Split Fiction Review

Captained by the ever-charismatic Josef Fares, Hazelight Studios have been on a journey since their inception to reinvigorate the sofa co-op style. This need was totally realized in 2021 with the discharge of their industrial and demanding smash hit, It Takes Two, which claimed the title of that 12 months’s Recreation Of The 12 months award.

After a fast turnaround from a recreation reveal in December 2024 to full launch in March 2025, Hazelight is again once more with one other entry into their wealthy two-player historical past with Cut up Fiction.

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Let’s simply get this out of the way in which early — Cut up Fiction does feel and look like It Takes Two in additional methods than any of the studio’s earlier video games earlier than. Whereas the 2 video games are fully unrelated by story, there may be clear shared DNA within the really feel of the platforming, the final type of gameplay, and even the button prompts and different UI choices.

For many of you, this won’t be a problem since It Takes Two is so practically universally beloved, nevertheless it must also be acknowledged on the very least.

Affect from a earlier title apart, Cut up Fiction remains to be a completely distinctive co-op expertise that by no means stops superb, completely oozes with creativity, and is constantly a pleasure to finish along with your favourite taking part in associate.

A Love Letter To Video Video games

By the broadest definition, Cut up Fiction is a platformer. To easily label it as such with out additional clarification, nevertheless, could be a grave disservice to the scope of what Hazelight’s stage designers have crammed into the 17-ish hours of gameplay which can be current right here.

Sure, the principle premise of Cut up Fiction is getting from Level A to Level B by operating, leaping, climbing, and grappling, however this formulation is injected continuous with pockets of different genres and mechanics at a break-neck tempo of distribution.

As you and your associate management most important characters Mio and Zoe by means of separate science-fiction and fantasy-themed worlds of their very own creation, you need to adapt on the fly commonly to no matter gameplay twist is subsequent up.

This concept was current in It Takes Two as nicely, however Cut up Fiction ups the ante this time round. You may seamlessly swap from platformer to side-scrolling twin-stick shooter to bullet-hell shoot-em-up to a number of forms of puzzler to co-op pinball with every new subchapter, simply to call a few of the gameplay concepts Hazelight has packaged collectively.

Each single gameplay type that is carried out is completed so with professional polish, feels nice, and all the time leaves you wanting extra regardless of the surprise of what the workforce goes to indicate you subsequent.

At one level within the story, there was one single lockpicking mini-game I performed as Mio that I completely cherished. Certain, I used to be just a little unhappy that it was the one instance of this function in the complete recreation, however I did not care in any respect with the information that one thing equally as thrilling was seemingly simply across the nook.

Completely different power-ups are doled out in every part as nicely, from a big assortment of weaponry to Metroid-style spheres to animal transformations and a lot extra. As soon as once more, each possibility right here is enjoyable and feels fantastic to manage, no matter if you happen to’re taking part in as Mio or Zoe.

As with most video games, some bosses in Cut up Fiction are higher than others. None are unhealthy, simply reasonably generic at occasions. Others account for a few of my most memorable boss combat experiences ever and are ones I will be speaking about with my pals for years.

Easter eggs and gameplay nods to different titles are a continuing thread all through as nicely, every one a grin-inducing, elbow-nudging second between you and your associate.

I will not get into the specifics of how they’re all carried out, however selecting up on references to a bevy of beloved titles like Darkish Souls, Murderer’s Creed, Contra, Donkey Kong, and SSX along with film franchises like Dune and Jaws all culminate in what can solely be described as probably the most joy-bringing assortment of nerd references housed collectively since Scott Pilgrim.

Worlds Designed With The Utmost Care

Along with the title’s engrossing gameplay, Hazelight has additionally solidified themselves as attainable front-runners for finest artwork course in the complete medium. The extent of element and polish current in each stage is solely astonishing.

The sci-fi parts of Mio’s narrative are stuffed with punchy neon, Blade Runner-esque skylines, and top-tier car, spacesuit, and character design.

Equally, Zoe’s fantasy world seems to be like a stitched-together model of World Of Warcraft, Harry Potter, and Recreation Of Thrones whereas nonetheless managing to really feel like its personal distinctive spin on the style.

Each single one of many eight most important story ranges is stuffed to the brim with painstaking ranges of element and apparent love for the craft. Worlds are energetic and dotted with second after second of breathtaking vistas and tiny objects alike.

Along with the principle ranges are twelve facet tales, every with a inventive, typically surprising course, simply in case the pre-existing back-and-forth of the sport’s two genres wasn’t already sufficient.

A number of of those facet tales are true standout moments in all of Cut up Fiction. From changing into a pig that flies with the facility of farts to hopping round as a entrance tooth climbing a birthday cake, Cut up Fiction is rarely afraid to get bizarre with it.

Many ranges even have pit-stops a bit off the crushed path with varied actions like throwing some skipping stones, lounging in a swimming pool, or testing your luck at a slot machine. These are all tiny moments that Hazelight positively did not want to incorporate, however they simply wish to ensure you’re taking time to breathe alongside the way in which.

The soundtrack of the sport is unbelievable, the voice performing is on level and plausible, and I by no means skilled any noticeable body charge points throughout my whole expertise. It is evident that the extent of polish right here is very excessive.

As a lifelong sci-fi fan myself, I used to be personally stunned to notice that within the first half of the sport, I used to be extra drawn to the artwork and gameplay of Zoe’s fantasy story. By the second half, Mio’s sci-fi sections enhance tremendously, however there’s a slight pacing disparity early on that had me initially wishing I used to be again in Zoe’s fantasy world every time the sport took me out of it.

This can be a minor gripe, nevertheless, as by the conclusion of Cut up Fiction, all facets of the worlds explored attain masterful ranges of co-op recreation design.

The cherry on high on this regard is the ultimate stage of the principle story. Whereas I will not go into particulars that spoil the expertise, I can confidently say the complete last sequence blew my thoughts from a efficiency and design perspective in methods I hadn’t felt in a lengthy time. I am unable to wait to see gamers’ reactions to it.

A Serviceable, Well timed Narrative

A narrative about two struggling, aspiring writers, Cut up Fiction delves into subjects of content material possession, creativity, authentic concepts, and attainable hints on the risks of synthetic intelligence studying in at this time’s world.

All of this does, in the end, start to really feel a bit too meta and particular to a smaller normal viewers of writers, which may restrict the narrative’s broader attraction total.

As a author myself, I nonetheless cringe a bit when a personality dramatically utters a phrase like, “I write to maintain myself sane.” We get it, Hemingway.

Regardless, the story remains to be fascinating sufficient, and the non-public journeys that every of the principle characters are on, why they select to write down, and their very own private motivations make sense within the context of the over-arching story.

Private traumas are handled on the way in which to therapeutic and forgiveness, and there are many story beats in direction of the top of the expertise which can be satisfying resolutions to every particular person’s personal life journeys.

Mio and Zoe are each written in a manner that brings their personalities to life. Whereas there are minor examples of the dreaded Marvel-style dialogue current all through, it fortunately by no means reaches egregious ranges.

There exists a minor disconnect within the story of Cut up Fiction being barely too melodramatic and self-serious that, at occasions, feels just a little at odds with the whimsical and bizarre gameplay content material you are experiencing one second later.

Total, whereas related to the panorama of contemporary writers, I do suppose the story in the end will not click on fairly as nicely with nearly all of players who’re conversant in Hazelight’s earlier work, nevertheless it’s totally serviceable as a tool to get you to your subsequent chapter nonetheless and has loads of excessive factors alongside the way in which.

A Extra Difficult Co-Op Strategy

One very last thing to remember when contemplating whether or not to leap into Cut up Fiction is the truth that, from the very starting, it is a co-op title that is rather less beginner-friendly than most.

For instance, as soon as once more, It Takes Two partially grew to become so successful as a result of it completely threaded the needle of creating a title approachable for much less skilled players whereas nonetheless providing a tremendous product for these of us who already know our manner round a controller.

In the end, it will come all the way down to your individual private co-op scenario and desire. My taking part in associate was already a professional at most of these video games, and my counterpart for It Takes Two, so we have been capable of deal with this ramped-up problem and depth current in Cut up Fiction with out an excessive amount of hassle.

That stated, in case your explicit co-op associate is much less sure-footed or extra simply pissed off, you may wish to ensure you each perceive what you are getting yourselves into with Cut up Fiction.

Whereas It Takes Two eased gamers into the mechanics of its gameplay, Cut up Fiction would not maintain your hand for lengthy. It is not a laborious recreation, nevertheless it is tougher at factors than you may anticipate.

The platforming might be intense, fight sections are often stuffed with tons of enemies, sure puzzles are taken as much as the next diploma of problem, and the bullet-hell nature of quite a few sections and managers are to not be taken evenly.

For anybody involved about this, the excellent news is that Hazelight has taken a really beneficiant outlook with checkpoints on this title, so you do not ever want to fret about dropping an excessive amount of progress if somebody on the workforce is not pulling their weight. There are limitless lives, and boss fights even function checkpoints with every new part.

Moreover, there’s an possibility to cut back the harm a participant receives from enemies, and this may be toggled on for only one participant in the event that they’re the one ones which can be struggling, holding the sport balanced appropriately for each desired person experiences. This can be a genius-level possibility to incorporate.

For the extraordinarily determined, there’s additionally an accessibility possibility that permits gamers to skip to the subsequent checkpoint within the recreation every time they please. Whereas I’d not advocate anybody use this function until completely essential, there may be technically this selection out there if you happen to really can’t get by means of a very difficult part along with your buddy.

Closing Feedback:

Cut up Fiction has confirmed that Hazelight is solely the very best trendy studio within the co-op enterprise. Continually full of pleasure, magnificence, pleasure, and downright absurdity, this title earns its place alongside its non secular predecessor as arguably the very best two-player expertise on current-gen {hardware}. Cut up Fiction is a technical marvel that pushes the boundaries of design with out ever sacrificing the notion that video video games are enjoyable and needs to be skilled alongside our pals and family members. The narrative is not all the time good and would not climb fairly as excessive as I could have hoped, however the truth stays that there’s a lot love and care poured into this title, and it is infectious as every subsequent chapter is accomplished. With a barely greater stage of problem, duos of gamers must keep on their toes. The reward for this perseverance and collaboration is a gorgeously introduced, weird, inventive online game that pulls from an unprecedented variety of genres and is certain to win you over by its masterful last act.

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Reviewed on PS5

Motion

Journey

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Launched

March 6, 2025

Writer(s)

Digital Arts

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence

Multiplayer

On-line Co-Op, Native Co-Op

Engine

Unreal Engine 5

PC Launch Date

March 6, 2025

Xbox Sequence X|S Launch Date

March 6, 2025

PS5 Launch Date

March 6, 2025

X|S Optimized

Sure

Variety of Gamers

2

Steam Deck Compatibility

Unknown

Native Co-Op Help

Sure

Cross-Platform Play

Sure – all platforms

Professionals & Cons

• Extraordinarily different gameplay that is filled with surprises.
• A gorgeously designed world overflowing in excessive element.
• A real pleasure to behold along with your favourite co-op associate.
• Among the most weird and inventive ranges of current reminiscence.
• Sections of true technical wizardry and nice manufacturing worth total.

• A narrative that’s typically at-odds with the sport’s content material and is not constantly compelling.
• Preliminary imbalance between the 2 recreation worlds.

Develop