The developers of this masterpiece were Hazelight Studios, renowned for other well known co-op games like ‘A Way Out’ and ‘It Takes Two’ – which won game of the year in 2021. Published by Electronic Arts and directed by Josef Fares, this two player co-op action-adventure game was officially released on March 6, 2025. Around two million copies were sold in the first week of release according to Imagine Games Network, who also rated this game as a 9/10. The game is available on the PS5, PC, Nintendo 2, and Xbox.
Before the game really gets good, players get to pick between sci-fi author Mio Hudson, voiced by Kaja Chan, and fantasy author Zoe Foster, voiced by Elsie Bennett. The ultimate goal is to defeat J.D. Rader, voiced by Ben Turner, who’s tricking authors and taking their story ideas to steal all the credit for their creativity. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Outside of the reflection of AI problems in the real world, ‘Split Fiction’ is a psychological thriller that explores not only collaboration and interactions between strangers-to-friends, but also brushes trauma response in the darker themes of the game. It’s enough to send Freud-fans for a spin with the game’s dive into the subconscious, but still plenty enjoyable for people not looking for an academic lecture.
Before you even press that beautiful start button and see the game, one of the best features is in the store menu called the “Friend Pass.” While you can’t do anything with it standalone, if someone else that bought the game invites you to the lobby, you can play the entire game for free, assuming you have 85 GB of storage space. (Eek) Other big-name companies, take notes. Hazelight could have very easily earned potentially twice their revenue by making everyone pay for a full version of the game, but they instead prioritized the players and their financial accessibility, which is pretty rare when it comes to companies as big as this.
As a pair, you have to navigate through the respective genre-inspired world simulations and complete puzzles of varying difficulties without irreparably damaging your friendship. This game shines in its cooperative gameplay and unique mechanics every chapter, ensuring roughly 14 hours of interesting gameplay. Even though the puzzles aren’t difficult by any means, it does require a level of synchronicity between players, so I definitely wouldn’t recommend playing with someone that you don’t mesh well with. Or you could, maybe it’ll be a form of bonding between the two of you.
If the gameplay isn’t enough to hold your attention for whatever reason, then the sheer details are guaranteed to blow your mind. The landscapes and atmosphere are simply gorgeous. Everywhere you look, whether it be high rise skyscrapers in a cyberpunk setting or a whimsical enchanted forest, every scene is worthy to be a background wallpaper. Accompanying the visual feast is a dynamic soundtrack composed by Gustaf Grefberg and Jonatan Jӓrpehag, featuring seamless transitions between scene and setting the tone for the atmosphere. If you looked up the definition of “immersive” in the dictionary, you’d see the gameplay of ‘Split Fiction’ between the pages.
All tied together, ‘Split Fiction’ is a scrumptious five course meal for the like minded. Engaging narrative, jaw-dropping presentation, inventive gameplay, thought provocation, and careful consideration to the player-base, ‘Split Fiction’ is a monument of Hazelight Studios’ commitment to making cooperative gameplay a unique and memorable experience.
