap and matches to solve platforming puzzles while navigating conflicts between squirrels and wasps.
- Rose's Room: 1 to 1.5 hours. Set inside the children's bedroom, this chapter includes pillow forts, space stations, and platforming challenges that test your aerial control.
- Cuckoo Clock: 1 to 1.5 hours. Time-manipulation mechanics take center stage here, requiring precise coordination to alter environments and solve chronological puzzles.
- Snow Globe: 1.5 hours. A winter wonderland featuring ice skating, sledding, and magnetic poles that alter gravity and momentum.
- Garden: 1 to 1.5 hours. You explore a backyard overgrown with weeds, utilizing gardening tools, green thumbs, and insect riding to clear paths.
- The Music and Finale: 1 to 2 hours. The final stretch pulls together every mechanic you've learned for a high-energy conclusion.
Core Factors That Alter Your Pace
Two people playing at identical skill levels can still finish with vastly different timestamps. Several practical factors influence how fast you move through the levels.
Co-Op Communication and Experience
If both players are seasoned platformer veterans, you'll breeze through traversal sections without missing a beat. If one player is new to dual-stick controllers, you'll spend extra time retrying jump sequences and boss fights. Clear voice chat or sitting side-by-side on a couch cuts down confusion instantly.
Optional Minigames
There are 25 hidden minigames scattered across the levels. Finding and playing all of them adds roughly two to three hours to your runtime. While skipping them saves time, they often provide the funniest competitive moments between partners.
Puzzles and Platforming Re-tries
Death in the game is forgiving—you respawn almost instantly right next to your partner. However, complex timing puzzles can lead to repeated failures. If you get stuck on a specific boss pattern, expect your total session time to tick upward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you play the game solo?
No. The game is built from the ground up exclusively for two-player cooperative play. You cannot play with AI bots or single-player matchmaking.
Does the Friend's Pass cost money?
No. One player needs to purchase the full game, but the second player can download the Friend's Pass for free on platforms like Steam or PlayStation Store to join the entire campaign online.
Is the game split-screen only?
Yes, the screen remains split at all times whether you play locally on the couch or online with a friend, ensuring both players always see what the other is doing.
Does replaying the game take less time?
Yes. Your second playthrough usually takes about 8 to 10 hours because you already know the puzzle solutions. Switching roles with your partner for the second run changes your perspective on the mechanics and keeps the experience fresh.
