Split Ficiton is the latest couch co-op game from Hazelight Studios. After the massive success of their previous game, It Takes Two, the bar was set high for their next release. Split Fiction meets that bar with ease.
Split Fiction follows Mio and Zoe, a fantasy writer and a sci-fi writer, respectively. The duo meet at Rader, a company that’s paying them to take part in a testing period for their device designed to steal their creative ideas. The duo accidentally end up in the same pod, and their ideas combine into a split-screen co-op adventure.
Gameplay
The game takes advantage of the split screen rather creatively by incorporating it into gameplay.
When Mio and Zoe work together, the screen becomes one. However, when they’re working apart, the screens split.
Whether they are together or separate, both players must help each other progress through each level. For example, in one level, Mio can turn into a monkey and punch heavy items while Zoe can turn into a fairy to sneak into tight spaces.
Each level gives each character a different set of skills to use to bypass the many puzzles and platforms that stand in their way.
The boss fights are a bit easy, but a lot of mistakes can come from poor timing. The attacks are heavily choreographed and easy to see coming, thanks to the markers on the screen. However, if you’re in the wrong place, you’re dead. Fortunately, if one player is still alive, you can quickly respawn and continue fighting. This makes the game very friendly for people who don’t play video games. However, the various puzzles and references to other games throughout the rest of Split Fiction are fun surprises for the rest of us who play a lot of games.
Level Designs
The mixing of sci-fi and fantasy worlds allows Hazelight to have fun with level designs. Players can go from a medieval fantasy world to a cyberpunk world with ease. Within these levels, there are multiple references to retro games like Donkey Kong (1981), Portal (2007), and SSX Tricky (2001) through gameplay. The game also makes various references to film and TV shows like Akira (1989), Sailor Moon (1992), and Dune (2021).
The game has main levels, but within those levels, there are multiple side levels known as glitches. These are moments when the game can take a wild turn, and sometimes they can leave players baffled. You can be dodging barrels coming down a road in the main story, but if you go through a glitch, the next thing you know, you’re in the air trying to land a Rodeo 1080 Indy.
However, that isn’t the weirdest glitch. In one of these glitches, the players turn into pigs. It’s a funny little level where one of the players can fly through the power of super farts and the other player can turn into a slinky.
The level itself isn’t hard. All the players have to do is traverse a farm to collect apples. This journey leads players to a wild conclusion that I’d rather not spoil. However, I could not stop laughing at the ridiculous nature of this glitch.
It’s really cool to see all the inspirations across different pieces of media come together to make this game a unique experience. I hope Split Fiction encourages more people to explore older games, films, and TV shows.
Cool Feature
For a game published by EA, it’s absolutely shocking that only one person needs to own this game to play with someone else. The only thing your second player has to do is install the Split Fiction Friend Pass on their console of choice, and you can play together. Yes, the game is cross-play compatible, but it can also be played on the same system if you’re together. Way to go, EA!
Final Total
Split Fiction celebrates stories from across different forms of media packaged into a super fun experience. It’s easy to play, but its various puzzles bring their own set of challenges. The story is predictable as it warns about the dangers of AI replacing the human touch, but it doesn’t take anything away from the overall fun I had playing through it. It’s a solid 9/10.
Split Fiction is available on PC, PSN, and Xbox. It will also be released on the Nintendo Switch 2 in June.
