Co-op games have been enjoying a major resurgence over the last few years, with Hazelight games like It Takes Two and Split Fiction proving there’s still plenty of room for creative two-player-only stories and adventures. Now, another upcoming game looks ready to build on that momentum, but it’s doing so with a style that immediately stands out. Out of Words looks like Tim Burton’s take on It Takes Two, complete with a handcrafted world and one feature that few modern games can claim: stop-motion gameplay.
At the same time, Out of Words embraces an intentionally handmade aesthetic that takes broad strokes from Tim Burton’s own style (even if it leans more on the stop-motion connection). Every character, environment, and animation is created using real stop-motion techniques before being brought into the game, making sure players fully understand each frame. The result is a fantasy world that feels equal parts whimsical, eerie, and charming, making it one of the more visually distinctive co-op games.
Co-Op and Stop-Motion Make Out of Words a Game to Watch
Out of Words is an upcoming cooperative platforming adventure game from Kong Orange and WiredFly, published by Epic Games for PC (EGS only), Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. The game follows two protagonists, Kurt and Karla, after they mysteriously lose their voices. Their journey takes them across the strange world of Vokabulantis as they attempt to restore what they’ve lost while overcoming increasingly dangerous obstacles together. As a co-op game with no single-player mode, the connection to some of Hazelight’s worlds is immediately obvious.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Easy (5)Medium (7)Hard (10)
Like It Takes Two, the entire experience revolves around co-op. Out of Words players will tackle the adventure through local split-screen or online cross-platform co-op, solving physics-based puzzles, navigating platforming challenges, and waiting for the other to eventually catch up. This co-op exploration spans everything from ancient catacombs to towering clay-built cities, and everything is made all the better to observe and explore thanks to the stop-motion.
The stop-motion presentation is easily Out of Word‘s biggest selling point. Instead of simply mimicking the look digitally, the developers build the characters and environments by hand before animating them frame by frame. It’s genuinely the same craft as any stop-motion movie. That handcrafted stop-motion approach gives Out of Words a unique identity that evokes the gothic whimsy often associated with Tim Burton while helping it stand apart from the growing number of co-op games on the market.
Beyond its visual style, Out of Words also leans heavily into an emotional story centered on communication, identity, and relationships. Kurt and Karla’s inability to speak serves as both a gameplay hook and a narrative metaphor, with their adventure exploring how people connect even when words fail them. Combined with its unique stop-motion visuals and It Takes Two-inspired cooperative gameplay, Out of Words is shaping up to be one of the more intriguing upcoming co-op game releases for 2027 to keep an eye on.
