Summary
Over the past decade, Hazelight has cemented itself as one of the most innovative and high-quality game makers on the planet. Their smash hit,It Takes Two,has a list of accolades that rivals any title, selling over 20 million copies and winning countless awards, including the coveted Game of the Year.
Now with the release ofSplit Fiction,they have attempted to craft and build a magical world of mystery and wonder. This new game manages to build on all the successes of the previous titles and even improves onIt Takes Twoto create a contender for best game released in 2025.
8Gorgeous Aesthetic
Cinematic Shots From Start To Finish
Good lord, this game is beautiful. Nowadays, releasing a new game can be quite daunting due to many titles coming out in broken states or poor optimization, which greatly affects the game’s perception among players. But Hazelight has destroyed all previous expectations, creating vast vistas of grandeur and stunning action sequences that belong in a blockbuster movie.
It Takes Twohad its own charming art style and unique approach to its visual themes, both beautiful and cute all the way through. But breathtaking is the best way to describe some of the sequences in the latest title. Some of these are even tucked into missable side quests, showing the love and care the devs put into every corner of the game.
7A Wealth Of Content
Side Mission After Side Mission
One of the most interesting and attractive qualities inSplit Fictionis the addition of side stories. These little bubbles are dotted throughout the main story, some more hidden than others, and includeentire short storiesfrom the minds of Zoe and Mio.
Each one offers something new. Despite staying within the confines of fantasy and sci-fi, there is always something to uncover and experience, whether it’s journeying to mountaintops with giants, or messing around in an adorable village of cats, moles, and snails. This extra content makes the game feel more alive when compared toIt Takes Two, which chose to include several mini-games throughout, but these new immersive side-quests go above and beyond and feel like a whole game of their own.
6Gameplay Variety
Gunslinging To Giant Swinging
Hazelight prides itself on keeping things fresh with each subsequent stage and level, adding new gameplay features and unique abilities to captivate the player throughout. If it wasn’t enough to do some crisp platforming and vertical traversal, each stage offers a new perspective or set of character skills, from whips to shapeshifting to dragon riding.
It is not a criticism ofIt Takes Twoto say that the follow-up does variety better. In the former, there were plenty of gameplay angles and different level types throughout, with several different combat types and ways of engaging with the map. ButSplit Fictiontakes the brakes off and hits the gas fully, filling every level with so much to play with.
5Boss Design & Balance
Satisfaction On Every Phase
Difficulty is an ironically difficult thing to balance. The devs want the experience to be accessible for as many people as possible, but have a suitable enough challenge to be satisfying and rewarding. Here, they strike perfection, introducing new bosses every few areas that are distinct from the previous ones, and offer new sets of challenges to overcome.
The difficulty is not the focus, as the fights can be completed without too much trouble. It is the drawn-out cinematic sequences, fluid combat abilities, and comedic voice lines that make each encounter feel like a final battle, even for those just 15 minutes into the campaign.
4Easter Eggs & References
FromAkiraToDark Souls
The number of times players will recognize a reference to a favorite piece of media during their playthrough is well into the double digits.Easter eggs are abundant, whether self-referential to previous games by the company, or entire sequences that have been pulled from pop culture in the most faithful and loving way possible.
Yet, they never feel forced or inserted without purpose. The devs clearly care a lot about meta references and a few fourth wall breaks. Each time a new one is found or noticed, it feels like a wave of happiness and warmth that just doesn’t exist inIt Takes Two.
3Vibrant, Diverse Settings
Fantasy, Sci-fi, & Everything In Between
When the premise and setting of a game are restricted to effectively a garden and a house, it was incredibly impressive to see the number of areas and variety of levels inIt Takes Two.The game exploredtree networks and scaling bookshelvesfrom a microscopic perspective.
Split Fictiontakes the words ‘fantasy’ and ‘sci-fi’ and draws every possible straw from each and pushes them to the limit. There’s a snowy castle, a magical forest, a futuristic city, an infected planet, and so much more. Players have so much to see and so many places to explore, filled with love and joy at every step.
2Co-Op Play
Everyone Needs A Helping Hand
Cooperative games have transformed over time and come in a number of shapes and sizes, genres, and themes.Hazelight sets the gold standard for co-op adventuresonce again, allowing each player to do some solo exploration and experience the game in slightly different ways, but still nudging them together with simple puzzles and plenty of team-oriented battles.
It never feels as though the players are forced to coordinate. Rather, it just feels nice to help out and work together. The basic formula is that player one presses a button to help player two through a door and vice versa. But there are plenty of twists and turns that make the puzzles feel unique and the teamwork a joy to accomplish. The journey feels better together.
1Immersion
Grinning From Ear To Ear
It won’t take long into a playthrough for the players to be smiling from ear to ear. The game wastes no time introducing the plot and characters, and gets the action going quickly. By crafting such compelling worlds and lovable characters and events, each moment is priceless and brings so much joy and emotion to every session.
The story inIt Takes Twoachieved so much on the emotional side, and told a sad but lovely tale of a family.Split Fictionsets the bar even higher for immersive storytelling and gameplay, coupling the two in a perfect marriage of engaging movement, character dialogue, and a soundtrack that keeps the player glued to the screen for hours.
