Here is a scenario you will all know very well: when we played It Takes Two, I was the better one. Whoever the ‘we’ in this situation is doesn’t matter. Whether it was a spouse or a friend or a co-worker you wanted to end up being one of those two things, unless they also freely choose to read gaming websites, you were better than they were at video games. Most likely, you’re also looking forward to its follow up Split Fiction.
Being the better one at It Takes Two didn’t diminish my experience playing the game. In fact, I’d say it enhanced it. I have tried on multiple occasions to get my partner into gaming, but the time video games take to beat (lengthened further by inevitable difficulty spikes and a lot of assumed knowledge), plus their mostly solo nature means getting her through to the end is difficult. It Takes Two found the balance – I was able to guide her through as we played together, doing most of the legwork on figuring things out, but leaving enough space for her to meaningfully contribute.
It Takes Two Perfectly Balanced Its Difficulty
I loved It Takes Two, placing it high on my own Game of the Year list that year and fully believing it deserved the honour at The Game Awards. However, there is something of a rose tinted lens in this memory. At times, It Takes Two being played this way was frustrating. In some part, that may have been frustration at the person playing, but mostly I remember worrying that if it remained this difficult for much longer, she would simply give up, and I would be unable to finish at all.
The frustration would more often than not be aimed at the game. Yes yes, it’s very cool that you’ve just thrown in a Diablo parody but my wife was struggling with simple ledge platforming. However, I must admit that mostly, both the game and my wife surprised me. As for the game’s end of the bargain, no idea (good or bad) was lingered on for too long, and only the most simplistic like ‘jump this gap’ were even returned to. Because of this, we were able to struggle through the difficult bits, perhaps even appreciating them more because they were so short lived. Times when I needed to complete my half of the task then swap controllers to do her half were few and far between.
This brings me to my excitement and concern for Split Fiction. It continues the co-op ethos that Hazelight has always had, starting with Brothers and continuing with A Way Out, before It Takes Two took it into a new stratosphere. Split Fiction seems to be building specifically on It Takes Two, with more of a minigame vibe as we move from setting to setting, task to task, with a variety of unique challenges ahead of us. It is not a singular, focussed journey like the first two games, but a massive toybox like its predecessor. But I am concerned about where you pitch a game like that.
Split Fiction Has To One-Up It Takes Two
It Takes Two left it all out there on the field. With so many genres and games being condensed into bite-sized experiences, it’s difficult to see how a follow up can stand on its own. The obvious answer is to go bigger, bolder, to push limits even further. Split Fiction may well have done that – but at what cost?
In the latest trailer, we see the split-screen characters both sliding around on motorbikes while shooting laser guns at a giant boss. They leap around in zero gravity with whip swords, they flip over obstacles while riding mounts, they sneak around in stealth mode. And as we’re watching it, we’re supposed to think ‘that’s so cool!’. And I do! But I also think ‘my wife will never be able to do this’. That’s fine for me to say because, much like your own partners, she does not casually read gaming websites. And, much like my wife, your partners will not be able to do these things either.
There is some evidence Split Fiction has thought about this. Rather than linear progression as in It Takes Two, the game features side quests, where most of these activities take place. That makes them easier to skip should the going get too tough. It also looks as though you and your partner are doing the same thing in many challenges, rather than each filling a unique role. This should make it easier for one of you to do the lion’s share, without resorting to swapping controllers.
Split Fiction is still very high on my most anticipated games list, in part because it’s so close with a March 6 release date (having already gone gold), and in part because of the shared experience playing the last one. But I remain protective over this shared experience, and hope Split Fiction is a better It Takes Two, not just a harder one.
- Released
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March 6, 2025
- Developer(s)
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Hazelight Studios