“We mix genres and references to create something new while paying homage to gaming history,” confidently says Hazelight Studios founder Josef Fares on his latest offering Split Fiction. “It’s all about finding what fits the vision and makes it exciting.”
During a special hands-on event with publisher Electronic Arts, the makers of modern co-op classics including A Way Out and It Takes Two have reached new heights with Split Fiction by showing their unapologetic appreciation for gaming while delivering something that’s overwhelmingly entertaining.
The story stars contrasting writers Mio, a reserved sci-fi enthusiast, and Zoe, an outgoing fantasy lover. Our heroes (based on Fares’ daughters) have plenty of time to get to know each other once they’re trapped inside The Machine, a sinister simulation created by tech conglomerate Rader Publishing. Led by the mysterious J.D. Rader, this tech conglomerate steals ideas from aspiring writers, turning their stories into profitable products. This leads to a ten-to-thirteen-hour adventure where Mio and Zoe attempt to escape the simulation that switches between their favorite genres while building an eventual friendship.
Like Hazelight Studio’s previous games, the core of the experience is the co-op element that is available offline in addition to online. During my Split Fiction hands-on that jumped around three hours of gameplay, EA paired me with another journalist, and that basic component of teamwork is stronger than ever. The amount of gaming genres this adventure covered in my playtime was impressive. Despite the variety of game mechanics, controls were tight and responsive. According to Fares, that’s the biggest challenge.
“The hardest part is taking every element and making it feel crisp and nice,” Fares explains. “We prototype fast, but the real challenge is achieving that level of polish.”
There isn't a genre this game can't handle
Following the opening cutscene inside Rader Publishing that kicks off the sequence of events, Split Fiction’s first gameplay moment starts off pretty simple inside a world created by Mio where players learn basic functions including platforming, contextual button presses, and dodging. The portion ends with one player steering a ship with the other on a turret shooting at other ships in chase.
Players are then transported to Zoe’s fantasy world in a village that is overtaken by ogres. Weaponless, both heroes are chased by the creators in a way that wouldn’t feel too unfamiliar to Crash Bandicoot fans. This is where my partner and I died multiple times.
When one player dies, the other can keep going while the fallen character reappears after a brief moment - unless both die, in which case the section resets. Adding to the homages, there’s even a stealth portion where each player has to distract various ogres before diving into a heap of hay like in Assassin’s Creed. And yes, Zoe even calls the moment a “leap of faith.”
Jumping further into the game, I’m introduced to combat and gravity puzzles that feature some clever co-op moments. Mio gets a laser sword that also lets her jump between room planes via gravity shift while Zoe gets a slick whip that can pick up items and throw them.
This is used for various puzzles that require coordination between players including one moment where players are on an air highway similar to The Fifth Element. Combat is fantastic enough to remind me of a smaller-scale Devil May Cry with cool combos. The ending boss battle had Mio use her sword to open up a compartment that released canisters while Zoe used her whip to throw them at the boss.
This sci-fi world showed up two more times during my demo. Later in the demo, this gameplay type showed up again via a boss fight with a futuristic parking attendant that featured three phases. A thrilling motorbike sequence has one player speeding through the chaos while the other frantically activates a self-destruct sequence on their phone. Along the way, they stress over matching an “Are You Human?” puzzle and scrolling through a Terms and Conditions prompt. The fast-paced action feels like a nod to the long-dormant EA franchise Road Rash.
The wildest moment comes in the form of Zoe’s fantasy world where both players are pigs. Babe and Charlotte's Web references aside, Zoe is given the power of being able to turn into a spring to reach higher platforms while Mio uses a magical rainbow fart (yes, with stars) to reach far gaps. The co-op puzzles and banter between both heroes are hilarious but things go left when their portion ends with both pigs being sent into a meat grinder in gory fashion. This leads to players turning into hot dogs where they have to cook themselves, pour mustard and ketchup on each other, and enter a bun. After that, they are both eaten. Just like that.
Split fiction oozes confidence and fun
Heading further into the game, I get to one of many “side stories” featured in Split Fiction through a hoverboard minigame that reminded many players at the event of EA’s own SSX series. As mentioned previously, it’s the tight controls that always pay tribute to the source material. Not only can players do basic tricks but also Uber tricks and grinds. There’s even a score counter that led to the demo’s first competitive moment.
Inspired by Metroid and Sonic Spinball, another sci-fi portion has players shaped in the form of balls where Zoe can stick to green walls and the other can morph into little nanobots. Later in the section, Zoe moves around an area in a sidescroller while Mio controls bumpers and flippers like a pinball machine.
The final fantasy(no pun intended) moments of my demo with Zoe. This world had Zoe transform between a cute fairy and a large wood creature while Mio could transform between a large ape-like creature and weird fish thing that could swim in the water.
Skipping ahead, both Zoe and Mio transformed into small dragons trying to escape a giant dragon looking to destroy them. Zoe could do a cool rolling ram attack while Mio’s dragon could spit acid. Of course, there were plenty of puzzles that made good of all of those abilities.
Closing out the demo was a large side-scrolling shooter section that blended gameplay mechanics lifted by Contra, Gunstar Heroes, and even Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time. Players moved with the left stick, aimed in all directions with the left stick, jumped with the A/X button, and shot a detonatable shield-breaking grenade with one of the bumpers. This concluded with another multiphase boss fight that ended in spectacular fashion and left me for sure wanting more.
The visuals were great with high-resolution textures, outstanding animation, water effects, reflections, and lighting that all ran at 60fps on the PC build I played on. Fares assured me that the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions would run at 60fps as well. Like A Way Out and It Takes Two, Split Fiction also allows one player who owns the game to invite another friend to play for free alongside offering crossplay.
The confidence Fares displayed during the initial trailer reveal for Split Fiction and during my short interview time with him, all makes sense after my time with the game. “When people come to Hazelight, I tell them, ‘In six months, you’ll be creatively overwhelmed in the best way possible,’” says Fares about his approach when it comes to game development. “Once they adapt, they become unstoppable.”
Between the incredible story, over-the-top moments, clever gameplay mechanics, crips controls, and wonderful presentation, it’s clear that this has all the makings of a potential Game of The Year candidate when it releases on March 6.
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