A Genre-Bending Masterpiece

Despite myself and my better half both being avid gamers, us actually playing together is relatively uncommon. In fact, the last time we sat down and truly invested some quality hours into a game as a pair was when the terrific It Takes Two was released. At the time I genuinely thought it was an experience that was likely never to be topped.

However, the brilliantly bonkers Josef Fares is back with his latest adventure, Split Fiction, in an effort to prove me wrong.

Co-op Creativity Unleashed

Split Fiction is an action & adventure game centring around two aspiring writers, Mio and Zoe. Both meet at a creative gathering where they hope to finally hit the big time in their respective genres, sci-fi and fantasy. However, before long it turns out that the head of the supposed publishing company, Rader, is not all that he seems. Mio and Zoe end up thrown into their own creations and need to team up to find a way back to reality and prevent their ideas from being stolen.

When it comes to the narrative, discovering more about each character is what makes Split Fiction so gripping as opposed to simply being about what’s happening in the worlds themselves. It’s an unashamedly human story, dealing with life changing events whilst at the very same time juxtaposed against huge space wars and battles with powerful magical creatures.

Both Mio and Zoe may not be instantly lovable, however their character development is handled brilliantly. Through their fictional stories we learn more about them, as you will no doubt try to figure out the significance of certain details and what inspired them from Mio and Zoe’s real life experiences. There are countless nods to other classic video games and popular culture too; some subtle and some not so much.

Split Fiction is also genuinely funny, as both Mio and Zoe balance each other really well. The dialogue is thoughtful and believable, saving both women from feeling like one dimensional cliches. Both are also brought to life by how fantastic the character models look, and the excellent job done with the lip syncing. 

Worlds Within Worlds

At this point I must explicitly say that Split Fiction looks absolutely gorgeous. It’s actually quite staggering that despite only residing in some of these worlds for a brief period, the detail and creativity that has gone into creating them is high. Aside from the two main genres, you’ll also explore partially finished ideas by the protagonists, such as a sickly sweet world of candy and a hand drawn 2D sketchbook which changes with the narrator.

These side stories are optional, but contain some of the best moments of Split Fiction and should not be missed. If it wasn’t for the epic climax to the main story, I would say my favourite moments came when jumping into these asides which further break up the gameplay, pushing the variety message.

A Platforming Powerhouse

It’s that central theme of variety that is evidenced by how good this game looks, and even though most chapters play out in one of two genres, no two ever feel the same. This is reinforced by the wonderfully creative gameplay too. What we have on our hands here is a “greatest hits” (if you like) of platform gaming.

Both Mio and Zoe come equipped with a double jump, dash, wall run and grapple to help traverse each environment. These abilities are constantly available throughout the vast majority of Split Fiction and line up some brilliant action set pieces. You’ll be sliding, swinging and sprinting to avoid all sorts of environmental hazards and enemies in pursuit.

What particularly impressed me is that there can be an awful lot happening on screen, with the perspective shifting and the need to react quickly. Despite this mayhem the camera tracks perfectly and doesn’t confuse you, meaning you won’t be moving in the wrong direction or getting unfairly punished by the control setup. This means the illusion remains intact, and as a result the on-rails segments are absolutely thrilling, pulse-pounding segments of play which will constantly catch you off guard. Despite the entirety of Split Fiction playing in a pretty linear fashion, the environments have the illusion of an open world in the way they are designed.

This feeling of not quite knowing what to expect next is weaved into the pace of the game beautifully, and I must say it’s damn near perfect. Just when an idea or setting may start to be outgrowing its welcome, things change and the game turns the action on its head. The sheer amount of ideas in Split Fiction is jaw-dropping but what’s more impressive is that given the vast variety of gameplay mechanics, each feels perfectly calibrated. It’s a real creative tour de force. 

Co-op Chaos and Creative Challenges

Generally the sci-fi areas feel a little more action orientated, whilst the fantasy sections contain more puzzle based platforming. Split Fiction is filled with so many lightbulb moments that kick in when you discover how your abilities and the environments fit together to reveal the path forward.

There are also segments of play where both women are bound together, and must move in tandem whilst safely navigating all sorts of hazards without breaking their link. On another occasion you work together to guide yourselves through a giant pinball machine. Or how about blasting your way through colour coded doors and force fields? Split Fiction has it all.

Mio and Zoe will also zip around with jetpacks, ride dragons, hoverboard down mountains, take part in an intergalactic game show, gain otherworldly abilities and much, much more besides. Split Fiction is a rollercoaster, and I had it pegged as being equally as entertaining and enthralling as It Takes Two. However, that was before I hit the final level, Split.

The Unforgettable Climax and Replayability

Now, I’m not in the business of spoilers so I won’t go into details here. However, it’s fair to say I audibly gasped when I got started, something I haven’t done since playing Alan Wake 2. I’ve never experienced anything quite like it before in a video game, as the traditional platforming mechanics are experimented on and distorted, to the point where Hazelight Studios were clearly just showing off.

Split Fiction also dials up the replayability value thanks to Mio and Zoe adopting different abilities, weapons and paths throughout the game. As a result you can replay the adventure and have a genuinely different experience the second time around. It’s just another piece in the expertly crafted puzzle which makes Split Fiction an incredibly well designed and put together game.

As we have come to expect from Hazelight Studios the emphasis is firmly on co-op play, whether that’s on your couch at home or over the internet. If you aren’t lucky enough to have someone in the same household to accompany you on this adventure, providing you own a copy of Split Fiction you can use the Friend’s Pass feature to bring a buddy along for the ride, even if they are on a different platform.

A Co-op Triumph and a Game of the Year Contender

Not to exaggerate but Split Fiction is a very special game. It’s one thing to aspire to offer variety and bring so many ideas together. It’s entirely another to manage it so successfully, creating a game which just gets better and better and better, as well as managing to stick the landing when it comes to the final act. It manages to be wonderfully simple and accessible, whilst engrossing and wildly entertaining at the same time. It’s so good that what we have here is another Game of the Year contender. You heard it here first.

The team at Hazelight have done it again, creating an experience in Split Fiction that is relentlessly diverse, innovative and, above all, an absolute riot.

Your Links

Hazelight Returns with Mind-Bending Co-op Adventure Split Fiction – https://www.thexboxhub.com/hazelight-returns-with-mind-bending-co-op-adventure-split-fiction/

Buy Split Fiction on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/split-fiction/9p6rk94hjpzm