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New Co-Op Game Is Like It Takes Two, Except One Player Is a Dog

IKUMA: The Frozen Compass is a planned 2026 co-op adventure about a boy and his husky stranded on an Arctic island. Here’s what its Steam listing confirms.
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The game behind that comparison is IKUMA – The Frozen Compass, a planned 2026 adventure from Mooneye Studios. It pairs Sam, a cabin boy, with Ellie, his husky companion, in an Arctic survival story. Steam lists both solo play, with character switching, and co-op with a friend—but the comparison to It Takes Two is a hook, not evidence that the games share the same design or quality.

What is IKUMA – The Frozen Compass about?

Steam describes a story set in 1864, where Sam and Ellie are stranded on an uncharted Arctic island. They must contend with the environment, investigate a mystery, and try to make it home. The listing advertises exploration, foraging, gathering tools and items, climbing, fishing, and managing limited supplies and cold. These are the store page’s advertised features, not a hands-on assessment. Steam’s listing identifies Mooneye Studios as both developer and publisher.

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How does its co-op work?

The Steam listing says the game can be played alone, switching between Sam and Ellie, or cooperatively with a friend. It lists shared/split-screen co-op and Remote Play Together. The characters have different skills, according to the listing, but it does not establish a detailed breakdown of each character’s abilities or how every puzzle or challenge uses them.

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A secondary co-op roundup also frames IKUMA as a story-based split-screen game featuring a teenage boy and a dog. That supports the broad premise, not a claim that it plays like It Takes Two in specific ways.

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How fair is the It Takes Two comparison?

Both names appear in a conversation about cooperative adventures, but the available product information is not enough to call IKUMA a substitute for It Takes Two or to compare their mechanics, production values, or quality. What can be said is narrower: IKUMA advertises solo and two-player co-op, distinct character skills, and an Arctic survival-and-mystery setting. Its listing does not establish a design relationship to It Takes Two, and no hands-on evaluation is available here.

When and where can you play it?

As of October 12, 2026, Steam listed IKUMA for Windows PC with a planned 2026 release and marked it not yet available. The store page gives no confirmed exact release date, so the year should not be read as a launch-day guarantee. Check the Steam product page for current availability.

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Steam’s listing shows minimum requirements of Windows 10, 8 GB RAM, DirectX 11, and 10 GB of storage, along with recommended CPU and graphics specifications. Those are the store’s listed requirements, not independent performance testing; consult the current listing for the full specifications.

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Why is the game being discussed now?

Mooneye Studios announced IKUMA on Steam Community on April 10, 2025, noting that its reveal trailer was part of the Triple-I Showcase. The announcement is available in the Steam Community post.

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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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