Split Fiction review – Even better than It Takes Two

Split Fiction is pure gaming brilliance. It’s the type of experience only this medium can afford, and one only true masters of their craft can cultivate. At times utterly charming while in other moments deeply profound, the endlessly creative adventure will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Dive in with no preconceptions and be swept up by its genius.

Lightning cracks through a neon-soaked city street as taxis soar overhead on their way to a vibrant cyberpunk-esque cityscape in the distance. You’re on the back of an impossibly cool motorcycle, drum and bass pounding through the speakers as you fling your bike from the ground to a wall and then onto the ceiling, all while your partner throws any loose items they can at armed forces in hot pursuit.

Keep that scenario in mind. Now, picture you’re inside a minimalistic art book, sidescrolling through rapidly changing 2D environments as the creator draws, erases, and then re-draws all manner of weapons, enemies, and scenarios on the fly.

How about a fantastical tale where dragons are born before your very eyes and your job is to help them grow into mighty beasts in order to save their dwindling species? Or what if there was a game show with the hottest potato imaginable and it’s your job to overthrow the hosts? Wait, one more. Let’s make the best SSX level possible in the midst of a staggeringly ambitious set-piece.

All of these ideas and somehow dozens more are all packed into Split Fiction. Despite the unprecedented gameplay diversity, it’s all executed with such an extraordinarily high quality, and all comes together in a way that serves as a genuinely thought-provoking narrative.

Hazelight has once again epitomized co-op gaming, serving up another genre-defining experience that sets them apart from any other studio in the world today. Everything they do is must-play, and Split Fiction is arguably their best work yet — and without a doubt one of the best games of 2025.

Split Fiction screenshots & details

• Price: $49.99 USD | £44.99 GBP | $69.95 AUD
• Developer: Hazelight Studios
• Release date: March 6, 2025
• Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X | S, PC
• Reviewed on PS5

It Takes Two giant leaps forward

Coming off the Game of the Year winning It Takes Two, Hazelight has stuck to its guns here four years later. ‘Why fix what isn’t broken?’ the obvious mantra as rather than pivoting or trying for a wholly different direction, Split Fiction simply doubles down and expands on everything that made the 2021 hit so electrifying in the first place.

In essence, that means a far greater scope, dramatically improved visuals and graphical fidelity, along with technical innovations I still can’t wrap my head around days after rolling credits. Some of the things this game accomplishes, especially near the end, had me screaming out loud questioning how on Earth it was even possible. Josef Fares was right, there is something here no one has ever seen in a game before and it’s utterly mind-melting.

So yes, beyond all that, you’re in for another exhilarating co-op adventure. Two players, assuming the roles of budding authors Mio and Zoe, get swept away into worlds of their own creation, some more hostile than others.

Mio is a sci-fi fan at heart, meaning her worlds are future dystopias littered with mechs, lasers, and all sorts of epic technology. Meanwhile, Zoe is the polar opposite, almost entirely averse to the rules of sci-fi, her fantasy concepts are far more elegant in nature, bringing you to enchanting forests with plenty of whimsical charm.

What makes these dichotomous chapters so engrossing, however, is their sheer scope. Where throughout It Takes Two you were largely traversing smaller, indoor areas and keeping to confined spaces, Split Fiction feels like a bold statement of what Hazelight can really do with an expanded budget. Some areas are bewildering in size, while others pack in so much detail you can’t help but ponder where all the loading screens have been hidden.

It’s completely insane in the best of ways though it’s a journey best explored first-hand with a friend or companion at your side. While we’ve given a few examples above, seeing these realms brought to life with your own eyes is something else entirely.

More sheer co-op brilliance

Of course, what you’re actually doing in the moment-to-moment is crucial as well, and once again, Split Fiction nails every single one of its seemingly endless list of features. Whether it’s a dazzling set piece on the back of a jet-ski or a quieter moment trying to comprehend the lock system on a door, all of it is so flawlessly polished from beginning to end.

Out of the box on day one is a superbly refined experience and given just how wide the scope of this game is, that’s worthy of all the praise I can give. When bite-sized segments of a 10-15 hour title feel more engaging than some full projects honing in on one gameplay style, you know you’re onto a winner.

Above all else though, the best part of actually playing Split Fiction is how it draws the two players together in such fascinating ways. It’d be understandable enough if there were some minor repetition in not-so-important mechanics throughout the journey, but that’s not the case. Every scenario presents something unique. A puzzle to solve, a challenge to overcome, a region to explore with new mechanics, or a boss to fight with unique gadgets at your disposal.

Never can any of this be done alone. Say, for instance, you need to cross over a chasm below but in this particular tale, you’re not equipped for the job. Well, chances are your partner has exactly what you need, and it’s just a matter of communicating to figure out how they can help. 

Everything has to be done in unison and it’s a true delight when you overcome what’s in front of you. From the simplest tasks up to the larger-than-life bosses, it’s always richly rewarding. Plenty of high-fives were thrown around on my couch throughout the game.

Hazelight cements its must-play status

Reflecting on the journey of Split Fiction, it wasn’t just the unpredictable gameplay that left an impression. For all the emotional highs and lows of the heartfelt narrative, it’s also the story’s undertones that struck a chord. I still find myself thinking of just what Hazelight was striving to say with this project, battling with moral quandaries on a far greater scale than just the confines of these new characters.

It’s a thought-provoking bit of writing that serves as a reflection of not just the gaming industry and all of its flaws in modern times, but of entertainment as a whole and how we choose to consume it. There are plenty of big ideas to sink your teeth into here but it’s astounding just how well it’s all been wrapped around a chaotic oscillation of genre and tone.

Dexerto Review Score: 5/5 – Great

Pros	Cons
Unfathomably diverse gameplay	It ends
Mind-bending conclusion	–
Intriguing narrative with rich commentary	–

The way in which we refer to the likes of a Hideo Kojima, a Ken Levine, or a Neil Druckmann, Josef Fares has unquestionably earned a seat at the table of gaming auteurs. Everything Hazelight sets its sights on is immediately must-play material. That’s been the case for some time already, but now, there’s truly no denying it.

Split Fiction is a tremendous accomplishment in the medium and one of the most inventive video games ever conceived.

For more information on how we score video games, check out our scoring guidelines here.