This stretch of It Takes Two happens in the Garden chapter as you move from Frog Pond into the greenhouse. There’s an optional Snail Race minigame nearby, then a short co-op timing puzzle, followed by greenhouse combat and the Joy boss fight.

Snail Race detour

After you dismount the frogs and move forward on foot, you’ll crawl through a short tunnel and come out near a large lantern. Turn the corner nearby to reach the Snail Race start.

Getting into the greenhouse

Cody needs to transform into a mushroom in the soil so May can use it to reach higher ground. Once May is up, you’ll face three pitcher plants that raise temporary platforms when watered.

May should water one pitcher plant at a time while Cody jumps across before the platforms fold back down. Treat it like a relay: May calls the plant, Cody calls when he’s ready for the next one.

If you’re missing jumps, don’t “rush harder”. Slow down and sync the watering so Cody jumps the moment the platform rises.

Cleaning the greenhouse fights

Inside, the pattern is simple and repeats:

  • May clears purple slime to expose usable soil
  • Cody ground pounds the soil and moves through it to grow a flower bed or path
  • Enemies spawn right after, so reset your spacing and clear them together

You’ll repeat this loop multiple times, including on raised surfaces like tables, before the boss arena opens.

Joy boss fight

Joy is a corrupted plant boss. The fight keeps switching between “damage the infected growths” and “survive the slam patterns,” and Cody gets forced into different vegetable forms along the way.

What each player should prioritize

Cody

  • In vegetable form, use your dash to break the corrupted plants once May clears the sap around them
  • Stay mobile and look for the next target instead of tunneling on one plant

May

  • Your main job is cleanup: spray away the purple sap so Cody can safely build speed and connect his dash
  • When the arena gets cramped, clear a “safe lane” first, then help finish targets

The flow you can expect

  • First cycle
    Cody is turned into a tomato. Clear the corrupted plants while May keeps the floor manageable. Then May waters the soil at Joy’s base so Cody can burrow in and help expose the infected bulb for May to slash.
  • Second cycle
    The same idea returns with heavier pressure, and Cody later gets turned into a potato. Clear plants, then use the watered soil again to expose another infected spot for May to cut.
  • Survival interludes
    Joy’s slam attacks are telegraphed. Use the shadow or landing cue, then dodge late rather than early so you don’t roll into the next hit.
  • Final cycle and platform survival
    Near the end, you’ll be forced to survive on a shrinking set of raised plates or platforms while Joy keeps slamming. Keep moving, don’t both stand on the same plate unless you must, and jump as soon as the next safe spot is clear. Cody later becomes a lime, and the final infected bulb is removed after the last burrow sequence.

Mistakes that waste time

  • May waters “randomly” during the pitcher plant puzzle instead of holding one platform up long enough for the full jump sequence
  • Cody dashes before May clears sap, losing speed and taking unnecessary damage
  • Both players chase small enemies while a corrupted plant is still active