Ever since Brothers: A Story of Two Sons was launched in 2013, I’ve been enraptured by the works of Josef Fares. That sport was an excellent take a look at grief with a novel management scheme (you management each brothers on the similar time with every analog stick controlling one), and it actually set the stage for the co-op masterpieces that adopted at Hazelight: 2018’s A Means Out — a jail escape sport based mostly round themes of belief that was my favourite of the yr — and 2021’s It Takes Two, which gained a number of sport of the yr awards and explored relationships and communication. Now developer Hazelight is again with its third sport referred to as Break up Fiction, which is one other co-op expertise that’s even wilder and extra ingenious than what got here earlier than.
The sport’s title aptly explains its foremost conceit — gamers management two totally different writers who’ve been trapped in a digital world collectively. Nevertheless, every stage alternates between fantasy and sci-fi worlds, as the 2 protagonists share opposing views and are compelled to work collectively as soon as they notice that their concepts are being stolen by know-how. Briefly, gamers get to undergo all kinds of vastly totally different sci-fi and fantasy conceits, with gameplay quickly altering from world to world.
Fortunately, the 2 characters are each likable and regardless of their opposing worldviews, they aren’t simply always bickering (which may get fairly annoying). Hazelight has a powerful writing group and was capable of make a pair on the verge of divorce and arguing entertaining and endearing in It Takes Two. So, it’s no shock that they can thread the needle right here and make each writers — Mio and Zoe — fascinating characters.
Nevertheless, the place the sport actually shines is its gameplay, and that is the place ambition is lastly assembly an absurd stage of polish and nice execution. The concept of gameplay always altering isn’t something new for Hazelight, because it was seen prominently in its first sport, A Means Out, however its shooter sections felt sloppy in comparison with the finely tuned motion sequences in Break up Fiction. It doesn’t matter what state of affairs you’re thrown into, be it cyber ninjas in an intense chase sequence or a turret taking pictures sequence, the controls are tight and simple to choose up and play. The sport additionally seems nice, operating at a powerful 60 frames per second, and the worlds can drastically change in type regardless of being of two genres.
What actually stood out within the demo session was simply the clear reverence that Break up Fiction has for video video games on the whole. Much like Astro Bot’s cameo ranges, which took elements of different video games and remixed the gameplay, a lot of Break up Fiction’s phases take inspiration and mechanics from basic video games and add a co-op twist to them. One in all my favourite sections was a pinball-inspired stage that had one participant controlling the ball whereas one other was controlling the flippers and plunger. I don’t wish to spoil the entire gameplay I skilled, however every thing from Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot to Contra and SSX (hopefully, EA will take word) was referenced lovingly inside gameplay sections that felt recent and new. It’s an exquisite mix, and I can’t wait to see what surprises might be within the full sport.
Break up Fiction additionally isn’t afraid to get foolish, as there are some actually incredible smaller non-compulsory ranges that may be discovered by eager adventurers as properly. The one I performed had gamers controlling two pigs, one which was capable of glide by farting (I laughed every time my associate used the ability) and one other that would get extraordinarily tall, as if it was made out of a spring. It was fully ridiculous and full of small demented particulars (akin to discovering a bunch of cannibal pigs roasting one in every of their brethren), however it allowed for lots of actually enjoyable puzzle-solving whereas each gamers additionally obtained to study extra in regards to the previous of Zoe — the fantasy author who loves rural residing. It was Hazelight at its greatest because it allowed for a extremely enjoyable co-op expertise that had me laughing and creating reminiscences the complete time.
Break up Fiction Preview: Remaining Verdict
After spending three hours enjoying Break up Fiction, there’s little doubt that it’s shaping as much as be a powerful frontrunner for sport of the yr, and it’s simply my most anticipated sport of 2025. Whereas I solely noticed the opening story part earlier than happening a montage of gameplay segments, it had me hooked and is a transparent examination of AI and the way it can prey upon the concepts of precise creatives. I can’t wait to see how the remainder of the story blends in with the top-notch gameplay, which is consistently altering but all the time satisfying. This seems to be Hazelight’s greatest sport but, which is not any small feat given how nice the dev’s previous video games have been.
Disclosure: EA supplied journey and lodging so we may attend the Break up Fiction preview occasion.