It is a fascinating journey seeing a team that made a game where you control two characters at once ala The Adventures Of Cookie And Cream has now blossomed into an award-winning studio that pioneered and popularised the idea of mandatory-co-op games.
From Brothers: A Tale Of Two Sons, to A Way Out, to It Takes Two, and now we have Split Fiction, the latest co-op spectacle bankrolled by EA under the EA Originals label.
While the EA Originals label hasn’t necessarily made much bank back—the games are good (like Wild Hearts and Immortals Of Aveum) but don’t quite resonate with gamers for one reason or another. But Hazelight’s works seem to be the exception. And this latest game is poised to continue that hot streak.
Split Fiction has the spectacle of a AAA blockbuster, but unlike other big-budget games, it’s brimming with unbridled creative game design that makes for a memorable co-op experience that you can’t get anywhere else.
Presentation
Split Fiction sees Hazelight going back to a more realistic aesthetic, compared to It Takes Two’s more whimsy presentation. If you love the tense dynamic of two opposing bros A Way Out had, then here’s a tense dynamic between two gals who can’t be more opposite to each other.
However, Split Fiction is set in a simulation where it manifests the ideas of our two leading ladies, so the world you’re playing isn’t exactly “realistic”. You’ll be switching between a sci-fi world and a fantasy world, and something else entirely in between them, as you and your partner go through this journey. There are stereotypical depictions of these fictional worlds, albeit intentionally so.
Sometimes, I feel the lighting is a little off. And the characters look a little uncanny with their awkward animations (since they supposed to be real people but they move in this video gamey way). But the cinematics look great, and there are a few vista reveals and background scenery that made me and my co-op partner synchrounously jaw-dropped.
The art style itself may not be hook me, but the results of their hard work in creating these worlds still gives me awe, something the occasional AAA game would get that reaction out of me.
And having to share a screen with your partner, even when playing online, isn’t that bad of a deal. The field of view you get with just half of a screen available for each player feels comfy, and it won’t make the whole split-screen arrangement feel cramped. Though I do think that in some moments the camera is zoomed out so far I had to squint to see the characters.
As for the music, there’s some good stuff in there with the techno synth beats and the whimsy light orchestra but they don’t really stand out as much from the back-and-forth we were playing through Discord chat. The English voice acting, however, does. Just enough quippiness between the ladies, and the performance captured scenes really adds nuance to the more dramatic scenes.
And on top of all that, the game runs at a rock-solid 60 FPS on PS5 and on Xbox Series S throughout our playtime. And there’s plenty of intense action the likes of a bullet hell shooter would see happening, yet it rarely chugs, if ever.
Split Fiction doesn’t go hard enough on the realism graphics so there are some uncanny valley parts. And the presentation adheres to expected tropes most of the time, but the overall presentation is executed so well and within the established fiction that it gets a pass. If you’re familiar with Hazelight’s past works, you can expect the same consistently good and occasionally outstanding presentation in Split Fiction.
Gameplay
Split Fiction is a tale of two writers, Mio and Zoe, and how they somehow entangled themselves into a simulation which manifested all of their ideas for a book into life. And now, they have to work together in going through their different fictional worlds, Mio’s sci-fi, edgy cyberpunk cities and Zoe’s light-hearted but slightly unhinged fantasy settings, to find a way out. Whether they like it or not, it takes two to solve puzzles, fight bosses and jump across platforms in this adventure.
The story premise here won’t blow your mind. What will blow your mind is the game’s commitment in wowwing two players by making them either play two different games on one screen, or make them work together in inventive ways.
How about this: in one section of a level, Zoe is navigating the world as a side-scrolling 2D platformer. On the same screen, Mio (through the magic of a gravity switch) is navigating that same landscape of boxes and platforms… as a top-down platformer. It’s trippy, fun but imagine the work getting designing the level to work on two perspectives. Insane.
This is just one of the many, many gimmicks that only work in the context of a co-op game introduced on the regular. I could see some folks taking a look at some of these “throwaway” gimmicks and fleshed it out to be a full-blown co-op game on its own.
That said, some of the gimmicks are not entirely new. How many times have the driver-and-gunner sequence where one drives and the other gets to do the gun turret section appeared in a Hazelight game?
But there are definitely some gimmicks that are so inventive, buck-wild and out-of-the-box that I will dare not spoil. Yeah, even with that trailer stuffed with so much stuff going that it feels like it’s just spoiling the whole game, there are still cool stuff they kept in wraps until you play this game (or watch a playthrough of it).
While Split Fiction has boatloads of unique gimmicks, it’s just as often that the unexpected gameplay switch-a-roos will remind you of that some other game you (and the developers) love. I can’t stop making “Close enough welcome back [insert game name here]” jokes over the course of playing Split Fiction.
And if you’re curious of what games we felt like playing throughout Split Fiction, here’s an incomplete list:
- Spyro The Dragon
- Crash Bandicoot
- I Am Bread
- Assassin’s Creed
- Warframe
- R-Type
- Steep
- Donkey Kong Country
- Uncharted
- Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart
- Road Rash
- Halo
- Psychonauts
- SSX
The developers are open that they are inspired by many different games. But unlike Astro Bot, which makes those references really obvious as that game is built around the novelty of crossovers, Split Fiction is doing the good-old-fashion slight nods and winks, and spins what seems to be familiar mechanics inspired by established games into their own thing. Which, in today’s world of official collabs and crossovers, is novel and commendable. Not every game has to be like Fortnite even if the addition of Hatsune Miku would make any game better. But a vocaloid Roomba in Split Fiction, is, well, close enough.
And there are a few, at least two, on-the-nose Easter Eggs/references to games you know and love without having to mention the game title. At least one of them will have you sit down contemplating and reflect at how this gag of a very influential game got squeezed in here.
But outside of the novelty of regularly switching up game mechanics, what really makes Split Fiction memorable is the mandatory co-op elements in this mandatory co-op game.
There will be moments where you have to stop a bit, look around the area (through your side of the screen and your partner’s) and just talk through what each other can do to get through a puzzle section, which likely involves using the duo’s different abilities in clever ways. Both players will end up knowing how the other players play as a result of this, even if you have no interest in learning the other player’s kit (and how cool, or cooler their abilities are compared to yours) as a result of the two of you figure things out. It’s brilliant.
And these co-op sections make use of each character’s different moveset for the level. It always starts simple, but slowly the game ramps in to test your understanding of the moveset, and each other, with coordinated puzzle solving, which even extends to boss fights. While Split Fiction likes to switch it up with gimmicks, these extended movesets, different in every level, really shows that these ideas could make for a solid core mechanic in some other co-op game. But instead of focusing on just one, Split Fiction gives you a sampler plate of so many different co-op goodness.
There are coordinated co-op puzzles that will truly test the relationship, communication, and if played online, the connection between two players. Figuring out how to time a simple jump, where one player has to jump while the other change the platform to allow a safe landing, accounting for lag (or the lack thereof sometimes—more on that in a bit) and nailing the execution doesn’t make the most riveting of content if only the gameplay is shown. But the process of coordinating that, and the amount of banters and miscomms along the way, makes up for it. It’s a perfect way to test if a couple is truly drift-compatible, or at least can tolerate each other.
Look, navigating a high-speed chase on a bike that will self-destruct unless your partner solves a series of CAPTCHAs is an absolute blast of a set-piece, especially when we are potentially get blasted into pieces if we fail. There were so many things going on on my side of the screen andthe glances I had seeing my partner suffers through a modern-day Turing Test was just the right amount of epic and silly.
But that moment where we got the monkey to safely land on the ground from a hanging ledge from a perfectly timed spike withdrawal is truly the epic gamer moment I personally will remember fondly for months.
There’s also that moment where we play a game of hot potato (but the potato is a ticking bomb) where we perfectly time our passes (which resets the timer) as we clear through a platforming sequence while more or less looking at each other instead of what’s in front. That was a good one too.
That’s the special power of mandatory co-op games when it’s designed for both players to really work together. Though I imagine it’ll be a nightmare if two people are playing these don’t sit on the same wavelength. Every time we struggled through a co-op coordination puzzle, especially those that require precise timing, we joked that a couple have filed their divorce papers over this. And there were many instances where Split Fiction could unintentionally be a homewrecker, or inversely and ideally, strengthen that mutual trust.
And none of this would have happen if Split Fiction doesn’t have the fundamentals of platforming correct. Which they did got correct. The game will regularly switch up gameplay mechanics but at its heart is a well-seasoned set of core platforming moves. The jump to double jump to air dash has the right amount floatiness and air control. Latching onto a platform or pole is lenient so you’re okay with just having mediocre platforming skills. While friendly fire is on in some cases to allow for silly banter, Mio and Zoe just phases into each other when doing platforming. As uncanny as it appears, the decision to favour gameplay (don’t let the other player get in the way of basic platforming) over realism is for the better.
A lot of animations do look off in a lot of places due to this design choice, though. And there were many death falls from missing the grappling hook, either for due to not jumping close enough to get it connected in time, or didn’t notice the prompt before it’s too late due to the camera zoomed out pretty far. But these are no dealbreakers, given that checkpoints are generous dolled out.
The game does require some precise timing and input so for those who plan to play this online, good news: the latency is actually tolerable. Playing between a PS5 and Xbox Series S via cross-play, me and my co-op partner found timing our jumps and button presses to not be much of an issue. It’s not instantaneous, but the puzzles are designed with just enough leeway that, with proper communication, you can circumnavigate the lag by accounting it to your timings. We were only struggling with the monkey puzzles due to us not figuring out how to time our jumps, rather than lag preventing our time jumps. Which is good! The game can be devious with its design, but not in the way that makes online play disadvantageous over good-old couch co-op play.
When you boil it all down, Split Fiction really is an expression of AAA bombast, but in a leaner, more agile manner. Like a gaming’s greatest hits album, but there are all cover songs by Hazelight with a co-op twist.
Modern games are too expensive for them create throwaway game mechanics used for only one sequence that lasts about 10 or so minutes, or have a bunch of mini-games tucked outside of the critical path. But Split Fiction, like past Hazelight games, figured out an excuse to go wide in variety, and just deep enough to not have it all feel like a series of cheap gimmicks.
There is a competent platformer at the base of Split Fiction, which really makes for a solid foundation to build the many, many gameplay variety it offers.
Content
Split Fiction is a longer game than I expected. For us, it took 15 hours to complete and this includes going through all the Side Stories available. And if you’ve been glancing on that other screen regularly like the average TikTok user and curious how it actually feels like playing the other character, you can easily double the playtime with a second playthrough.
The story isn’t anything original, though the game is designed around that idea—we’re exploring the worlds penned by two unpublished writers looking for their big break. And the fact that Mio and Zoe regularly fire shots at each other’s work and calling out their flaws (while not seeing the same flaws in their own literal works) meant that this is intentionally cliche. That said, dynamic between the two as they traumabond through each other’s works of fiction does come across genuine. I only cringe at the wordplay and puns mostly because every time they said one I feel like looking into a mirror. But the emotional bits are truly earned.
And the subplot of the story of how a corporation is making would-be writers put on a jumpsuit to go into a simulation has the right amount of eerie dystopia and allegories to a current trend big-money corpos are into right now that I approve.
The regular switch in gameplay feels all nice because the pacing is immaculate. The first few hours does feel a bit fast-paced and action-heavy, and that’s all to ease into the real challenge of coordination puzzles, where the game takes it all slow as you and your partner make that one shared brain cell to figure out how to open a door. So many ways to open a door in Split Fiction.
There are moments of levity where you can just look around and interact with the world, goofing off instead of moving forward. Sometimes it’s fun to fling a portable outhouse, with an occupant, across high-speed traffic. Or wave a wand at everyone. Or just go down a water slide. Simply for the fun of it. There are also hidden achievements/trophies for doing nasty things if you’re into that.
Split Fiction has a good number of hidden levels, Side Stories, that you can discover. But don’t you dare skip these. Where most games have side content as filler, these Side Stories have way too much work to even treat them as missable content. The talent people that made completely new art styles and assets, new mechanics and playables just for a 10-30 minute distraction deserves respect, your time to experience the effort being put on here, and definitely a raise. Or at least a bonus. Bonuses for the bonus content team, please.
Personal Enjoyment
Personally, I am in the small and odd bucket of “love the idea of mandatory co-op games, but don’t necessarily have a co-op partner”. I was in love with the concept of A Way Out and somehow roped in an acquaintance to play that, but never gotten around to finish it. I skipped It Takes Two assuming at the time it’s a less ambitious take on the previous game (it’s not) and the couples’ therapy theme is while fantastic, it’s just not for me.
If my colleague wasn’t on board of this I probably have skipped Split Fiction. And I’m glad we didn’t.
There are so many moments in Split Fiction where we just lost our minds at how cool, crazy, and crazy-cool the game is. It keeps reminding us of the fun games we played and love, but also don’t rely that nostalgia as a crutch in that it’s genuinely good fun with its own original ideas.
Just trust me on this: if you play Split Fiction, play it to the end. See the credits roll. The final level definitely blew our minds in how creative, inventive and bold the team at Hazelight are. It’s the strongest and most memorable level both in its gameplay gimmick and its presentation. The whole game was building up to the finale.
That final level is pushing the boundaries of split-screen gaming. It’s peak Split Fiction.
Plus, it’s incredible to see Split Fiction still has that Friend Pass feature, allowing an online friend to download the game for free just like how your local co-op partner doesn’t need to buy their own copy of the game to play. And it now supports cross-play as well. We all have our opinions and perceptions of EA as a publisher, rightfully so given their past behaviours, so it’s cool to see that there is still some aspects of consumer-friendly practices being applied here. And isn’t it refreshing that Hazelight promises to not have DLC and microtransaction in any of their games?
Verdict
Not many mandatory co-op games are able to pull off the width and variety in experience Split Fiction has to offer.
The story may be laden in cliche and the realistic art style is just serviceable. However, the gameplay, whether that be platforming, racing, fighting, and many other verbs you and your partner will be doing across the experience, are more than just serviceable. They are all wonderful, wild and most importantly: good fun.
Split Fiction wants you to have a little bit of everything, despite seemingly stretching itself thin, every bit of gameplay feels special. Like how kuah campur, a mixture of different curries being piled on a plate of Nasi Kandar, may look like utter slop, but the wonderful variety of curry mixing together makes for an unforgettable taste.
Hazelight has set the bar for co-op games high with their previous title, and with Split Fiction, that bar has been raised yet again.
Played on PS5 and Xbox Series S via online co-op. Review codes provided by the publisher.
Split Fiction
Hazelight has set the bar for co-op games high with its previous works, and with Split Fiction, that bar has been raised yet again.
- Presentation 8
- Gameplay 9.5
- Content 9
- Personal Enjoyment 10