About Split Fiction
Split Fiction is a 2-player co-op action-adventure game in which two players play as Mios and Zoe, two different writers trapped in a machine that takes away their ideas and puts them into their stories. Mios is a sci-fi writer, whereas Zoe is a fantasy writer. The machine retains them within the changing fictional worlds.
One moment, they are dashing around a cyberpunk city in dodging hover cars, the next, they are riding one of the flying animals in a fantasy forest with bright colors. The game is always changing the genre and the types of art, merging platforming, puzzles, stealth, action combat, and ridiculous challenges.
Split Fiction, by Hazelight Studios, creator of It Takes Two and A Way Out, was created in co-op form only. Even online, the game is played on split-screen, and thus each player has a different view of the same scene. Players respond to the issues of other players and brainstorm solutions to the problems. The game revolves around friendship, conflict, and how to learn to trust a person who thinks otherwise. Instead of having one mechanic work for hours, Split Fiction presents a new mechanic every level, which keeps the gameplay rhythm of each level.
Split Fiction is available for download for Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
Why Should I Play Split Fiction?
Split Fiction can be interesting if you are bored with optional or appended-on co-op. Co-operation is not just an aspect of the game, but the essence of it. Constant communication is necessary for progress. There are sequences requiring split-second timing, and there are problems requiring problem-solving or watching what your partner watches. All the players possess different skills, thus no one feels like a support. One may take part in wall-running sci-fi fashion, and the other one battles trolls using fantasy magic. The difficulty in this case is to integrate these mechanics on demand.
There is also no repetition in the game. Instead of creating a single system to work the 15 hours, Split Fiction constantly jumps between ideas. One level would make you pigs on a fantastic farm; another level would make you cyberninjas in a postapocalyptic city, and then in another level you would fly in the air over a dying sun and have avoided the downfall. Such light-hearted unpredictability will lead you through the absurd comedy to emotional situations and return you to the turmoil. Something new is always being learned, whether it is hoverboarding, stealth, mini-games, dance battles, or bizarre puzzles.
The emotional depth seems rooted. Mios and Zoe do not start as friends. They discuss and misinterpret each other's styles of storytelling. The trappings of being so compel them to use each other and embrace their strengths instead of fighting against their differences. When the idea of mutual experiences playing a game is more appealing than learning to fight, this game is about being together, laughing, and solving problems together.
Is Split Fiction Free-to-play?
Split Fiction is not a free-to-play game to download. It is a paid premium title; however, it has a Friend Pass that allows a second player to join online without having to purchase their own copy. The first player needs to make a single purchase; the other gamer downloads the Friend Pass version and plays without any fees.
Where Can I Download Split Fiction?
You can download Split Fiction on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and Nintendo Switch 2. Full cross-play on these platforms is supported by the game. Couch co-op can be played with a shared split screen, and online co-op can be played side-by-side. It does not play one-on-one; there is no opponent to control the second place or to play both characters directly. This design is based on the fact that co-op games are based on the idea that the specific game should have equal participation, as held by the studio.
On the PC, the game is available on Steam or EA. The official stores allow console users to buy digital copies. The game is compatible and can run on controllers, PC can take keyboard and mouse. This does not apply to Couch play, as it requires internet, but the online Friend Pass requires internet.
What Games Should I Play If I Enjoy Split Fiction?
In case you like Split Fiction, with its emotional attachment and mechanical changes that are always present, these games provide the same spiritual experience.
It Takes Two offers a comparison that is obvious. It was a creation of the same studio and introduced a novel approach to frequent changes of the mechanics without their repetition. The game compels two people to play together, usually split-screen, which requires communication. It is a combination of humor, storytelling, and cooperative platforming with creativity at each turn. Split Fiction seems like the logical continuation of the shared journey where the two players are reliant on one another.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons is also the brainchild of Hazelight, original creative director. Although it is not co-op in the same format and one of the players has control of both of the brothers, its emotional tone and narration are provided by mechanics. The game is narrated with no dialogue or cut-scenes; gameplay is the means of relating, sacrificing, and being exposed. And in case you like your mechanics to convey emotional messages, this can be a good option.
A Plague Tale: Requiem is more narrative-intensive and serious. It is not a co-op, but it has the same emotional connection as two leads who need each other to survive in unimaginable situations. The game has stealth, taut action, and rich story beats, and is about a sibling relationship as the world falls to pieces. In case you enjoyed watching Split Fiction because of the emotional stakes and the character-driven narrative, the title provides a more grounded and darker retelling of the same feeling.
