If you're a gamer at a particular age cough In your 30s, you find yourself reminiscing about the times when you would sit on a basement couch and play split-screen games with your friends. Mario Party and Halo We used to divide 32-inch TVs into four sections! These days, this isn’t as common. Contemporary graphics and gaming systems have largely replaced group play sessions around the TV. The last Halo The title didn't include local split-screen support for two players. Interestingly enough, this was also the same year. Halo Infinite The true beginning of the co-op revival started with its debut.
In 2021, It Takes Two —A cooperative adventure that I can only begin to describe as Toy Story for the newly divorced — received Game of the Year honors and brought Hazelight Studios into the spotlight. Hardcore gamers were already familiar with creative director Josef Fares due to his notorious "f**k the Oscars" speech At the 2017 Game Awards, where he was slated to be honored four years later for creating the best game of 2021.
So, what did Fares achieve after yet another four years had passed? Split Fiction It’s a playful mockery of traditional science fiction and fantasy narratives, building on the groundbreaking team-play mechanics. It Takes Two and adds plenty of invigorating twists of its own. You and a friend will speed through cyberspace, ride dragons, and work together to stop a scheming CEO from stealing your ideas. The new title, out today, follows up its acclaimed predecessor with another exhilarating two-player adventure full of genre-hopping gameplay.
Now, Split Fiction It certainly has its imperfections, yet none of its cooperative counterparts are making an effort to match its standards. Hazelight is once again establishing the benchmark for cooperative gameplay, and by the time you complete its approximately 15-hour playthrough, Split Fiction raises the bar entirely.
Playing the Hits
You can play Split Fiction Whether online or local, you must play the game with another person. This is essential. Due to this being non-negotiable, each game includes a Friend's Pass. So, you won’t need to persuade your old friend from Maine to spend $50 just for co-op gameplay. As you’ve covered the cost, others can join without extra expense. Split Fiction At $49.99, all you need to do is persuade her to spare some time from her day. This request is more manageable. In my case, it was my girlfriend—who has a consistent schedule—that I needed to convince. Marvel Snap The player is generally a somewhat laid-back gamer. We settled onto the couch and completed the entire game in split-screen mode on mine. PS5 Pro from beginning to end.
It has always been simple for both of us to determine where to head, what actions to take, and how to interact with whichever new novelty came along. Split Fiction If I were to offer some criticism, I might say that each level becomes somewhat tiresome roughly 15 to 30 minutes after starting, as we grew weary of the routine. Apart from this minor issue, it’s worth noting that my companion and I managed to find time for it during a hectic television season when scheduling can be challenging. Severance , Paradise , and Yellowjackets indicate just how enjoyable our evenings were.
Right from the start, Hazelight goes with well-known favorites. Split Fiction is relentless in introducing fresh ideas and tossing out the old. Every level is a new playground. At its core, Split Fiction is a 3D action platformer reminiscent of Ratchet & Clank You possess a double-jump ability and a grappling hook. Adding another player transforms most stages into puzzles—requiring you to operate independently or collaboratively to figure out solutions.
However, atop all of this, Split Fiction draws inspiration from various genres for each stage, not only through the way it designs the sci-fi and fantasy environments you explore (which spring from the imaginations of the characters you control, as I will detail subsequently), but also in your actions throughout these moments. Split Fiction gleefully borrows from Diablo , Tron , along with numerous other games and movies I won’t reveal here. Rest assured, it’s a treat for your eyes and an absolute joy from start to finish.
The apex of Split Fiction Creativity (at least until its crazy ending) manifests through Side Stories that interrupt your continuous exploration levels with utterly absurd content. One memorable instance allowed me to control a pig that farted rainbows. Another was an enthusiastic homage to one of my all-time favorite discontinued EA series. These Side Stories serve not only as enjoyable distractions but also frequently provide insights into the psychological makeup and previous traumas experienced by one of the two principal characters. This prompts me to delve deeper into discussing the game’s storyline. Split Fiction. I've been anxious about this part.
An Unconvincing Yarn
The essence is as follows: Mio is an aspiring, yet-to-be-published author who has brown hair and a passion for sci-fi. Similarly, Zoe is also an unpublished writer with fair locks and a love for fantasy genres. They encounter each other for the first time within the expansive premises of Rader, a colossal corporation that has assured both of them publication opportunities. This company is led by a leader akin to Elon Musk. Unbeknownst to them, however, Rader’s top brass is misleading everyone involved. Only after being physically connected to a device designed ostensibly to pilfer their creative concepts does the truth dawn upon these writers. From here, it remains ambiguous what exactly Rader intends to do with those stolen ideas.
It's abundantly clear that Split Fiction It’s a tale centered around artificial intelligence, extensive language models, and digital plagiarism within the realm of art. As the machine generates scenarios based on Zoe's and Mio's narrative concepts, they pursue a rogue glitch which they quickly deem the key element—the MacGuffin—that will help them escape their predicament. This storyline serves primarily as a pretext to delve into these themes. Split Fiction The primary attraction of 's gameplay involves traversing through fantastical and science fiction realms designed specifically to showcase the creativity of the developers. They certainly pull out all stops with this endeavor. However, when it comes to writing, they fall short.
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Following more than a dozen hours spent with Zoe and Mio, I grasped their superficial struggles yet remained indifferent. Rader fails to come across as an effective antagonist, causing the AI analogy to fall short.
As a big SSF nerd , I found Split Fiction The science fiction aspects of 's work come across as less compelling compared to its exploration of the fantasy genre. It’s quite simple to sense this disparity. Harry Potter and Game of Thrones Within the fantastical segments; although they're not my most favored inspirations. , It’s at least tapping into something particular. Most of the time, the futuristic neon lights and robot dangers from Mio's imagination end up as an impersonal, generic mix lacking the elements that make the genre captivating.
Verdict
If you persist until the conclusion, Split Fiction Offers one of the most astonishing hours in a video game I have ever experienced. This remarkable finale pushes boundaries within the industry and paves the way for potential future developments from this studio.
The best part of Split Fiction It’s beautiful and simple enough for people of all skill levels to pick up. The game provides engaging and diverse activities throughout. Whether you’re searching for something to enjoy with your partner, brother or sister, or kids, this is the perfect choice.
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