Hazelight Studios has done it again. With “Split Fiction,” they’ve delivered yet another co-op-only experience that demands a second player, following in the footsteps of “A Way Out” and the 2021 Game of the Year winner, “It Takes Two.” This time, they’re blending science fiction and fantasy into an explosive, genre-hopping adventure that feels as if someone took the most imaginative bits of literature and jammed them into a video game console. It’s a game that constantly reinvents itself, throwing you into bizarre and exhilarating situations, all while telling a heartfelt story about creativity, collaboration, and the sheer unpredictability of storytelling itself. The premise alone is enough to grab anyone’s attention: Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster, two writers with wildly different styles, find themselves trapped inside their own stories after being hooked up to a machine designed to steal their creative ideas. Mio is a grounded, skeptical sci-fi writer, while Zoe is a passionate, eccentric fantasy novelist. When the experiment goes wrong, their worlds start merging, leading to a constantly shifting gameplay experience where the rules of reality are rewritten in real-time.
And what a wild ride it is. One moment, you’re soaring through the sky on the back of a dragon, dodging fireballs and mystical creatures. The next, you’re sprinting through a cyberpunk metropolis, hacking into security systems and deflecting laser blasts. The game’s split-screen presentation (whether played locally or online) is expertly utilized, ensuring both players are always engaged, often with entirely different objectives or perspectives in a given sequence. It also often merges the two screens back into a single one when appropriate, it’s just really cool and well done. Hazelight has truly mastered this dynamic, ensuring that no two moments ever feel the same. Each character is often given a different power/ability, so when completing areas or puzzles you’d get a bit of a different experience depending on who you play as. So, I’m sure replayability will be high here. “Split Fiction” is at its best when it fully embraces its identity as a celebration of genre fiction. The game’s structure thrives on unpredictability—one chapter might feel like a fantasy epic with grand quests and enchanted forests dealing with a very colorfully animated Monkey King, while another might be a pulse-pounding sci-fi thriller set aboard a derelict space station, or dealing with a sun exploding. Each section introduces new mechanics, sometimes for only a single level or even stage, before discarding them and moving on to something fresh. This approach makes every stage feel like an event, a new sandbox of possibilities waiting to be explored.
One of the most fascinating aspects of “Split Fiction” is how it incorporates side content. The aptly named Side Stories are portals to unfinished ideas from Mio and Zoe’s past, which allow you to experience their abandoned works and see how their creative journeys have evolved. These segments are more than just optional diversions, they’re windows into the minds of the characters, but also feel more of a pallet cleanser when you’re in a fantasy or sci-fi level for a while as these side-stories tend to be the opposite. They also come with unique gameplay twists that further emphasize the game’s philosophy of never repeating itself. There is one early on that has both characters play as a farting pig and a spring-loaded pig which I can already tell will be something gamers will remember for a long time.
From a storytelling perspective, “Split Fiction” is a reflection on the creative process itself. As the story unfolds, the game delves deeper into the implications of the Machine and its sinister purpose. Rader Publishing, the company behind the experiment, isn’t just stealing completed stories, it’s siphoning every idea, even the ones still forming in the writers’ subconscious. This revelation adds weight to the duo’s struggle and the writing does a fantastic job of developing Mio and Zoe’s relationship over time. While they start as strangers forced into an impossible situation, they gradually learn to understand each other’s perspectives. There’s humor, there’s tension, and there are plenty of genuinely emotional moments that highlight the game’s strong thematic core.
That said, if I had one nitpick, it would be that it takes a while to truly connect with the two leads. While the dynamic between Mio and Zoe is engaging, their personalities don’t immediately click as well as Cody and May’s did in “It Takes Two.” The writing can sometimes be a little on the cringe side, and it isn’t quite as tight this time around, but once the game finds its rhythm, the duo’s interactions become a highlight. And honestly, when the gameplay is this inventive and consistently fun, any narrative shortcomings feel like a minor blemish on an otherwise stellar experience.
Visually, “Split Fiction” is a feast for the eyes. Every world is dripping with detail, whether it’s the neon glow of a cybernetic skyline or the rustic charm of a medieval kingdom. The animations are fluid, the transitions between sci-fi and fantasy environments are seamless, and the sheer variety of locations really helps ensure the game never feels repetitive. There are also plenty of clever Easter eggs and references sprinkled throughout, paying homage to the genres that inspired the game. By the time the credits rolled, “Split Fiction” cements itself as a truly special game, one that not only showcases Hazelight’s continued dominance in the co-op space but also serves as a love letter to storytelling itself. The game constantly surprises, constantly delights, and constantly reminds players why co-op gaming remains such an incredible way to experience a story. If you have a friend or partner willing to take this journey with you, don’t hesitate. “Split Fiction” is one of the most imaginative and exhilarating co-op adventures since “It Takes Two” or even ever, and in an era where online multi-player experiences often steal the spotlight, it’s refreshing to see a game that reminds us of the magic of playing together.
9/10
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Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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