Chris InglisSplit Fiction is a co-op adventure game developed by Hazelight Studios and published by Electronic Arts and launched on PC and consoles on March 7, 2025. Hazelight are renowned for their commitment to engaging cooperative gameplay from the prison break of A Way Out to the whimsical journey of 2021 GOTY, It Takes Two. They have crafted titles that demand genuine collaboration and emotional investment amongst players.
Building upon this legacy, Split Fiction emerges as a unique and compelling narrative puzzle experience, further solidifying Hazelight’s dedication to innovative co-op design. It offers a refreshing departure from traditional co-op games, inviting players to unravel intricate mysteries through collaborative deduction and interpretation. While the game requires two players to play, only one player needs to own the game and then can invite a buddy friend to play through Steam Remote Play and friend’s pass for consoles, and crossplay is enabled in this game. I played with my daughter over LAN, and it was a blast with lots of laughs together.
Split Fiction tells the story of Mio and Zoe, two contrasting writers – one specialising in sci-fi and the other in fantasy. After being hooked up to a machine designed to steal their creative ideas, they find themselves trapped within their own stories. To escape with their memories intact, they must rely on each other, mastering a variety of abilities and overcoming diverse challenges while switching between the sci-fi and fantasy worlds in this tale of friendship. Voice acting for both characters is superb, as is the difference in music between the cyberpunk and techno beats for Mio to the fantasy and more orchestral music of Zoe’s fantasy lands.
The strength of Split Fiction lies in its ability to foster genuine teamwork, and you can only play the game with two players connected, either through local co-op with keyboard/mouse and a controller on PC, or two controllers on consoles. Unlike many co-op games that focus on combat prowess or synchronized button presses, Split Fiction emphasizes shared engagement. If you have played any of Hazelight’s previous games, you know what a wild ride you are in for. Players must communicate effectively, share their interpretations, and build a collective understanding of the story making the game experience deeply rewarding.
Each player might notice different details or interpret clues in unique ways from their perspective, and can help guide the other player, leading to rich and dynamic communication between the players. Whether you are playing couch co-op or online with voice chat, communication is key. This design ensures that both players’ voices together can overcome any obstacle and solve the puzzles.
The puzzles themselves are a highlight of the game and switch between action-oriented, platforming sections that change the field of view, racing segments and some that change the whole aesthetic of the game and characters for a short time. Challenging enough to require genuine teamwork and critical thinking, they are not so obtuse as to become frustrating. Split Fiction cleverly utilises visual and text clues, often hiding subtle details that become crucial for unravelling the mystery. This creates a satisfying sense of accomplishment when players finally connect the dots and arrive at a shared understanding.
Overall, Split Fiction is another success from Hazelight Studios, offering a vast array of exciting cooperative experiences with split genres and gameplay mechanics. Its emphasis on teamwork and communication provides an immersive puzzle game experience where players must work together to navigate the split narrative between sci-fi and fantasy worlds. By fostering genuine collaboration between the players, Split Fiction continues Hazelight’s legacy of innovative and engaging co-op designs.
This review utilised Steam keys provided by EA Australia and Split Fiction is available now on Steam, Epic Games Store, Xbox and PlayStation.
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