Ahead of Split Fiction’s release in March, Shacknews was invited to an extended preview of Hazelight’s latest co-op adventure. I played three hours of Split Fiction, getting to check out main story missions as well as side stories. Coming off the heels of It Takes Two and A Way Out, Split Fiction is shaping up to be Hazelight’s most ambitious project yet.
As trailers have revealed, Split Fiction follows two women as they’re transported into fantasy and sci-fi worlds. This comes at the hands of Rader, a publishing company that’s hosting an event for a group of ambitious creatives, but has ulterior motives for them and their precious intellectual property. Protagonists Mio and Zoe become trapped together and are forced to cooperate in order to escape. While Mio is a reserved introvert, Zoe is an extroverted optimist. These personalities immediately shine through as we begin exploring worlds born from their respective imaginations.
Source: Electronic Arts
With It Takes Two, Hazelight dipped its toes into a handful of different genres. With Split Fiction, they’re diving in. In one mission, me and my partner navigated a post-apocalyptic wasteland, running on walls and navigating a warplane through a sandstorm as enemies pursued us. Minutes later, we were in a fantasy village, donning armor and fleeing an army of angry ogres.
It’s this blend of fantasy and science fiction that kept Split Fiction feeling fresh throughout the duration of my playthrough. There’s an authenticity to how each level is constructed, and dialogue between Mio and Zoe reveals their personal motivations when originally creating these worlds. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Hazelight game without the studio’s trademark zaniness, which shined through in side mission where me and my partner controlled pigs who farted and bounced our way around a level before eventually being ground into hot dogs.
Source: Electronic Arts
The breakneck speed in which Split Fiction changes settings also applies to its gameplay. In just the levels I played, I experienced classic 3D platforming, SSX-style snowboarding, pinball, and a run-and-gun mission inspired by Contra.
As Senior Editor Ozzie Mejia noted in his first look at Split Fiction, teamwork is paramount to overcoming every single obstacle in Split Fiction. Mio and Zoe have different abilities, gear, and weapons in every level, meaning you’ll need to strategize with your partner to open pathways for each other, neutralize enemies, and solve puzzles.
Source: Electronic Arts
These skills are put to the ultimate test during Split Fiction’s boss battles. I got to face a few bosses during my preview, and every one of them took at least a couple of attempts to beat. When one of the players is eliminated, the other player has to survive until they’re able to respawn. If both players are eliminated at the same time, the encounter restarts. This makes for some incredibly stressful sequences, like trying to survive the bullet hell that is the Parking Attendant boss at the end of one of Split Fiction’s futuristic levels.
When I finished my three-hour session of Split Fiction, I couldn’t help but smile knowing that the full game is right around the corner. I wanted to keep playing to see more of the game’s inspired settings, unique gameplay mechanics, and where Mio and Zoe’s story would end up.
This preview is based on a PC build of Split Fiction played at a preview event. Electronic Arts paid for my travel and lodging. Split Fiction launches on March 6, 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
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replyDonovan Erskine posted a new article, Split Fiction offers a co-op experience like no other
