Watching the first half hour of the big Summer Game Fest 2025 keynote today was an exercise in patience as I waded through an ocean of dark fantasy Soulslike reveals hoping for something different to bob above the surface like some divine emergency raft, and Out of Words was exactly that lifeline for me.

Out of Words is a co-op platformer with big It Takes Two energy, but with a genuinely gorgeous stop-motion animation style that, according to presenter Lucy James of GameSpot fame, is entirely crafted by hand. Think Harold Halibut but even prettier. (Sorry, Harold.)

I mean, just look at this thing:

According to Out of Words’ Epic Games listing, where you can wishlist the game, the story takes place in “the colorful realm of Vokabulantis” and is about the first time dual protagonists Kurt and Karla held hands.

“Out of Words is a journey for two, and this adventure will require cooperation, communication and perfect timing between you and your co-player,” reads the description.

Sounds a lot like It Takes Two, huh? Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Split Fiction, but I found It Takes Two’s story to be a lot more engrossing and emotionally impactful. There’s no telling if Out of Words will resonate in the same way, but it’s encouraging that it seems to deal with a struggling romance like It Takes Two, a topic that hits that much harder when you’re playing with your partner.

Some of the physics-based puzzles in the trailer look pretty inventive, and it seems like there’s a lot that tinker around with the game’s gravity system in neat-looking ways. Epic confirmed that you’ll be able to play online and in couch co-op.

Out of Words is in co-development at games studio Kong Orange and stop-motion animation studio Wired Fly, with a vague “coming soon” release window on PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Epic.

In the meantime, here are the best co-op games to play right now.