Riding on the heels of their massively-successful co-op adventureIt Takes Two, the winner of several awards including the Game Award for Game of the Year, Hazelight Studios and their director Josef Fares have finally released their next project. Another two-player co-op adventure,Split Fictionfollows two aspiring writers as they are transported into the many worlds of their own stories, forced to work together as they find a way to escape the simulation they are now trapped in. The concept falls in line with past Hazelight projects: a two-person “Hero’s Journey” following two distinct characters that butt heads and learn to work together and understand each other as they venture through a series of strange locations. The game continues to follow the previously-successful format and structure of It Takes Two, providing a familiar gameplay experience that is a near-carbon-copy of its predecessor. Thankfully,Split Fictionmanages to recreate the fun and entertainment of their last game as well.
Just The Two Of Us…
As mentioned earlier, gameplay inSplit Fictionfollows the same structure asIt Takes Two. Our two heroes start out with a few basic platforming abilities: a double jump, a midair dodge and a grappling hook. Every main level begins with each of the two characters being given two separate and different abilities, which the world of the surrounding level incorporates into mechanics and progression (and then are removed at the end of the level). InSplit Fiction’s case, this can range from shapeshifting into creatures that can travel through water to wielding a telekinetic whip that can lift and toss objects. The level design supports these mechanics well, exploring them to their full extent without overstaying their welcome or becoming repetitive.
The game continues to follow the previously-successful format and structure of It Takes Two, providing a very familiar gameplay experience that is a near-carbon-copy of its predecessor; thankfully,Split Fictionmanages to recreate the fun and entertainment of their last game, as well.
The majority of the powers given to players are fun to play with, although I did feel like I was missing out a bit when playing as Zoe and watching Mio repeatedly gain more entertaining abilities than I did. In one level, Mio rides a dragon that can fly around and spray acid from its mouth, while Zoe’s dragon is confined to rolling around on the ground and slowly climbing up leafy walls. It was still fun, but there was an imbalance of power and freedom in multiple levels.
Thankfully, no major task can be completed without the two players working in harmony, with a repeating goal of opening a door for another player with one ability, so they can enter a room where they do the same with theirs. There’s also a lot of enjoyable platforming gameplay outside the level abilities that balances well, since both characters have the same moves.
There are also twelve unique “side stories” for players to find off the standard path, which transport characters to a smaller story separate from the level they’re in. Finding and playing through these levels is a blast, as they are often less serious in tone and more experimental in gameplay and presentation. A personal favorite was a farm-based children’s story about two pigs: one can fly using magical farts and the other can grow tall by turning into a giant spring. Avoiding any kinds of spoilers, the surprises in these side stories are fantastic and all of them are worth the 5-10 minute detour.
Journey Into Imagination
Fans ofIt Takes Twocan expect the same style of campy and goofy dialog throughoutSplit Fiction(although it does land flatter since the game takes its story and worlds so much more seriously). It can be corny and sappy at times, with plenty of exposition and plot explanations along the way, but it gets the job done and doesn’t get in the way of the tight gameplay.
It can be corny and sappy at times, with plenty of exposition and plot explanations along the way, but it gets the job done and doesn’t get in the way of the tight gameplay.
Both the main-level and side-level stories are missing something thatIt Takes Twoexcelled in: memorable NPCs. Outside of bosses and enemies, it’s difficult to name or even remember interacting with a single NPC throughout the entirety of the campaign. The lack of actual characters is strange, considering the whole idea of each level is experiencing a “story” written by one of the characters (although the lack of characters would explain why they haven’t been published thus far).Split Fictionis also missing the explorable and interactive sections of levels that its predecessor excelled in, and has no mini-games outside the non-replayable side stories. It makes sense for the sake of the story not to include these, but the gap in content isn’t really filled in anywhere, which is concerning for a game with double the budget and an extra $10 added to the price tag.
For a game about creativity and giving credit to the creations of artists, there are a lot of borrowed ideas in the game. Pretty much every level ability can be seen in another game, whether it beMarble Blast Ultra’s rolling-ball platforming,Super Mario Odyssey’s wall-climbing Pokios, or Tracer’s dual-SMGs fromOverwatch. There are plenty of other mechanics in shorter gameplay sequences and side stories that are also borrowed, with varying levels of reference to the original works they’re recreating (one side-scrolling side story included running the entire 360 of a vertical loop, which then flashed “Gotta Go Fast!” on the screen). Additionally, several of the stories themselves pull from other stories that already exist. One side story recreatesDune’s vibration-detecting sand worms, while another is reminiscent of the 2013 filmGravity. All of this being said, Hazelight does a great job of integrating these ideas into their own game, as well as exploring new ideas with them.
Science Fiction vs. Fantasy
Part of the reason the implementation of ideas from outside works is so evident may have to do with the lack of distinction in some of the environmental design. There are two types of levels in the game: fantasy, and sci-fi. The fantasy levels vary deeply, exploring the many subgenres of the space with new models and assets accompanying the various locales you adventure through. On the other hand, the sci-fi levels are pretty much entirely based in high-tech dystopian worlds and could easily be set in the exact same universe.
Closing Comments:
Split Fiction is, in many ways, a spiritual successor to 2021’sIt Takes Two, boasting an identical gameplay loop and story structure to its predecessor and continuing Hazelight’s running emphasis on two-player co-op. It’s shorter, more expensive, and while it may not have the originality or variety ofIt Takes Two, it still manages to create an entertaining and captivating experience for both players.
Split Fiction
Version Reviewed: PlayStation 5
The co-op masterminds are back, pushing the creative limits with their new action-packed buddy adventure, Split Fiction. From the studio behind 2021 Game of the Year Winner It Takes Two, venture into a world that jumps between Sci-Fi and Fantasy to overcome varied and unexpected gameplay challenges with a friend. Split Fiction’s vast array of ever-changing mechanics keeps you on the edge of your couch with surprising moments. Find out what happens when two radically different worlds collide in this fortuitous story of friendship.StoryMio and Zoe are contrasting writers who become trapped in their own stories after being hooked up to a machine designed to steal their creative ideas. To escape with their minds intact, they’ll need to overcome their differences to crash the system that holds them, uncovering secrets and personal struggles hidden within their own fiction.Key Features● True Co-Op Adventure - Split Fiction is an adventure tailored for two. As Mio and Zoe, you’ll experience split screen co-op gameplay where you have to coordinate your actions and timing, as well as work together to overcome challenges through unique worlds of fiction like lush Fantasy environments and Sci-Fi skylines. This wild ride comes to you from Hazelight, the co-op thrill-makers that brought you It Takes Two and A Way Out.● Unparalleled Variety - Discover new mechanics and abilities in every level of your adventure, which will alternate between sci-fi and fantasy settings. Escape a sun that’s going supernova, challenge a monkey to a dance battle, try out some cool hoverboard tricks, fight an evil kitty, and ride everything from gravity bikes to a sandshark. Experience worlds that are entirely different from each other, unexpected new abilities, and a range of gameplay that includes platforming, puzzles, and more. There are surprises waiting for you and your partner around every corner.● The Power of Friendship - Mio and Zoe don’t get along at first, but soon enough they become each other’s only hopes. This journey will throw unexpected twists at them and if they want to make it through, they’ll need to have each other’s backs. They’ll encounter both bizarre situations as they traverse stories born from their own wild imaginations. Most importantly – they’ll face it all together.● Sci-Fi and Fantasy Worlds - Venture through fantastical realms and discover idyllic villages and mystical sanctuaries filled with magical beings in Zoe’s world of fiction. Board a flying train and explore Mio’s imaginary realms of futuristic space stations, intense battlefields and more. Engage in hidden “side stories” – vivid snapshots extracted from the depths of Mio and Zoes’ minds that go beyond Sci-Fi and Fantasy – where you can learn more about their past and the roads that led them to by Rader.● More Ways to Play Together - Friend’s Pass - Hazelight’s staple feature that allows one player that owns the game to invite a friend to play for free - is back and makes playing with friends even easier with crossplay options enabled for PlayStation, Xbox and PC (via Steam).
