In the video game Schizoid, which bills itself as “the most co-op game ever,” a red spacecraft and a blue ship engage in combat against neon-lit foes of the same color. When the red boat comes into contact with a red enemy, that enemy will be destroyed, but any blue enemy will destroy the red boat itself. The same is true for the blue ship when it comes into contact with a blue enemy. Consequently, the red and blue ships will need to cooperate closely to protect one another while simultaneously destroying their foes. Because players’ lives are pooled together, this game can only be played by two people in co-op mode; however, a single player has the option of competing against a computer AI or taking direct control of both the red and blue ships in the “Uberschizoid” difficulty setting using both thumbsticks.
The “chambers” in Schizoid each consist of seven stages and a save checkpoint is located at each chamber’s conclusion. In total, the game includes 119 levels. If you beat a level without losing any lives, you will receive a gold star on that level. If you lose all of your lives and have to go back to the last save checkpoint, you will skip by any group that you have “golded.” This provides a significant incentive for beating a level without losing any lives, so it is essential to beat levels without losing any lives.
