Hazelight Studios is fast becoming one of my favourites out there. After the flawed but entertaining A Way Out showcased a true cooperative adventure, I was intrigued. Then It Takes Two came out and blew us all away with a touching story and exceptional cooperative gameplay. We were wondering just how Josef Fares and the team would top this. Now we have Split Fiction, which, somehow, does just that. 

The Plot

Zoe and Mio are aspiring writers who have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet with the CEO of a publishing firm and make it big. Once arriving at the building of the publishing firm, they are introduced to a machine that will not only allow them to publish their stories, but also experience them, thanks to revolutionary new tech from J.D. Rader, CEO of the firm. Mio, realising something odd is up, freaks out and, in panic, ends up in the same pod as Zoe.

Trapped in the machine, the pair is thrust into their own stories brought to life. From cyber ninja assassins to mystical warriors trying to free the land from darkness, as Mio and Zoe go further into their personal stories and reveal their personal histories, as how their works of fiction have been influenced by their real-life issues, and uncover a bigger issue with the machine.

Split Fiction’s stories are simple, straightforward, and often predictable. The overarching narrative and individual stories told within Split Fiction rarely provide any surprises. However, this didn’t impact the spectacle or enjoyment I had during the story. It does take a while for both of these characters to show their potential, and the opening hours can actually be rather annoying, with their hatred towards each other’s genre feeling a little forced. Also, the lead villain just didn’t work for me, coming off as more of an idiot than someone who’s actually threatening. However, by the end, I was enjoying the character dynamics and interactions. It’s often cheesy and campy, but at the same time, just fun.

A cooperative masterpiece

As with all of Josef Fares’ games under Hazelight Studios, Split Fiction is exclusively a cooperative adventure with another person, forcing a split-screen perspective even when playing online. This unique take on storytelling is what sets Hazelight apart from everyone else, and what we have here is one of the, if not THE best cooperative experiences since Portal 2 and It Takes Two.

Each person controls Zoe and Mio through an incredibly wide variety of sci-fi and fantasy zones tailored to each character’s personality. You’ll be completing a fun and challenging platform with bizarrely unique mechanics and perspectives. Jumping between worlds based on the stories they’ve written, mechanics changing on the fly, and some creative use of camera controls that pushes the ideas to their absolute limits.

Mio is a big fan of science fiction, and her stories often take her into dystopian futures full of high-tech gadgets. One of the stories has a pair of cyber assassins hunting down the leader of a crime syndicate. Fairly straightforward. The pair will often be thrust into bombastic Hollywood-style set-pieces and long action stretches. One of the coolest moments earlier on in the adventure has Mio walking up walls. Seeing both perspectives at the same time is trippy, but really showcases why split-screen was required for this game.

As for Zoe, she loves a good fantasy story that is more focused on exploration and puzzle-solving. This approach contrasts with the more set-piece-heavy focus found in Mio’s stories, giving you more time to breathe and focus on figuring out some fairly elaborate puzzles. But this also doesn’t stop these stories from having their own exciting moments, with some of the best boss fights and mechanics in the game.

Both sections of the game are well-balanced and complement each other nicely. It’s even worth playing the game at least twice to see all the gameplay changes that each character gets, as well as digging into all the missable content, including an incredibly brutal platforming challenge, which was a highlight. All in all, a single playthrough will take you around ten to twelve hours to complete, with some solid replay value in finding all the secret content and experiencing both sides of the gameplay.

As for controls, this is fairly well done. Platforming is tight and well-controlled; both Mio and Zoe can double jump, dash, and climb around the environment with some more contextual moves as well at key moments. Jumping from object to object is snappy and responsive, with a lock system to keep the pace of the game moving, especially when it involves players with cameras. There’s also a generous checkpoint system, meaning you never lose too much progress and fast respawns even during high-speed chase sections, which stop Split Fiction from becoming a spectator sport for less skilled players.

Some absolutely insane moments get incredibly creative with transitions, and split perspectives coming together. Split Fiction isn’t content with just sitting around and keeping the same gameplay loop going. It mixes things up on a regular basis, yet never feels like it’s undercutting any mechanics either. Every new mechanic has enough time to shine, and there’s never a moment I found myself getting bored with what was happening.  It’s an expertly crafted experience. You’ll be flying around as dragons, exploring cyberpunk worlds, and freeing the world from an ice king.  There’s never a dull moment.

Without spoiling anything, the final hour of Split Fiction is an absolute cinematic masterpiece. One of the most creative stretches of gameplay we’ve seen, and I was constantly shocked at just how much they kept one-upping themselves. Then we have the “side stories” scattered throughout the adventure. These small side quests function as a sort of break from the main storyline. Oftentimes are much whackier and wild because they are crafted from unfinished ideas. Again, I cannot spoil anything in here because they need to be seen to be believed. But the already insane level of variety on display is pushed even further with these side stories.

 

A surprising UE5 Showcase

Running on the mixed bag of Unreal Engine 5, which has rarely impressed us so far, we have a game that surprisingly doesn’t carry all the baggage we usually see with the engine. Every story you visit is incredibly distinct and varied, with vastly different designs and visuals. Yet, it all looks cohesive. There’s not one area that drops in quality, and the creative use of transitions with the split perspective, camera angles, and more gives it so much more style than it already has. Just about every moment, every new location myself and my coop partner would just stop and take in the environment.

In terms of what’s offered on PC, we have a solid amount of graphics options. There’s an unlocked framerate, so you can push it as far as you can, as well as full ultrawide support, even if, by default, cutscenes are still in 16:9, but an option allows you to restore 21:9 with a couple of caveats. You may see some oddities in cutscenes, as well as moments in the story where you are using binoculars.

Beyond the solid visuals and impressive art style is a game that runs incredibly well. None of that usual UE5 stuttering is present in here, and on PC I never saw drops below 60fps; even during the most demanding scenes with the dual perspectives rendering two worlds at the same time. Not only that, Split Fiction natively supports ultrawide resolutions in both cutscenes and cinematics, even when things get a little bit crazy. It’s a magnificent look.

As for the sound design, a great soundtrack elevates just about every moment to the next level, fitting with the art style wonderfully. Whilst Kaja Chan and Elsie Bennet do a great job as our lead protagonists, even when the script does fall a little flat, their performances keep the story engaging throughout.

Split Fiction

If you are playing online, only one person needs to pick up the game, with a friend’s pass free to download for other players. Better yet, this isn’t a one-time thing. The host can end up playing with as many others as they want, with no limits on the friend’s pass. It’s a move that I’ve always respected with Hazelight and EA, and I’m glad it has carried on here.

As a whole, Split Fiction does everything that you’d expect from a Hazelight game. And that’s an uncompromised focus on cooperative gameplay that is unmatched by pretty much anything else out there. The vast amount oft gameplay variety and exciting moments makes this a must-play; even if the story doesn’t quite hit the heights that we were expecting from other titles from the same company, the sum of its parts still makes it superior in every other aspect, and especially when compared to other outings from 2025 thus far.

 

Graphics: 10 Varied and fun. Split Fiction looks absolutely stunning with some great art direction that follows every world you explore.	Gameplay: 10 Split Fiction is just a masterfully crafted cooperative experience that will be remembered for years to come.
Sound: 10 Some great voice acting and fantastic environmental sound design.	Fun Factor: 9.5 Even if the story doesn’t hit the same heights as It Takes Two, this is an absolute must-play and a must-have in anyone’s collection.
Final Verdict: 10

Split Fiction is available now on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.

Reviewed on PC with an RTX 4070, Ryzen 7 7800X3D and 32GB RAM.