With the debut of Hazelight Studio’s Split Fiction, couch co-op has once again been revitalized through stunning gameplay and thought-provoking puzzles. More than just another great two-player experience, Split Fiction sets a new standard for what cooperative games should be, with an experience that demands teamwork, rewards communication, and most importantly, never loses sight of the fun of playing together.
In Split Fiction, players take control of Mio and Zoe, both young writers with dreams of breaking into the gaming industry. When an ominous corporation, Rader, offers them the chance to bring their ideas to life through a fully immersive virtual reality, the two accept. But upon entering, their games – you guessed it – split into two separate stories, tying together their journeys in unexpected ways.
My fiancée and I booted this up the second it was released, eager to dive into another Hazelight project. We had always considered It Takes Two and A Way Out to be the best in the couch co-op scene, but Split Fiction takes what made those games special and refines it even further. The couch co-op genre has been hurting for a while, with so many multiplayer games locking players behind the frustrating paywall of needing two copies just to play together. Hazelight continues to challenge that approach, making it clear that playing with a loved one shouldn’t require breaking the bank by offering an additional copy with each purchase.
At first, the premise hooked me on a personal level. As a writer, seeing Mio and Zoe navigate the struggles of creative work felt almost too real. But the more we played, the more I realized just how rare it is to find a story-driven game that can be enjoyed while sitting side by side with someone. And judging by the hype leading up to release and its stellar sales performance, I wasn’t the only one counting down the days for a game that truly embraces cooperative storytelling.
Split Fiction doesn’t just encourage teamwork – it flat-out demands it. Without working together as a single unit, you can’t progress. The puzzles start out simple enough, but as new mechanics are introduced, you quickly realize that failure isn’t just possible; it’s inevitable if you’re not in sync. Some sections leave you completely immobilized unless you and your partner time everything perfectly. Hazelight has mastered the art of making puzzles that require two minds to solve, proving once again why they’re the best in the business when it comes to couch co-op.
Along with this, the game pushes split-screen innovation in ways that make the entire experience feel seamless. The screen divider isn’t just a static line, it moves, rotates, and even disappears entirely depending on what’s happening. Plenty of games have toyed with this mechanic before, but Split Fiction makes it feel like an integral part of the storytelling rather than just a gimmick. And the fact that you can send a friend code to someone who hasn’t even bought the game? That’s the kind of player first move that Hazelight continues to deliver.
What really keeps Split Fiction engaging is how effortlessly it breaks up potential monotony. Just when you think you’re getting into a rhythm, the game throws in a “glitch” that takes you on a ridiculous, unexpected side quest. One minute, you’re playing as flatulent pigs. The next, you’re racing through an obstacle course while dribbling a bomb back and forth. These little moments never feel out of place, they make the world feel more alive and remind you that even in a game about overcoming creative struggles, sometimes you just need to have a little fun with your fellow player
After wrapping up the game, following a surprisingly tough final boss fight, we found ourselves disappointed that it was over. In just under 20 hours, we had torn through almost everything the game had to offer, minus the hidden “Laser Hell” side quest. But while the playtime might not seem massive, the quality of the experience more than made up for it. As we wait (impatiently) for whatever Hazelight has planned next, Split Fiction stands as proof that couch co-op is far from dead. It’s a game that doesn’t just make co-op fun – it makes it necessary. I truly hope that in the future, games will aspire to interact with couch co-op in the same ways that Hazelight does time and time again. In an era where too many studios are pushing online play over local multiplayer, Hazelight reminds us why playing side by side will always be something special.
