EA Games Split Fiction
Split Fiction review: the best co-op game I’ve ever played
Split Fiction offers one of the best co-op experiences I’ve ever had. The wealth of gameplay ideas would easily have been enough for 20 games, and that’s exactly what makes it special.
My expectations were high, but Split Fiction still exceeded them. Studio Hazelight’s finally perfected the co-op formula. The game offers more variety and even more original gameplay than its predecessor, It Takes Two from 2021 (article in German). Split Fiction surprises right up to the last minute. What’s more, it delivers a gripping story with two characters I liked from the start and who didn’t drive me crazy with their nagging like in the last game.
Source: Hazelight
Can I pick your brain?
The game starts in a futuristic tech lab. A handful of unsuccessful authors have accepted an invitation assuming they’ll receive a sought-after book contract. Among them are Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster. They meet in the lift, where it quickly becomes clear they have very different personalities. But instead of climbing the career ladder, a Steve Jobs type asks the authors to climb into mysterious, floating bubbles. Mio is the only one who questions the whole thing. When she resists being connected to the machine, she accidentally stumbles into Zoe’s bubble.
The machine extracts the participants’ ideas through these bubbles. Since Zoe and Mio are trapped together, their two worlds merge. From now on, they have to work together to find a way out of the misery. They’re not about to lose their stories to a slick tech guru. This is how the story in Split Fiction begins and we’re finally allowed to pick up the controller.
Source: Hazelight
I say «we» since Split Fiction is played exclusively by two people. It’s easy to invite a second person via the Friend Pass, so they don’t have to buy the game separately. Even crossplay’s possible. The screen’s usually split in two, regardless of whether you’re playing locally or online. It’s often essential to be able to see what your partner’s doing.
Two personalities, two worlds
Mio and Zoe have very different interests. Mio likes science fiction and Zoe likes fantasy. The game regularly switches back and forth between the two settings. It’s a perfect way to combine two completely different worlds and provide a lot of variety.
Source: Hazelight
One of the first worlds is based on a story by Zoe – the machine’s created a level. In it, the two women become shape-shifters. Mio can switch back and forth between her human form, a monkey, and a type of otter, while Zoe becomes a tree creature and a fairy. I chose Mio, so I can climb certain pink areas as a monkey, break open passages, or swim through underground rivers as an otter.
Zoe controls nature as a tree creature and makes platforms grow for me – a monkey – to climb over. As an otter, I occasionally play taxi for Zoe and pull her through the water on a platform. The tasks become increasingly difficult and combine more and more of the mechanics you’ve learned. As a monkey, I climb over an obstacle, transform into an otter by leaping into the air and dive head-first into the water. Then I dive under a dam, dash out on the other side and change into my human form in the air to run along a wall. Woah.
Source: Hazelight
Even as humans, Zoe and Mio can still do a few tricks. Besides the wall run à la Prince of Persia, they can double-jump and dash to cover even greater distances or avoid obstacles. These skills are used throughout the entire game.
New world, new game
In each new world, the basic game mechanics change along with the setting. Almost all the worlds could be turned into standalone games. Split Fiction changes them so quickly that they never get boring. In general, the game has an incredible pace. It’s always moving forward. And even though the difficulty level’s tough, we never got stuck. This is also thanks to the generously distributed checkpoints. As long as only one person dies, the game continues smoothly and you usually spawn right next to your partner. Even in boss fights, you never have to start again from the beginning. The game constantly catapults you forwards. There’s never the slightest bit of boredom or frustration.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
While Zoe’s levels are set in dreamlike fairytale worlds full of mythical creatures, Mio’s mind has us exploring bright, neon-coloured sci-fi worlds as cyber ninjas. Sometimes we engage in wild chases on light bikes that could’ve come straight out of Tron. Or we control Metroid-like metal balls to roll through shafts, hack terminals and activate energy fields. Many of the game ideas are clearly copied from existing games and films. On the one hand, this suits the authors – who’re probably waiting in vain for a book deal, not least due to a lack of talent – but on the other hand, the gameplay clearly stands out from the original.
Mio’s Metroid ball’s made up of individual drones. They can transform into a small ship I can use to transport Zoe’s ball. Or they can be combined to form a paraglider and float over smoking chimneys, which my friend activates at the right moment to give me a boost.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
Not only do the game mechanics constantly change; so does the perspective. Sometimes we control the game from the third person, then from the side, then from above, or it switches back and forth in the middle. It’s refreshing and also makes sense in terms of gameplay. More mindbendingly, gravity’s linked to the perspective in some levels. So, I sometimes have to move upside down to get around a previously blocked area.
It gets really wild at times. Every time I felt like I’d seen it all, Split Fiction surprised me with a new crazy idea. This is especially true of the ending, which has some of the craziest sequences I’ve ever seen in a game. Rarely have I grinned as much as I did playing this game and heard myself say: «What a cool idea».
No blank slates
Even the story’s convincing – my biggest criticism of the last instalment. The bickering couple got on my nerves so much I had to skip the cutscenes. In Split Fiction, I liked the authors right from the start. The plot about a tech company wanting to use a machine to steal other people’s ideas is topical in the age of AI hype, but it’s not particularly original. But that makes the personal traumas that Zoe and Mio deal with in their stories all the more exciting. Even when the twists were predictable, I sympathised because I grew fond of the two girls. Only Zoe’s excessive use of one-liners would make even Schwarzenegger roll his eyes.
Source: Hazelight
Visually, Split Fiction’s a huge step up from It Takes Two, which looked fine as it was. It’s clear the last instalment was a huge success and that publisher EA probably issued a blank check. There are huge dragon caves, sunken cities and floating industrial complexes. Everything’s full of careful detail, expansive landscapes and impressive buildings. Both the fantasy sections and the sci-fi levels regularly took our breath away. Some of the things you see here as you fly past would be the visual highlight in other games.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
The soundtrack also plays its part to really immerse you in the world. A heavy techno beat thumps while we have dance duels with a party monkey, then a string orchestra accompanies us on a sightseeing flight via hang glider.
The optional side quests offer even more variety. They’re hard to miss and are always set in the other world. They usually only last a few minutes and are the perfect palate cleanser between the longer main missions. We didn’t miss one. At one point, we found ourselves in a Harry Potter-like magical world and had a fun race on snails. The moles wearing magic hats were the finishing touch to the brief experience. Another time we had a snowboarding contest, then we transformed ourselves into rainbow-farting pigs, or rather into a spring-loaded one. This sent us tumbling through a colourful farm world full of giant fruit. The creativity knows no bounds – just like the fun of this game.
Source: Philipp Rüegg
«Split Fiction» is out now for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. I tested the PC version, kindly provided by EA.
In a nutshell
Virtually unparalleled originality
Rarely has a game been this fun for me, offered more variety and surprised me as constantly with new ideas. The friend I played it with agrees. Hazelight’s outdone itself. The game’s impressive on all levels. It looks fantastic, the soundtrack’s captivating and the change of scenery between gameplay ideas and world design’s almost incomprehensibly fast. The number of ideas would’ve been enough for ten games, although the novelty would’ve worn off pretty quickly. And that’s exactly what makes the game so appealing. You’ve barely got used to one scene or action before the next one starts. It never gets boring. The game has an incredible pace.
The fact that Split Fiction can only be played by two people can be a drawback if you can’t find a co-op partner. Despite generous checkpoints, it’s quite demanding, which could be challenging for casual players. If – like me – you’ve found a suitable partner, you’ll be doubly rewarded. With both a unique game and a unique experience that you’ll remember for a long time.
Pro
- Extremely varied
- Beautiful worlds
- Constantly changing gameplay
- Sympathetic characters
Contra
- Zoe’s constant one-liners get annoying after a while
- Can’t be played alone
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Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
