After setting the gold standard for co-op gaming with It Takes Two, the team had a tough act to follow. Could they capture that same magic twice? The answer, after spending hours grinning from ear to ear playing Split Fiction, is a resounding yes. This is another phenomenal co-op adventure—one that pushes the boundaries of genre, storytelling, and gameplay variety in ways that consistently surprised and delighted me. Hazelight Studios has done it again.
At its heart, Split Fiction follows Mio and Zoe, two struggling writers caught in a creative rut. Their frustrations and artistic differences manifest in a bizarre, reality-warping journey that sees them hopping between two vastly different settings—a rich fantasy world filled with knights, castles, and magic, and a sleek sci-fi universe brimming with neon-lit cities and high-tech gadgets. It’s a clever setup that allows the game to constantly reinvent itself, making every level feel like a fresh experience.
The narrative itself is solid, though not groundbreaking. Mio and Zoe’s relationship and creative struggles are engaging enough to keep the story moving, but it sometimes takes a backseat to the pure joy of playing the game. The antagonist, a shadowy corporate executive figure who feeds on creative doubt, is serviceable but doesn’t leave a lasting impression. Where Split Fiction truly shines is in its moment-to-moment gameplay and world design, rather than its overarching plot.
Like Hazelight’s past games, Split Fiction is built around two-player cooperation. It’s a game that demands teamwork, but it’s also designed to make that experience as smooth and frustration-free as possible. Frequent checkpoints and instant respawns keep the pace brisk, ensuring that a mistimed jump or failed puzzle attempt never feels overly punishing. This is a game that wants you to experiment, take risks, and—most importantly—have fun.
And fun is exactly what I had. Every few minutes, the game threw something new at me. One moment, I was solving environmental puzzles that cleverly utilised both characters and their skill set to create new platforms and pathways. The next, we were engaged in high-speed chase sequences, through a chaotic sci-fi city. And just when I thought I had a handle on the mechanics, Split Fiction would switch things up again—suddenly, it turns into a classic twin stick shooter, a top down dungeon crawler or shifts the perspective to 2D and becomes a side scrolling platformer.
This willingness to constantly reinvent itself is what makes Split Fiction so special. It never lets you settle into a rhythm, instead keeping you on your toes with fresh mechanics and wildly creative level designs. I was genuinely excited to see what the game would throw at me next, and more often than not, I was amazed at just how inventive and playful it was.
Good platforming is an easy make-or-break factor for a game like this, and thankfully, Split Fiction absolutely nails it. The controls feel tight and responsive, making even the trickiest jumps satisfying to pull off. Whether we were bouncing across floating books in a fantasy library or wall-running through a futuristic cityscape, the movement felt smooth and intuitive. Hazelight understands that platforming isn’t just about getting from point A to point B—it’s about making the journey feel rewarding, and they’ve achieved that here.
For a relatively small studio, Hazelight continues to impress with its technical and artistic prowess. Split Fiction is a gorgeous game, bursting with color and detail. The constant shifts between fantasy and sci-fi settings mean that no two areas feel alike. One level could have me navigating through a sprawling medieval landscape filled with fantastical creatures, while the next transported us to a cyberpunk metropolis where neon signs flickered in the rain. The scale of some set pieces is breathtaking, with huge, cinematic moments that had me pausing just to take it all in.
Performance-wise, the game runs smoothly on PS5, with snappy load times and a consistent frame rate, even during its most chaotic sequences. The animations are fluid, and the attention to detail in character expressions and environments is top-notch. It’s clear that a lot of love and effort went into making Split Fiction a visually and mechanically polished experience.
If there’s one area where Split Fiction doesn’t quite reach the heights of It Takes Two, it’s in some of its storytelling. While the story has a creative setup, and Mio and Zoe’s journey is compelling enough, the emotional beats don’t always land as powerfully as they could. The writing is solid, but some moments feel like they could have been explored in greater depth. The antagonist, while conceptually interesting, never fully develops into a truly memorable villain.
That being said, the game more than makes up for these minor shortcomings with its sheer creativity and engaging gameplay. If the story occasionally takes a backseat, it’s only because the moment-to-moment experience is so captivating that I never found myself dwelling on it too much.
Final Thoughts
Split Fiction is another triumph for Hazelight Studios. It’s a joyful, wildly inventive co-op experience that constantly surprises and delights. The seamless blend of genres, tight platforming, and stunning visuals make it an absolute blast to play from start to finish. While parts of the story may not leave a lasting impact, the sheer fun of the game more than makes up for it.
If you have a friend, partner, or sibling to play with, Split Fiction is a must-play. Hazelight has once again proven that they are masters of the co-op adventure, delivering one of the most fun and imaginative games I’ve played in recent years.
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9.5
- + Fun and really creative gameplay
- + Interesting story premise that provides a lot of variety
- + Constantly changing gameplay genres keeps you constantly engaged
- + Delivers a co-op experience that doesn’t feel frustrating
- - Parts of the story may not leave a lasting impact
