Split Fiction Review

Kai Taylor

15 hours ago9 min read

Split Fiction - Gaming Australia review cover image

Genre: Action/Adventure

Modes: Multiplayer

Developer: Hazelight Studios

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Release Date: March 6th 2025

Available On: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Reviewed On: PS5

Hazelight Studios' It Takes Two is one of my favourite games so far this decade. Playing through it with my girlfriend was such a memorable experience, and the level design, music, controls and narrative were stellar. After finishing the game, I went through a strange mourning period. I desperately wanted another co-op platforming adventure in which to lose myself. After nearly four years of waiting, Hazelight and EA have granted my wish with Split Fiction and I could not wait to review it. From the first reveal trailer, the sheer level of creativity this game was oozing was enough to convince me that the game would reach the same high standard as It Takes Two. Now that I have finished Split Fiction for this review, this game is one of the most entertaining, varied and memorable co-op adventures I have ever played. This game offers so much variety in both its visuals and gameplay that the adventure never grows stale. The fantastic story compliments the gameplay, and much like Astro Bot, you are in a constant state of excitement about what the next world will offer you.

It Takes Two to Tango

Split Fiction centres on Mio and Zoe, two unpublished writers whom Rader Publishing contacts. At first, Rader Publishing seemed like a company that wanted to publish Mio and Zoe's stories. However, when they arrive, they are greeted by several other writers, Rader, the CEO of the company, and discover that Rader has created a machine that allows you to enter the world of the story you have written. Due to a sudden conflict, Mio and Zoe accidentally enter the same simulation and become trapped. They soon discover that instead of giving writers the possibility of living in their fictional worlds, Rader is extracting the stories from writers so he can publish the work as his own. As the players, you control Mio and Zoe through various sci-fi and fantasy worlds to escape the simulation and put an end to Rader's schemes.

Escaping Rader's attacks in Split Fiction for the PS5

AI is now a controversial element people are using in storytelling, and Split Fiction explores the potential side effects of such a system's implementation. Rader Publishing's machine is a glorified AI that strips away the creativity of individuals and passes them off as its own. Mio writes science fiction, and all of her stories have personal themes unique to her. Zoe writes fantasy, and while her stories do not at first appear to have a personal significance to her, the further you go in the story, you realise that she is going through a lot more than her happy-go-lucky attitude tells you. Split Fiction's narrative is not just entertaining, emotional and well-written from a review standpoint; it is an important piece of writing for the modern day, and it is a justification for the difference between the efforts of humanity and the efforts of artificial intelligence. AI will never triumph over the creative potential of an artist.

Not only is Split Fiction's narrative eye-opening to the potential desensitisation of storytelling due to the rise of AI, but it is also a deeply human story about two writers desperate for success but who are being held back by their traumas. Because of its co-op gameplay, you and a friend or partner choose which character to play as. I am more of a sci-fi lover than a fantasy lover, so I played Mio for this review of Split Fiction, and my girlfriend (who is more into fantasy) played Zoe. Mio is more closed off, whereas Zoe is much more open to expressing herself, and the two struggle to collaborate because they do not know one another. But further into the adventure, the two begin to share why they write what they write and what it is that drives them towards the field of creative writing. My girlfriend and I share many traits with our respective characters; she is outgoing and more open about sharing stories and anecdotes with people. I am much more introverted, and it takes me a long time to open up to people. In that sense, Mio and Zoe really struck a cord for both of us. The fact that the game's director, Josef Fares, named the two characters after his daughters makes the game feel even more human. Fares could only have created Split Fiction's story at this moment in time, and AI could not even begin to understand or replicate it.

Some of the gorgeous architecture in the Fantasy worlds of Split Fiction

The Power of Two

If you have played Hazelight's previous game, It Takes Two, then the gameplay of Split Fiction will feel very familiar. The basic controls involve running, jumping, double jumping, and dashing to avoid enemies or gain more horizontal distance during platforming tasks. The simple control scheme allows the game to be easily accessible to people gamers and non-gamers. Because the game is a co-op adventure, there is a likelihood that certain players will not have had much exposure to gaming, and Split Fiction has taken this into account. On top of this, the basic controls are buttery smooth. Standard running around is snappy, and any analog input is instantaneous; the jump has just the right amount of vertical height, and the dash gives a good amount of distance without feeling overpowered. I want to give particular praise to the double jump, which is one of the best uses of the move I have ever played in a game, and it is on par with the double jump in Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About time. You can activate the double jump at any time when you are off the ground; you do not have to weigh until you reach a certain height to activate it. Due to this, the double jump can be a huge advantage during some of the trickier platforming challenges. If you miss a platform and won't reach it with a single jump, you can activate the double jump at just the right height and then perform a quick dash to land on the platform. The double jump is essential throughout the game, not only during platforming areas but also during bosses.

For most of the game, you and your other player will not only be using the standard controls because every world has a unique power-up that will help you across the level. The game's level design alternates between a sci-fi world and a fantasy world. Due to the difference in style and tone of the two genres, each power-up feels fully realised and never an afterthought by the developers. I do not want to detail every power-up in the game because it will spoil the joy of going through the game, but I will detail one power-up from each genre. In the first sci-fi world you encounter, Mio gets a gravity sword, and Zoe gets a whip. The gravity sword creates some truly incredible platforming challenges because you can propel yourself to surfaces, walk along walls and reach areas that your partner can't. Zoe's whip is an immensely powerful weapon that can hurl bombs at projectiles and take down enemies instantly. The whip also has great range, so Zoe can keep a fair distance from enemies without the risk of taking damage.

The gravity sword and whip from Split Fiction

In one of the fantasy worlds, about halfway through the game, both players control a dragon. The dragons start as babies and can only glide and climb up surfaces. Later in the chapter, the dragons become huge and can hold a continuous glide, which is an integral part of that area's boss battle. Every power-up in Split Fiction is a beautiful expression of creativity. It shows just how far Hazelight has come in its creative endeavours and confidence in splicing dozens of different ideas into one game.

One thing that Hazelight added to this game is the side stories. These are shorter levels based on unfinished story ideas from Mio and Zoe. There are three side stories on each main level, and they can be some of the exciting parts of the game. In most of the side stories, you have a unique power-up that only appears in that side story. Once again, I do not want to spoil some of these side stories, but I will detail one side story already shown in the first trailer of the game. In the side story, you play as two pigs on a fantasy-themed farm. Mio's pig has the most hilarious power-up in the game, farting so hard that she is able to glide across long distances. Zoe's pig is able to bounce high to reach tall vertical surfaces. Everything starts as a joyful, entertaining affair, but both players are soon put into a mincing machine and come out the other end as sausages (yes, I am not making that up). From there, you can jump and roll around as a playable sausage and even decorate yourself with ketchup and mustard and land on a slice of bread ready to be eaten. This level is one of the most creatively entertaining side missions I have ever seen in a game, and it truly shines a light on how much Hazelight put into Split Fiction.

Farting and bouncing pigs in Split Fiction

Split Fiction is absolutely gorgeous, and the performance on PS5 is faultless. Every area has a huge amount of detail, from the neon-lit streets of the sci-fi worlds to the sprawling forests of the fantasy worlds. There is more colour and variety for visuals in this game than in It Takes Two. Playing Split Fiction for this review on PS5 at a constant 60 fps was the icing on the cake, and the game did not stutter or glitch once throughout my 13-hour playthrough.

A Unique History Lesson

The thing I love most about Split Fiction is how much it pays tribute to other video games. Josef Fares has created a story and experience that would not have worked as any other visual media (even though a Split Fiction film is said to be in development). To prove this, the sheer number of easter eggs, gameplay mechanics, and aesthetics that pay respect to other video games is fantastic. The most obvious one is It Takes Two, and you can even find Rose's stuffed elephant from that game during the first world (every single gamer is still traumatised about what happened to that elephant). As well as this, there are twin-stick shooting levels that feel straight out of Metroid, the world you enter after completing a level is straight out of Control and Alan Wake, there are side missions that take elements from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and SSX Tricky, there's a side boss that resembles GLaDOS from Portal, riding around on the dragons is a nod to the gameplay of Spyro, even Sonic the Hedgehog gets a nod in one of the side stories where Zoe references one of Sonic's catchphrases. There are countless other references, like the anti-gravity traversal from Dead Space, the huge sand snakes that feel like a culmination of Dune and Shadow of the Colossus, and the bullet-hell-inspired boss battles, which feel like a love letter to Enter the Gungeon and Cuphead. During my Split Fiction review, it became apparent that the game is a masterclass in blending genres and other gameplay ideas. The variety never makes the game feel repetitive or drag on too long.

A reference to the Elephant from It Takes Two in Split Fiction

While there is a huge amount of variety, and the gameplay keeps you excited for what comes next, the story itself is not perfect. I absolutely love the themes it explores, and both Mio and Zoe are great characters with decent character arcs, respectively, but the game's narrative did not surprise me as much as It Takes Two. It Takes Two had a much more grounded story that centred on just two people. There was no external threat in that game; the story came from the conflict between the two protagonists, and every gameplay challenge was an extension of their conflict. Split Fiction has a much more ambitious story, and the characters' motivations are much grander. The problem with this is that it can make the story quite predictable. Understandably, this is a genre story; we probably have an idea of how the story is going to end, but it is the character's inner conflicts and problems that are the sticking point for me and how blatantly clear they are to the player. I wish the game inferred Mio and Zoe's issues and gave you more subtle imagery to leave you questioning what each character has going on. Instead, you get a small metaphor and then a full explanation of Mio's trauma and then later Zoe's trauma. Hazelight could have improved on this by adding more twists and turns to throw off the player about Mio and Zoe's past. The developers spelling out each character and their stories without adding much mystery was the only part of Split Fiction that disappointed me during my review.