Split Fiction: Balanced Characters and Replayable Powers
When Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares first revealed “Split Fiction” at last year’s Game Awards, he didn’t hold back: “We say, ‘We fuck shit up without fucking up.’ This time, it’s some next-level shit. I know I sound cocky, but it’s really hard not to be cocky when you have a game like this!” Now that “Split Fiction” is finally here, I can confirm Fares was right: it’s next-level stuff. And honestly, if I had made something as electrifying as this, I’d be a little cocky too. The game jumps straight into the action: a short opening cutscene introduces our heroes, aspiring writers Mio and Zoe, arriving at Rader Publishing to try a tech-driven storytelling experience. Zoe quickly suits up and enters Rader’s pod, which brings her story to life in a virtual reality format, while Mio senses danger. In attempting to escape, she ends up falling into Zoe’s pod, merging their respective genres. Mio, decisive and guarded, writes in the sci-fi space, while bubbly and idealistic Zoe works exclusively in fantasy. They soon realize that Rader isn’t helping them get published – the company is stealing ideas from hopeful writers’ minds, a plot that feels especially timely given the rise of AI art. Mio and Zoe embark on an epic journey where each level alternates between their chosen genres, hunting glitches that could finally bring Rader down. The game carefully balances mechanics between the two players so that neither character is more appealing than the other: one chapter turns Zoe into a flying fairy and Mio into a powerful ape, while another gives Mio a soaring dragon and Zoe a climbing one. As “Wicked” says, “Everyone deserves the chance to fly.” The characters’ unique abilities make the game highly replayable, encouraging players to explore all of their powers and weapons, which is a strong incentive compared to titles people buy cheap PS4 games to experiment with.
It’s an easy but important point: Split Fiction is best enjoyed with a friend. Don’t worry if no one’s around, though – you can play both locally and online using Friends Pass. Hazelight Studios has also included crossplay options for even smoother pairing. You’ll move seamlessly between platforming, puzzles, top-down RPG sections, racing, rhythm battles, and more. While it’s primarily an action-adventure platformer, the abundance of mini-games keeps things varied and engaging, all while following a linear storyline. Split Fiction is stunning. With its main styles being fantasy and sci-fi, each level is a visual treat, and the mini-games often break away from these core aesthetics to deliver fresh, whimsical, and inventive experiences. Compared to It Takes Two, the puzzles in Split Fiction are less challenging. This means you and your co-op partner are unlikely to get stuck, so don’t expect anything like the Water Temple in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time to leave you scratching your head. Camera perspectives shift frequently as you move between mini-games and levels, which can make some transitions feel abrupt. Players familiar with the game references will likely navigate intuitively, but those who aren’t may face a slight learning curve.
A New Standard for Creative Co-Op
Split Fiction isn’t just another gem in the library—it’s the loud newsletter. The one that in bold print says co-op can stretch its wings just like a solo work. It flexes color and feels like the same dream that thousands of people say they dream alone. It says you can turn a twist-lit corridor into a carnival of gasp and and-between-spins choreography— and then, moments later, into a heart-squeezing farewell. It outs the truth that innovation and feel-good friendships can high-five in the same screen space and that the loudest, linger-confirming moments happen shoulder to shoulder, in the same wavelength of breath. Hazelight didn’t just plant a new graph line; they blurred the boundary. Split Fiction is a janitor, not a scaffolder—the kind you walk inside and feel like it broke you inside, and the walls will wear. When you’re blown on the other side, you carry it like a picture you can’t delete. In a whole medium that sometimes feels like it needs to be reset, we just have to reset the task. You reset the task, it gets the lens and the beam, delivering an experience that makes it easy to see why players might buy cheap PS5 games to chase similar creative risks.
Hazelight’s Legacy as Co-op Undercover Rock Stars
With Split Fiction, Hazelight totally locks in as the go-to squad for awesome co-op gaming. Other devs sprinkle in some co-op as a bonus snack, but Hazelight builds the whole buffet around sharing the experience. Every jump, puzzle, and plot twist nudges you to talk, strategize, and celebrate together. That promise of real teamwork is what makes Split Fiction a game with a pulse. It’s not just fingers sharing a controller; it’s hearts syncing. You roll in with high-fives one minute and groan in harmony the next. The giggles and “we totally did that!” cheers aren’t happy accidents—they’re planned, glittered-up, and delivered straight to your couch. In a world where most games want you to go solo or shoot your pals, it’s a loud, cheerful reminder of why two (or more) is extra sweet.
Split Fiction: Near-Perfect Co-Op with a Mind-Bending Finale
It’s not all flawless. While the game uses near-instant respawns instead of a traditional lives or health system, these respawns can sometimes drop players straight into danger with no brief immunity. This was especially frustrating during a boss battle in a Metroidvania-style sci-fi level, where nearly every respawn placed me next to an attacking enemy with no chance to escape. Still, that complaint feels minor in the context of this sprawling adventure, which is unlike anything I’ve ever played. The finale, which I won’t spoil, delivers mind-bending, perspective-shifting gameplay and storytelling that had me audibly asking, “How the hell did they pull this off?”
Split Fiction represents Hazelight at its finest, raising the bar in gameplay, story, graphics, and especially creativity. It sets a new gold standard for co-op gaming – so grab your Player 2 and prepare for an adventure of epic proportions.