Split Fiction: Hazelight’s Most Ambitious Co-Op Yet

Split Fiction isn't your dad's It Takes Two, which is probably for the best since that dad is currently a small wooden puppet being serenaded by a singing couples counseling book. At first glance, it may look and feel very much like It Takes Two, especially in how its dual heroes Zoe and Mio can jump, swing, and dash with joyful energy through a variety of twisting, fast-paced action sequences. But it quickly becomes clear that this is something entirely different, standing out as Hazelight Studio's most ambitious and imaginative co-op adventure so far—making it tempting for players to https://www.buygames.ps/enhttps://www.buygames.ps/en just to experience it themselves.

It's packed with so many brilliant and fully realized ideas that you keep expecting it to lose momentum, yet it never does over its ten-hour runtime. It's a remarkable display of imagination, which—given that the game is about an evil publishing company using a sinister machine to drain ideas directly from writers’ minds and turn them into easily marketable virtual reality trash—is a satisfying and bold rebuttal to the ongoing debate about AI threats. Only careful, human craftsmanship could create a game of this quality, and the way it consistently surprises and charms through its tactile controls and strong, empathetic storytelling is far beyond anything the studio has done before.

It’s also noticeably more challenging than It Takes Two, so consider this a heads-up for any parents thinking about playing it with their kids. There could be more frustrations than victories if your co-op partner doesn’t already have some It Takes Two experience, since Split Fiction builds on that game’s sharp, platforming mechanics while layering on dozens—and I mean dozens—of new challenges and precise button work.

Still, if you and your co-op partner are up for it, Split Fiction easily snatches the crown from It Takes Two as the best co-op game around. It makes excellent use of its core idea of a fantasy writer and sci-fi novelist getting tangled in virtual simulations of each other’s stories, taking players from Dune-like industrial escapes and rainy cyberpunk highways to shape-shifting forests, dragon nests high in the mountains, and much more, all while they try to find a way home. They follow a trail of purple glitches, jumping from one story idea to the next, each step giving deeper insight into what makes their new partner tick.

Mio, for instance, is a cool, no-nonsense sci-fi enthusiast whose stories revolve around daring escapes, secret break-ins, and loud, explosive uprisings against vast, faceless authorities. Zoe, in contrast, can’t resist a happily ever after, finding comfort in the cozy and far more optimistic possibilities of the fantasy genre. The two are polar opposites, and at first, both are very reluctant participants in each other’s storylines. But as with any good buddy tale, a gradual thaw and growing understanding occur as they spend time together, and the game’s lean, engaging script does an excellent job of taking players along for the journey. They’re far more enjoyable companions than the dreadful singing and dancing book from It Takes Two, even if Zoe’s habit of psychoanalyzing Mio’s plots can sometimes feel a bit heavy-handed—making it tempting for players to buy cheap Xbox games just to spend more time with them.

Unsurprisingly, both young women are shaped by deeper personal traumas, but the way the game teases out these fears and emotions through your actions is masterfully done. I don’t want to spoil too much, as the game’s twists and surprises are best experienced firsthand, but one particularly striking example stands out. Late in the game, there’s a level built around a major emotional beat centered on letting go of negative emotions. Throughout it, you and your co-op partner constantly activate abilities by pressing and releasing various buttons, navigate obstacles by gripping peg-studded wheels before one player releases to swing both across to the next wheel, and in a standout moment, ride a Phogs-like two-headed creature—one end clamping onto a water drain while the other transforms its mouth into a hose to create a path forward. It’s a brilliant fusion of gameplay and storytelling, and this level of sophistication is present throughout the entire game.

Split Fiction: Wild, Whimsical, and Unpredictable Moments

The deep integration of story and player objectives is what lifts Split Fiction beyond merely being a delightful torrent of ideas hurled at you one after another. The variety of challenges it offers is remarkable, and, much like It Takes Two, its standout moments arise when Zoe and Mio must combine their distinct abilities to move forward together. Each level brings new powers: one player becoming the ball in a pinball machine while the other operates the paddles, manipulating gravity planes for stomach-dropping perspective tricks, transforming into a piranha-deflecting otter to push a bamboo reed through a watery gauntlet of carnivorous plants, switching to a Diablo-style isometric view to belch acid and charge enemies as colorful dragons, or having one player disable a self-destructing motorbike with a funny nod to Google Captcha tests. On their own, these are brilliant pieces of asymmetric gameplay, but Hazelight takes them further by using each mechanic to gradually reveal more about its captivating heroines. And these examples are just a small glimpse—there’s much more waiting to be discovered.

Since these fantasy and sci-fi worlds represent living, breathing versions of the writers’ imaginations, it’s amusing how often they rely on classic platforming tricks: wall-running across flat surfaces, hopping between poles, and grappling across vast fantastical or sci-fi landscapes. Yet these quick traversal moments act as the game’s “downtime,” keeping your hands engaged while providing exposition or letting you catch your breath after a tense chase.

The true highlights are the Side Stories, scattered throughout the main levels. These mini-portals transport Zoe and Mio to self-contained locations separate from the main story, where Hazelight can embrace pure, absurd fun. In one, Zoe narrates and sketches a story in a notebook, erasing weapons and adding obstacles on the fly. In another, both turn into pigs—one flies by farting rainbows, while the other launches skyward with a stretchy, slinky-like body. My personal favorite was a fantasy night market, where hunting ghostly cats to unlock gates referenced everything from Baba Yaga to Dark Souls. Others are more fleeting: thrilling one-off stunts like desert surfing, wind gliding, or careening through space debris to deliver a burst of adrenaline—or comedy. If you thought It Takes Two’s elephant scene was wild, wait until you reach the sugary children’s party story, which might even tempt players to buy cheap PS5 games just to see it for themselves.

It’s hard to pin down exactly what kind of gameplay to expect in Split Fiction because it offers such a dizzying variety. Shooting, platforming, puzzle-solving, whipping, flying, sneaking, sailing, driving, swimming, gravity-bending, racing—you name it, the game includes it. Yet these transitions never feel abrupt. Even when shifting from a high-speed hovercar race to a peaceful fantasy forest, Split Fiction flows seamlessly. The game gives you just enough time to master a new skill set before switching things up again, ensuring you’re never bored.

The side stories truly stand out, offering optional quests with unique gameplay and deeper insight into Zoe and Mio’s creative inspirations. Some turn the usually cooperative experience into a competitive thrill with breakneck-speed races, while others allow for slower exploration. A personal favorite was “Moon Market,” one of Zoe’s creations, where we wandered through a quaint medieval village filled with potion-making moles and giant snails, all while herding mystical cats.

In case it’s not already obvious: this game doesn’t take itself too seriously. While it carries a heartfelt message about creativity and friendship, Split Fiction is also genuinely hilarious. In one side story, Zoe and Mio are transformed into pigs—one of which farts rainbows—until the piggies meet a meat grinder (RIP) and become playable hot dogs. The game also features a cast of funny, memorable side characters, like a royal monkey who dances up a storm and a talking cat demanding cuddles—or else.

Beneath the silliness, Split Fiction has a subtle way of making you care deeply about Zoe and Mio, following an arc that allows them to grow as writers and friends while confronting the personal traumas that inspire their greatest ideas.

Split Fiction: Where Imagination Runs Wild

The best part about the Side Stories, however, is that they are always the opposite genre of the main story you’re playing. So, if you’re in one of Zoe’s fantasy adventures, for instance, all the Side Stories will be Mio-themed sci-fi excursions, and the reverse is true as well. They are completely optional, and some are well-hidden, but they always appear at just the right time to give you a refreshing change before continuing. The main levels are quite long, but the Side Stories do an excellent job of maintaining the game’s pace and making sure no single idea overstays its welcome. Without exception, my co-op partner and I always felt rejuvenated and ready to continue once we finished these small side missions - though I would even argue that they are as essential to the main plot as anything else, as they are not only brilliantly designed levels on their own, but the variety of ideas also helps reveal more about the two main characters.

On/off toggle for controller vibration, camera shake, and inverting vertical and horizontal camera controls. Sliders for camera sensitivity and aim/focus camera sensitivity. On/off toggle for camera assistance. Rebindable keys and gamepad controls. On/off toggle for subtitles, closed captions, and subtitle backgrounds. Customizable settings for button mash, stick spin, and stick wiggle prompts. Ability to swap left and right sticks. On/off toggle for persistent aim dot and reduced enemy damage. Dedicated sliders for master, dialogue, and music volume.

That’s not to say Split Fiction is serious all the time. Like It Takes Two and A Way Out before it, it also has plenty of classic Hazelight moments of pure, unfiltered play—activities that mostly don’t have achievements or any real purpose beyond just having fun. Sliding down water slides and relaxing in donut-shaped rubber rings in a pool, skipping stones across a lake, drinking potions to transform into balls of yarn you can roll and unravel in real-time, or even turning into each other to mimic one another… None of it is necessary—these are the kinds of extras that modern development often cuts out. Yet they all add to the feeling that these worlds are alive and brimming with possibilities. They make the spaces feel more human and playful, even if they are technically just simulations of words on a page or half-formed ideas. And while the evil publishing house trapping Zoe and Mio has sinister intentions, its technology does an excellent job of making these Ready Player One-like realities incredibly enticing.

If that weren’t enough, Split Fiction finishes with a spectacular finale, raising the stakes of its ideas and creativity in ways that consistently dazzle and delight. It nails the landing beautifully, making your eyes, fingers, and thumbs tingle with excitement. Everything feels polished and executed with such confidence and style that it’s impossible not to fall in love with it. As the credits roll and you reflect on all you’ve done—the wild places you’ve visited, the crazy moments you’ve shared, and all the genuinely great fun you’ve had—it becomes clear, co-op or not, that there’s truly nothing else quite like Split Fiction in gaming today.