I play games with my girlfriend a lot of the time, so I try to keep my eye out for couch co-op games. Couch co-op games — actually co-op games in general that aren’t either sports games or some sort of team competition — are kind of few-and-far-between. One developer though, Hazelight Studios, has decided to make exclusively co-op games that have a story line, and are about completing levels and solving puzzles. And their latest title Split Fiction was recently released.
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I first heard about them with the game A Way Out where you and a friend each play a character, with a connected past, trying to break out of Prison and put your lives back together. That game was great, and I ended up beating it with a buddy of mine over a weekend.
They then came out with a game called It Takes Two, which was incredible. My girlfriend and I played through that one a couple of times; and it was a lot of fun to solve the puzzles and experience the story from both perspectives.
So when I heard they were coming out with another game, I was geeked. If you know anything about me, and how I like to consume content, I don’t like to know too much about something before I go in. The less I know the better, usually. So I avoided information about this game as much as I could — but I did understand the premise was that the game would be split between Sci-Fi and Fantasy.
Also — and this is random — prior to hearing about the game, I had seen a bunch of memes and posts online about the differences between Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I now wonder if that was some sort of guerilla marketing campaign. The game came out too quickly, seemingly, to have been made to capitalize on the hype. Or, maybe, I was way behind on the hype… If it was a marketing campaign, though, it was genius.
Regardless, while that detail was definitely exciting to learn, the truth is I was going to play this game no matter what it was about. Like I said, I played their prior two games and was simply excited about the fact that Hazelight made a new one. I was out of town on release day, unfortunately. But the day I got home, we downloaded it and dove in. I was immediately hooked.
Story
If you’re not aware, the story is about two aspiring authors who have been having trouble selling their stories. They’ve been contacted by this publisher, though, who promises them a deal. So that’s what they were expecting when they arrived.
The main characters, Zoe and Mio, arrive to the publisher’s office at around the same time, and meet up with the other authors. Once they arrive, and as they go through an orientation of sorts, they find out their real reason for being there.
The publisher, Rader, explains that he’s developed a new product that will change the way people interact with stories. Zoe, Mio, and the other writers are going to be hooked up to “The Machine” which will put them in an interactive simulation of their stories — which is where the game takes place. You play as the author’s characters within the stories that they’ve written.
One-by-one the authors go in to their respective “pods”, but as they do Mio becomes more and more wary. She no longer wants to participate, but Rader isn’t having that. There’s a scuffle as Mio tries to leave, and she ends up falling into Zoe’s pod. Now, they’ve got to navigate both of their stories to figure out how to get out, and why Rader was so adamant that Mio didn’t leave.
Zoe’s stories are in the Fantasy genre, while Mio’s are in Sci-Fi. And since they’re in the same pod now, both of their stories are being brought to life. You swing between Zoe’s fantasy stories and Mio’s sci-fi ones, solving puzzles, defeating enemies, and trying to figure out Rader’s dark secret.
As you play, you learn more about these two ladies — their motivations and complicated histories, and it can get fairly harrowing. But it’s fun to see their relationship blossom and grow, and each one learn more about themselves.
I do want to point out that, unlike Hazlight Studios’ other games, a lot more of the drama in Split Fiction was given in the form of the story, rather than the gameplay. There’s definitely drama, but it’s often told during a cutscene instead of played out. There’s nothing in this game quite like the elephant part in It Takes Two (IYKYK) or the ending of A Way Out.
I wondered how they were going to up the ante from those games, but they kind of didn’t. Not to say there aren’t impactful moments; but they’re often in side stories, and are less part of the main storyline and characters. I can see the attempt in a couple of places — like with a certain robot boss — but it didn’t have the same feeling.
That said, the plot is interesting and has it’s share of drama to be sure. It’s just that you’re not necessarily playing those moments.
Gameplay
Mechanics
Gameplay is pretty straight-forward and the controls are simple and intuitive. You can double-jump and dash (and air-dash); and there’s wall-running and you can climb poles, so it’s pretty standard. As you play, though, there’s different gameplay types. And the mechanics change based on the level you’re in or puzzle you’re trying to solve.
This is done in some cool and unique ways — like when the perspective changes and the game becomes a bit of a side-scrolling platformer, and then seamlessly transitions back to 3D after you finish the section. Or when you get to transform into a gorilla or a Groot-like tree in order to solve puzzles and complete a chapter.
It being a two-player game, you and a friend each play as one of the authors. You’re trying to figure out what’s going on with this publishing company and these pods (not to mention how to get out of them). And you’ve got to work together to solve puzzles and defeat enemies in pursuit of that.
The puzzles are a lot of fun and challenging. They give you just the right amount of information to solve them, without over-doing it. Each level often starts with a pretty easy, straight-forward puzzle to show the mechanics; then they increase in difficulty as you move through.
Sometimes the puzzles are simply about figuring something out (how to use your “ability” to gain access to a button, for example). Other times they’re about your reflexes and making sure you do what you have to do quickly enough. And sometimes, they’re both. You’ve got to figure out what to do, and once you do figure it out, you’ve got to do it quickly.
And keep in mind, you’re doing these things together. So, one person may have to use their ability to gain access, while the other actually presses the button. This is a very simplistic example of the types of puzzles you’ll come across. I just don’t want to give too much away — the fun is had in the discovery, I think.
Side Missions and More
The gameplay is a lot of fun, too, outside of solving the puzzles. There are side-missions that range from challenging — like the “game show”, where you have to work together to disarm a bomb; to, just, weird like when you get to play as a pig that can glide, somewhat, by farting. It definitely keeps you on your toes in a way that I love. Even now, on my second play-through, I’m still finding surprises and struggling to complete the puzzles.
It’s also one of those games where if you think “can I do that?” there’s a decent chance you can — and it often comes with hilarious results. There’s a particular moment I don’t want to spoil involving the gorilla and some rocks that stands out. And is that sky bridge’s floor made of glass?
Exploration is largely rewarded, too. If you go off the beaten path you’ll often find something fun you can interact with or an easter egg of some sort. I had a good chuckle when I randomly jumped between two random poles for fun, and Mio exclaimed “parkour”. And since there’s no “lives” and dying is largely inconsequential, the ladies can hurt each other, which can be pretty funny. They’ll comment on it as well telling you to stop wasting time.
Depending on the level you’re on and your “abilities” at any given time, Zoe and Mio can interact with each other in other pretty hilarious ways, too. There are people that I couldn’t play this game with because we’d just constantly be messing with each other and we’d never get any puzzles done. If you give this game a shot, definitely just try stuff and explore, you never know what you might come across.
Also, keep your eyes and ears peeled for inside jokes. There’s references to Movies and shows, other video games, and even their past games. Honestly, even going through a second time, I’m not really sure if I’ve come across everything you can find in this game. I should check the achievements list.
Ultimately, if you’ve got someone to play a couch co-op game with, this should definitely be on your list. It’ll challenge you, it’ll surprise you, and it’ll even make you think and feel. I’m thoroughly enjoying my second playthrough and I’m already looking forward to the third.
Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments what you thought about Split Fiction if you’ve played it. And if you know of any other 2 player games I can play with my girlfriend let me know about those, too. I’m always looking for something new to play