After many years of waiting and a lot of teasers, Hazelight Studios released a brand new game for the first time on the current gen consoles - Split Fiction. The studio built quite the name for themselves particularly with local co-op and online co-op in mind, a feature that is a rarity in modern gaming. It Takes Two and A Way Out are some of their most successful projects on the PS4, Xbox One and PC,
Split Fiction is their first title on the PS5 and Xbox Series, and it is easily one of the best games you can play with your friend, spouse, or anyone you care to share the journey with.
Story
The story revolves around two writers - Zoe and Mio. With clashing personalities and approaches to storytelling, the two are put into a particuarly tricky situation and must work together to stop a greater plot from unfolding.
Along the way, the two will go in and out of each others stories with Mio’s stories taking you to the far reaches of space, remote planets, and other science fiction settings, and Zoe taking you to the world of Fantasy where dragons, trolls, and other mythical creatures are your biggest threat.
The game starts with the two of them frequently butting heads but in typical Hazelight fashion, they eventually learn that they are more similar than they initially thought and that the journey helps bring them together.
I wish I could say more but if you are a fan of the studio and want to go in as blind as possible, I would even avoid watching the trailers if possible to enjoy this journey.
The game pays homage to its previous games in the form of trophies, easter eggs, and even other popular games. There is a Dark Souls reference I accidentally found while roaming the game.
My only real complaint is some times the story can feel dragged out. Sections that could have been shorter would have better helped with the pacing of the game, particularly where puzzle timing is crucial. This wasn’t a major issue for me, but I still wanted those areas to be over sooner rather than later.
Gameplay
I played the game on my PS5 Pro and I struggled to ever have any issue with running it. I played local co-op with my wife, and even though she isn’t much of a gamer, she was able to learn the game and help me with the more difficult puzzles that came to pass with relative ease.
Most of your travels will be traversing through the games various environments and settings, as you switch back and forth between Mio and Zoe’s stories.
Mio' has her stories focused on action-packed sequences set in space that also utilize weapons, While Zoe is more reliant on puzzles and magic themes.
Something new to the story is also the addition of side-stories. These are little segments of the other person’s story in a story you are currently in. E.g. While you are in Zoe’s fantasy story, you can find a side-story where you go do a space walk with Mio for a brief section that is something out of the mid-game of Dead Space. The adventure lasts anywhere from 5 minutes to 20 minutes depending on a number of factors.
The game is for the most part another Hazelight co-op title. You will spend time between solving puzzles, platforming, and with the addition of fighting enemies which is almost a first when compared to their previous titles, you do that MUCH more in this title.
Mio and Zoe work through various levels together and as you complete one world and move to the next one, each new place you discover has its own unique quirk that makes it a worthwhile and memorable place.
Playing the game means you have to adjust to a lot of 2-D, 2.5D, and 3D views. The game absolutely takes every camera angle in modern gaming and puts you through a rough gauntlet of stages and challenges where you have to change your perspective to get through.
The only real new feature here is the near seamless load times on the new consoles due to vastly improved hardware but that was already a rare issue on their previous titles as well.
I was only able to do 1 playthrough which took me roughly 13 hours of play, so I can imagine going for the platinum trophy would take 15 to 20 hours at best.
Presentation
The game is visually stunning. Visually, the game feels closer to A Way Out, than It Takes Two, but the textures for characters and levels feel significantly better than the previous console generation releases. On the PS5 Pro, the game runs at a smooth 60 FPS at 4K, and the game has a great soundtrack that constantly changes based on the story you are currently doing.
I can not really find a fair way to compare the visuals, but the detail in the environment and mroe is much better and with the power of the new consoles, you can now go through bigger and better set pieces with reduced load times and better visual quality.
The game as of writing this review does not offer a visual or fiedelity mode, and that is for the better - the game wants you to spend as little time as possible in the options menu and spend all of your time in starting the adventure.
Verdict
Split Fiction is truly a game that kicked 2025 off to a fantastic start. Releasing almost a week after Monster Hunter Wilds, this is one title you absolutely SHOULD NOT miss out on. It is a game with a rich and memorable cast of characters, story, and one that deserves the chase for the platinum trophy.
It is best recommended to play this with a friend or someone you can enjoy the experience with.
