Since It Takes Two achieved great success and won Game of the Year, various two-player co-op games with different themes have emerged endlessly. Protagonist duos have included couples, brothers, colleagues, and even strangers who met by chance. Common combinations have been thoroughly explored.
However, the new two-player co-op game Age Twisters showcased at Gamescom features a duo combination that the industry has likely never explored before. This is because the two protagonists have the largest age gap in the entire genre—they differ by a full two generations, with one being a grandfather and the other his granddaughter.
Furthermore, they possess a strange bracelet. With its power, they can shift between four age stages—childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age—using the characteristics of different life stages to solve puzzles blocking their path.
Indeed, this is quite a novel and interesting concept.
Taking advantage of Gamescom, we interviewed Jordi Ministral and Alexis Corominas, co-founders and game directors at Piccolo Studio, who shared many interesting stories about the game with us.
Below is the full interview:
Q: Piccolo Studio was previously known for single-player narrative adventure games. Why did you choose to create a pure two-player co-op game this time? What was the core creative intention?
A:We have always highly valued "creating emotional experiences through gameplay itself." In Age Twisters, we didn't just want to tell a story about the generation gap; we wanted two players to cooperate, see the world from different ages and perspectives, and personally experience these differences. Most importantly, we wanted to create a game that allows people from different generations to play together, laugh together, talk together, and gradually understand each other through the game. Age Twisters is Piccolo Studio's first two-player co-op game built around this concept.
Q: The "grandparent-grandchild duo" character setup is very unique. How did you come up with this idea? How were the personalities and relationship of the two protagonists designed?
A:Family relationships inherently carry strong emotional bonds, requiring little setup. A grandfather and granddaughter happen to stand at opposite ends of life, making them an ideal relationship for exploring generational gaps. The granddaughter's mother disappeared when she was young, so her grandfather raised her alone. Consequently, their relationship isn't always easy—the grandfather is elderly and bears the burden of parental responsibility in his later years, leading to fatigue and occasional eccentricity; the granddaughter is rebellious, harboring anger related to her mother's absence.
During this adventure, they will experience life from each other's perspectives, ultimately understanding each other and rediscovering themselves.
Q: What considerations went into the near-future Barcelona worldview setting? What role will this city play in the game?
A:We didn't aim for a one-to-one recreation of Barcelona's landmarks. Instead, we connected the city's unique vibe of "coexisting old and new" with the game's theme of "generations." The Barcelona in the game is a near-future reinterpretation of this concept.
Q: What logic guides the ability design for the four age stages: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age? How do you ensure that each form has an irreplaceable role?
A:Childhood allows for fast movement and position swapping; adolescence uses rhythm-based abilities that can slow down enemies; adulthood deals with combat using powerful punches to destroy obstacles; and old age manipulates metal objects using magnetism. Each age stage is designed to solve different types of problems, requiring the two players to switch ages according to the situation and combine their complementary abilities.
Q: In two-player co-op, how many combination possibilities can age pairings produce? Can you share some examples of particularly clever puzzle designs?
A:Skills can be combined freely, although for specific puzzles, some skills will be more useful than others. That said, skills are just one of the basic pillars of gameplay. We also constantly introduce various items and mechanisms to change how players operate at any given moment. For example, you can use a flashlight to illuminate a dark cave—since spider eggs cannot be touched, the two players must share this single flashlight and move forward in coordination. Or, both players turn invisible, leaving only footprints, and must sneak silently through a crowded laboratory. Another example is when both transform into dancers and must mimic the enemies' dance moves to avoid detection.
There are many more items and gameplay twists like these. Some combine with age abilities, while others don't, but the experience always feels fresh—you're always doing something new and fun.
Q: Age switching happens in real-time. What challenges does this pose for level design and combat pacing?
A:Yes, age switching happens in real-time, and players can switch as often as they like. It took us considerable time to find the right balance, ensuring the mechanism isn't abused while making logical sense in our design.
In the game, characters suffer from "age damage" (aging or de-aging damage), which is displayed on the age bar above their heads. Accumulating enough damage changes your age. If a character turns into a baby or a skeleton, they become uncontrollable and require rescue by their partner. If both players end up in this state, the game fails, and you will quickly respawn at the previous checkpoint.
The key is that when a character is in an "age charge" state, they cannot switch ages. You must avoid taking age damage for a few seconds until the age bar empties before you can switch again—this system is designed to cater to a broad player base, from hardcore to casual gamers.
Q: Each chapter of the game introduces new mechanics, such as planting palm trees, holographic motorcycle racing, dancing stealth, and mechanical T-Rexes. How were these imaginative ideas born?
A:Whenever we want to express a theme, we want players to experience it through gameplay rather than being told via narration. For each chapter, we start with the story and setting, thinking about what would be fun for two people to experience together in that context, and the mechanics grow from there. Whether players are planting palm trees, outrunning villains in the desert, sneaking into enemy nests by dancing, or riding a mechanical T-Rex... each chapter introduces something new while always keeping communication, coordination, and teamwork at the core.
Q: How do you maintain consistency and fluidity in the gaming experience amidst such diverse gameplay?
A:Although the controls keep changing, every mechanic serves the story and the journey of the two protagonists. Moreover, we always place communication and collaboration between the two players at the very center of puzzles, combat, and all gameplay segments.
Q: Approximately how long is the overall game flow? Is each chapter structured linearly, or does it include exploration elements?
A:The chapter structure is linear. There are some optional puzzles along the way that reward coins upon completion—what these coins can be used for will be announced later. But the main direction is clear, with relatively limited exploration content.
For a co-op game using an isometric camera, a more open structure wouldn't be suitable. We tested some more expansive environments, but they didn't align with the experience we wanted. We wanted the two players to stay close to each other, focus on what's in front of them, and discuss strategies together.
Q: Apart from its special role in gameplay, how is the theme of "age" expressed in terms of narrative and emotion in the game?
A:Dialogue changes dynamically based on the character's current age. Even when experiencing the same event, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age bring different perspectives and reactions, allowing players to personally experience how different generations view problems.
What we ultimately want to convey is that every age has its unique value—the innocence of childhood, the vitality of youth, and the experience and wisdom accumulated over time... As the two protagonists experience the world from different ages and perspectives, they will gradually understand each other more deeply and gain new insights into themselves.
Q: Piccolo Studio's works are known for their emotional storytelling. What new attempts has Age Twisters made in terms of emotional expression?
A:We hope to make the process of failing together, laughing together, and cooperating together an emotional experience in itself. We are not pursuing high difficulty but rather focusing on creating memorable memories through shared moments, dialogue, and strategies discussed side-by-side.
Q: The Friend's Pass is a very friendly design. How was this decision made? What are your expectations for the player community?
A:For us, this was almost a no-brainer. First, as players ourselves, we really like this feature—we've played similar games that support it and felt that players would expect Age Twisters to offer the same convenience.
Additionally, from a creator's perspective, we know it can expand the audience and drive word-of-mouth. For instance, you might play with your partner first, then invite a friend later—that friend can play for free, and if they enjoy the experience, they might bring in someone else to play.
It's a win-win for everyone.
Q: What are the different development challenges for local co-op versus online co-op?
A:Age Twisters uses a single shared camera, keeping both players within the same frame rather than using split-screen. To create this co-op experience where "the two are always together and can always see each other," we had to design spaces and levels around this premise. Local co-op and online co-op follow the same principle—regardless of the format, our focus is on ensuring players can clearly see what their partner is doing and communicate naturally throughout the process.
Q: How is the development of the Switch 2 version progressing? What adaptations will be made for performance and graphics?
A:We are still working on all versions. Switch 2 is one of the key target platforms for Age Twisters, and we want the game to run smoothly on it. The experience will be very similar to other versions, with some elements adapted specifically for the Switch 2's control scheme.
Development is still ongoing, but we are confident that we can deliver an excellent experience for Switch 2 players, and we can't wait to see the players' reactions!
Q: What was the biggest challenge the team faced when shifting from single-player games to pure co-op development?
A:As our first co-op game, this meant that Everythinggj had to be designed with both players in mind. Designing space and gameplay around a single camera framing both players was a completely new challenge for us.
Q: What support and changes did the collaboration with KRAFTON bring?
A:We have enjoyed collaborating with KRAFTON. They brought fresh perspectives to the project and, leveraging their experience and understanding of the global market, helped us improve the game comprehensively.
Despite time zone and cultural differences, we understood each other well and worked together to find solutions to make the game better. The collaboration has been very smooth, and we believe the final product will reflect the joint efforts of both parties.
Q: With Age Twisters making its debut at Gamescom, what do you most hope players will remember and feel?
A:Through Age Twisters, we hope to allow people from different generations to laugh, talk, and share an experience together. The memories and bonds formed during gameplay, along with the mutual understanding that naturally grows from this process—that is what we most want to convey through this game.