Fatherhood has turned Hazelight director Josef Fares into a bit of a softie over the years. That much was apparent with his slightly toned down demeanor unveiling Hazelight’s latest title, Split Fiction, at the Game Awards last year. Despite this, while few would call him “professional”, Split Fiction might have turned his studio into an industry darling.

Science Fiction vs. Fantasy Fiction

Split Fiction puts players in the shoes of Mio and Zoe, two writers invited to a company called Rader Publishing to test out an experiment in the hopes of landing a publishing deal. Mio is a stern, upfront woman who specializes in writing science fiction. Zoe has a more bubbly personality and specializes in fantasy. As you’d expect, when they first meet, their personalities clash.

When they arrive with other writers, they find that they actually have to be put in a machine for the experiment. While Zoe was happy to see how this experiment would affect her possibly getting published, Mio was more hesitant. When expressing her reservations, Dr. Rader becomes forceful and accidentally shoves Mio into the same module that Zoe is in.

Flash forward a bit and both protagonists end up in a sci-fi dimension with no clue how to get out. That’s where the video game side kicks in.

For a story about writers, the narrative isn’t really strong. People’s minds and creativity have nothing to do with their writing skill, but I digress. You eventually get to a point where you see anti-AI themes, and it all gets tied together the more you learn about Mio, Zoe, and Dr. Rader, but it all really is just a break from the adrenaline rush that every level in the game brings.

Each chapter in Split Fiction switches between sci-fi and fantasy settings. The result is a wild multiplayer adventure that bends genres with a level of polish that outdoes Hazelight’s previous effort, It Takes Two.

A Little Bit of Everything

Co-op games aren’t exactly rare finds, but what sets Hazelight apart is their lack of commitment to one genre. Like It Takes Two before it, Split Fiction’s foundation is as a 3D platformer. As you get through every level and chapter, gameplay drastically changes. From a high speed motorcycle chase, to an SSX-style snowboarding race, to a game of hot potato that feels like Knockout City, no two moments will ever feel alike. The best part is that whenever the genre changes, it plays like a completely polished experience.

In one moment, you’ll be in an on-rails dogfight complete with a barrel roll reference à la Star Fox. In another moment, the game becomes a 2D sidescrolling shooter as an obvious nod to Metroid. Another moment has you running chaotically up a dessert-themed obstacle course to the finish line (Fall Guys). The nods to other games aren’t just in gameplay styles either; there are easter eggs all over the place. You’ll take a “leap of faith” from a tower into a bale of hay (Assassin’s Creed). You’ll start a campfire with a “MOONFIRE LIT” caption appearing (Dark Souls). There’s even a trophy later in the game saying the cake isn’t a lie (Portal).

Really tying together that little bit of everything theme are the game’s side stories. Side stories are like bonus levels hidden in each chapter. Oftentimes, you have to go off the beaten path to find them, and they’re also in puzzles a tad more difficult than others. There are 12 in all, and each side story happens in the setting opposite of the setting you’re playing in. For example, if you’re playing in one of Zoe’s fantasy chapters, the side story will be in Mio’s sci-fi mind. Some are really short, like the aforementioned snowboarding race. Others are longer, like the Moon Market in Final Dawn that requires you to perform three separate tasks to unlock the gate. Despite the varying length, the ideas and gameplay nuances never overstay their welcome, making them worth seeking out.

Split Opinions In Difficulty

As far as negatives go outside of the believability of the story, the game isn’t without issues. Of course, with every Hazelight title, you have to know that it’s exclusively a multiplayer experience. So if you can help it, you should play cooperatively on the couch. I’ll go over why in a bit.

Like other Hazelight games, Split Fiction comes with a friend code that’ll allow you to play with a friend online. Friend codes no longer being tied to the platform you’re on makes this even better. People on Xbox can play with people on PlayStation if they want. The problem is there are a good amount of timing puzzles in the game, and lag can seriously affect it. That’s why I’d recommend playing with another person in the same room.

Then there’s the possibility of people playing with others who are far less experienced in video games. You might’ve gotten away with it in It Takes Two, but more timing puzzles could make Split Fiction more difficult.

Editor’s note: While the couch co-op may run smoothly, playing online was a bit more of a chore. I played Split Fiction with fellow Temple of Geeker Kurosh via online co-op. Most of these timing and reflex-based puzzles and platforming sections got frustrating when I saw one thing happen on my screen, but due to latency, Kurosh’s timing was off. Be aware of this when you’re playing with someone online! -Myles

I played the game with my brother who’s pretty sharp with 3D platformers. For the most part, we didn’t have too many issues. A lot of the problems we had were due to lack of understanding with some concepts. The first time we were stuck, it was because I didn’t know which button to press to activate Mio’s early electromagnetic ability. There was also another instance where we didn’t know we had to wall run and then jump onto a moving crate. The other two instances came in boss fights that we wouldn’t be surprised to see people struggle with.

If worse comes to worse and you can’t get through a section for any reason, you can turn on the accessibility settings to skip through anything in the game.

Verdict

I loved just about every minute I spent playing Split Fiction with my brother. That being said, as I just mentioned, I do thing there are parts in the game that can be too difficult inexperienced players. On top of that, Myles and Kurosh both saw network issues online that affected their ability to complete some timing-based objectives, so I can see that deterring the overall experience.

Still, at this point in 2025, Split Fiction is easily the best game I’ve ever played. It definitely holds a candle to It Takes Two. Is it better? Unfortunately, I can’t say that it is simply because I was more “wowed” by the experience that game provided–it was my 2021 game of the year after all. Is it fair to compare, especially with it being from the same studio? That’s another conversation entirely.

In any light, it’s clear that the Hazelight team love video games, and that makes the entire experience that much more of a joyous occasion. As far as I see it, Hazelight is the Naughty Dog of cooperative multiplayer stories and adventures. Enjoy it before the movie comes out.

Reviewed on PlayStation 5. Code provided by the publisher.