October DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsWindows FixRecommendedWindows errors stealing your time? Find the fix fastScan stability, cleanup and performance issues.Fix NowOctober DealsAmazon USDeal season is back - check today's better picksAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.See Picks×
Skip to content
VGSources
Blog

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

Mooneye Studios’ IKUMA: The Frozen Compass pairs cabin boy Sam with husky Ellie in an Arctic survival adventure playable solo or with a friend. Steam lists a planned 2026 release for Windows PC.
Length2 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team

What’s actually slowing this PC down?

Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

A new co-op adventure puts a boy and a husky on the same team: IKUMA – The Frozen Compass, from Mooneye Studios. The comparison to It Takes Two is a catchy shorthand, not proof that the games share the same design. Steam describes an Arctic survival story with two characters who have different skills, playable either solo or with a friend.

What is IKUMA – The Frozen Compass?

IKUMA – The Frozen Compass is an upcoming adventure set in 1864. Sam, a cabin boy, and Ellie, his loyal husky, are stranded on an uncharted Arctic island. The advertised story has them coping with the environment, investigating a mystery, and trying to find their way home. Mooneye Studios is both developer and publisher, according to the Steam listing.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

The pairing gives the headline its hook: one playable character is a dog. Steam says Sam and Ellie have different skills, but the listing does not spell out a full character-by-character ability set or establish that the game is mechanically equivalent to It Takes Two.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

How co-op and solo play are described

Steam advertises two ways to play: control both characters solo by switching between Sam and Ellie, or play cooperatively with a friend. The store page lists shared/split-screen co-op and Remote Play Together. A co-op roundup also describes it as a story-based split-screen game featuring a teenage boy and a dog (Steam; co-op roundup).

#1 Best Overall
Minecraft - Nintendo Switch
  • Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
  • Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
  • Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
  • Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
  • Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only

The listed activities include exploring, foraging, collecting tools and items, climbing, and fishing. The description also mentions limited supplies and cold. These are announced features; they are not a hands-on assessment of how the systems work or how the finished game plays.

How much is it like It Takes Two?

The useful comparison is limited to the broad idea of a cooperative adventure built around two distinct characters. For IKUMA, the official store page confirms solo switching and co-op, different character skills, and an Arctic survival-and-mystery setting. It does not establish matching mechanics, pacing, production values, or quality with It Takes Two. The comparison should be read as a premise-level analogy, not a recommendation that one game is a substitute for the other.

Rank #2
Gang Beasts - Nintendo Switch
  • Gang Beasts is a silly multiplayer party game set in the mean streets of Beef City with surly gelatinous characters, brutal slapstick fight sequences, and absurd hazardous environments
  • Customize your characters with hundreds of colorful costumes
  • Experience hilarious and gelatinous ragdoll physics
  • Play locally or online with up to 8 players
  • Experience Local Wireless Multiplayer, exclusively on Nintendo Switch

Release date, platform, and PC requirements

As of the Steam listing checked on October 12, 2026, IKUMA – The Frozen Compass was marked as planned for release in 2026 and not yet available. No exact release date was listed. Steam lists Windows PC as the platform; timing and availability may change, so consult the current Steam listing for updates.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Steam’s listing gives these PC requirements. They are store-page specifications, not independent performance testing:

Rank #3
Sale
Bluey: The Videogame- Nintendo Switch
  • Play time - Play as Bluey and her family including Chilli, Bingo and Bandit.
  • Co-op play - Play with your family and friends in a variety of exciting games and challenges.
  • Explore - Recreate iconic moments from the TV series and immerse yourself in Bluey’s world
  • Play a brand-new story set across 4 interactive adventures.
  • Explore iconic locations and play your favourite games from the TV show, including Keepy Uppy, Chattermax Chase, and more!
  • Minimum operating system: Windows 10
  • Minimum memory: 8 GB RAM
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 10 GB available space

The listing also includes recommended CPU and GPU specifications; check the current store page for those details.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

Why the game is getting attention

Mooneye Studios announced IKUMA on Steam Community on April 10, 2025, and said its reveal trailer was part of the Triple-I Showcase (announcement). The boy-and-dog co-op premise is distinctive, but details about the final release and how closely its play resembles other co-op adventures remain unconfirmed by the available product description.

Quick Recap

Bestseller No. 1
Minecraft - Nintendo Switch
Minecraft - Nintendo Switch
Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures; Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
$29.83
Bestseller No. 2
Gang Beasts - Nintendo Switch
Gang Beasts - Nintendo Switch
Customize your characters with hundreds of colorful costumes; Experience hilarious and gelatinous ragdoll physics
$24.90
SaleBestseller No. 3
Bluey: The Videogame- Nintendo Switch
Bluey: The Videogame- Nintendo Switch
Play time - Play as Bluey and her family including Chilli, Bingo and Bandit.; Play a brand-new story set across 4 interactive adventures.
$19.93

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.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More quests from Patch Notes

  1. How to Set Up a RedM (RDR2) Server in 2026: License Key, txAdmin and server.cfg, Step by StepBlog11min
  2. Best RedM (RDR2) Server Hosting in 2026: Comparing Four Hosts on Slots, Memory and PriceBlog10min
  3. How to Host a Mindustry Server in 2026: server-release.jar, Port 6567 and the Commands That MatterBlog7min
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?Free driver scan
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They SpreadFree repair scan

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.