Split Fiction: Tried, Tested, and Triumphed

It can be said that Josef Fares has been single-handedly keeping the split-screen co-op genre alive since 2018. The Swedish-Lebanese filmmaker initially gained widespread attention through his 2018 co-op prison break game, A Way Out. People were initially attracted to the game thanks to his daring middle finger to the Oscars when promoting it, but many, like me, stayed for the fresh and well-told co-op experience.

For seven years, Fares hasn’t strayed from his winning formula of exclusively two-player co-op games. His games only allow two players to play the game, be it online or offline. There is no way to play the game solo with a bot-controlled companion—it’s two or off with you.

But why should he change? A Way Out was ironically his breakout game that garnered positive reviews from the community. Its successor, It Takes Two managed to win several awards, including the coveted Game of the Year accolade by The Game Awards. So far, Split Fiction has been receiving rave reviews from critics and players alike. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.

Now, the same co-op exclusive rule also applies to his newest entry, Split Fiction. Fortunately, based on my experience playing through it with a friend, I can confidently say that it deserves the same laurels as its predecessors.

Tale of Two Writers

In Split Fiction, players take the roles of Mio Hudson and Zoe Foster, two young writers who've been invited by the tech company, Rader Publishing, to participate in an experiment where writers can experience their own stories via an advanced simulation device called “The Machine”. After an incident, Mio ends up inside Zoe’s simulation, where they subsequently discover that the experiment was part of a greater conspiracy.

Therefore, the two writers must find a way to escape from The Machine by navigating through the different stories that came from their minds. Along the way, Mio and Zoe must also learn to set aside their differences that mainly stem from their different writing genres. The reserved and aloof Mio writes science fiction, which provides a great contrast to the quirky and outgoing Zoe, who writes fantasy.   

Fortunately, based on my experience playing through it with a friend, I can confidently say that it deserves the same laurels as its predecessors.

The worlds presented by the minds of the game’s protagonists are reflective of their character traits. Zoe’s fantasy settings evoke a feeling of beauty with aesthetically pleasing visuals and whimsical tones. Family-friendly works like Harry Potter and How to Train Your Dragon seem to serve as inspiration for her worlds, a reflection towards her friendly personality.

On the other hand, Mio’s sci-fi settings are a touch bleaker with more washed-out, darker color palettes inspired by dystopian media. Her stories take inspiration from more mature stories like Akira, Cyberpunk 2077, and Chronicles of Riddick, which reflect her distant and blunt demeanor. The contrast between worlds in Split Fiction reaches beyond genre differences, which further fleshes out its two lead characters.

Split Screen Redefined

Despite the slightly different approach to themes, Split Fiction offers plenty of gameplay commonalities that anchor the players’ experience.

On a presentation level, the game offers stunning visuals and colorful vistas; it may have been the best-looking Hazelight experience to date. To this effect, there are numerous in-game sections that allow Mio and Zoe to sit on a bench overlooking beautiful scenery. These sections exist in both sci-fi and fantasy iterations, a statement on the game’s consistent execution of dazzling graphics.

Much like It Takes Two, Split Fiction relies on unique gameplay mechanics that only appear in a single stage. Moreover, each stage features a different gameplay feature for players to learn and master in short order. For instance, a sci-fi stage gives Mio a gravity-altering sword that can stick to certain surfaces, while Zoe gets a whip that can grab and throw certain objects. These mechanics are introduced in a well-paced and intuitive way that allows players to get used to them before they tackle more adv challenges.

Split Fiction’s pacing even improves on It Takes Two; stage difficulty often intensifies just before players are transported to the next stage, thus keeping the mechanics from becoming too repetitive. Going back to the previously mentioned sci-fi stage, the level culminates in a fast-paced set piece with the duo fending off enemies from a futuristic bike, which then turns into an explosive boss fight where the duo gets their own bikes.

When the game kicks up a notch, the experience feels much like a theme-park ride that rarely slows down. These stage climaxes usually come in the form of a chase sequence or a boss battle that forces players to think on their feet. However, these action-packed sequences come with plenty of telegraphed patterns or context clues, which prevent them from becoming unfair.

Split Fiction’s pacing even improves on It Takes Two; stage difficulty often intensifies just before players are transported to the next stage, thus keeping the mechanics from becoming too repetitive.

Action-heavy set pieces aren’t the only times players get to try their unique mechanics. Split Fiction has plenty of platforming and puzzle sections that require coordination and precise timing from both players. Thankfully, these sections do not feel tedious or repetitive thanks to simple, intuitive control schemes that are accessible to a wide range of players.

Of course, some sections may take longer to clear if one is playing with a non-gamer partner. To help those folks along who may have less experience with modern games, Split Fiction has a multitude of button-prompt reminders and clues (either spoken or seen by the in-game duo) that can help players should they feel lost or at wit’s end.  

Split Fiction complements Hazelight's familiar co-op gameplay with a new feature called “Side Stories”, which are bite-sized adventures written by one of the duo when they were younger. While technically missable, these Side Stories are easy to find when traversing a stage. Acting in lieu of a typical side quest, the side stories usually take less than five minutes to finish and are inconsequential to the overarching narrative.

Far from just providing insight into Mio or Zoe’s characters, ALL these Side Stories are a blast to play and can be more inventive than some AAA gaming experiences out there. For example, one mission takes the form of a pastel-colored Fall Guys-esque experience, ending with a terrifying—but ultimately hilarious—boss battle.

In addition to Side Stories, Split Fiction has some shiny new tech that stands as its biggest achievement in the co-op realm. It really pushes the split screen genre to its limit, as displayed in an extended sequence late in the game. In doing so, Split Fiction manages to make the best use of its distinctive art style and emphasis on co-op gameplay to transcend its medium—or at least, subvert expectations tied to it. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be said about this achievement since it straddles spoilers’ territory, but one thing is for certain: you’ll know it when you see it.

Split Fiction is more than a straightforward split-screen game. It feels like a comprehensive experience of unique characters, genres, worlds, and, ultimately, diverse stories. All of these are brought to life thanks to excellent use of contrasting themes, mesmerising visuals, well-paced gameplay, and boundary-breaking ideas.

Earlier, I wrote that Josef Fares has been keeping the co-op split-screen genre alive since 2018. With the release of Split Fiction, I suspect that he may have kept it in good health, and dare I say, elevated it, for another decade.