Things Split Fiction Does Better Than It Takes Two

Over the past decade, Hazelight has cemented itself as one of the most innovative and high-quality game makers on the planet. Their smash hit, It Takes Two, has a list of accolades that rivals any title, selling over 20 million copies and winning countless awards, including the coveted Game of the Year.

Now with the release of Split Fiction, they have attempted to craft and build a magical world of mystery and wonder. This new game manages to build on all the successes of the previous titles and even improves on It Takes Two to create a contender for best game released in 2025.

Related

Split Fiction Review

Split Fiction is a must-play and yet another co-op gaming masterpiece from Josef Fares and his team at Hazelight Studios.

8

Gorgeous Aesthetic

Cinematic Shots From Start To Finish

Good lord, this game is beautiful. Nowadays, releasing a new game can be quite daunting due to many titles coming out in broken states or poor optimization, which greatly affects the game’s perception among players. But Hazelight has destroyed all previous expectations, creating vast vistas of grandeur and stunning action sequences that belong in a blockbuster movie.

It Takes Two had its own charming art style and unique approach to its visual themes, both beautiful and cute all the way through. But breathtaking is the best way to describe some of the sequences in the latest title. Some of these are even tucked into missable side quests, showing the love and care the devs put into every corner of the game.

7

A Wealth Of Content

Side Mission After Side Mission

One of the most interesting and attractive qualities in Split Fiction is the addition of side stories. These little bubbles are dotted throughout the main story, some more hidden than others, and include entire short stories from the minds of Zoe and Mio.

Related

All Levels In Split Fiction (Chapter List)

Split Fiction features various major chapter/levels that are further broken down into smaller sublevels, here’s a complete list for them all.

Each one offers something new. Despite staying within the confines of fantasy and sci-fi, there is always something to uncover and experience, whether it’s journeying to mountaintops with giants, or messing around in an adorable village of cats, moles, and snails. This extra content makes the game feel more alive when compared to It Takes Two, which chose to include several mini-games throughout, but these new immersive side-quests go above and beyond and feel like a whole game of their own.

6

Gameplay Variety

Gunslinging To Giant Swinging

Hazelight prides itself on keeping things fresh with each subsequent stage and level, adding new gameplay features and unique abilities to captivate the player throughout. If it wasn’t enough to do some crisp platforming and vertical traversal, each stage offers a new perspective or set of character skills, from whips to shapeshifting to dragon riding.

It is not a criticism of It Takes Two to say that the follow-up does variety better. In the former, there were plenty of gameplay angles and different level types throughout, with several different combat types and ways of engaging with the map. But Split Fiction takes the brakes off and hits the gas fully, filling every level with so much to play with.

5

Boss Design & Balance

Satisfaction On Every Phase

Difficulty is an ironically difficult thing to balance. The devs want the experience to be accessible for as many people as possible, but have a suitable enough challenge to be satisfying and rewarding. Here, they strike perfection, introducing new bosses every few areas that are distinct from the previous ones, and offer new sets of challenges to overcome.

The difficulty is not the focus, as the fights can be completed without too much trouble. It is the drawn-out cinematic sequences, fluid combat abilities, and comedic voice lines that make each encounter feel like a final battle, even for those just 15 minutes into the campaign.

4

Easter Eggs & References

From Akira To Dark Souls

The number of times players will recognize a reference to a favorite piece of media during their playthrough is well into the double digits. Easter eggs are abundant, whether self-referential to previous games by the company, or entire sequences that have been pulled from pop culture in the most faithful and loving way possible.

Yet, they never feel forced or inserted without purpose. The devs clearly care a lot about meta references and a few fourth wall breaks. Each time a new one is found or noticed, it feels like a wave of happiness and warmth that just doesn’t exist in It Takes Two.

3

Vibrant, Diverse Settings

Fantasy, Sci-fi, & Everything In Between

When the premise and setting of a game are restricted to effectively a garden and a house, it was incredibly impressive to see the number of areas and variety of levels in It Takes Two. The game explored tree networks and scaling bookshelves from a microscopic perspective.

Split Fiction takes the words ‘fantasy’ and ‘sci-fi’ and draws every possible straw from each and pushes them to the limit. There’s a snowy castle, a magical forest, a futuristic city, an infected planet, and so much more. Players have so much to see and so many places to explore, filled with love and joy at every step.

2

Co-Op Play

Everyone Needs A Helping Hand

Cooperative games have transformed over time and come in a number of shapes and sizes, genres, and themes. Hazelight sets the gold standard for co-op adventures once again, allowing each player to do some solo exploration and experience the game in slightly different ways, but still nudging them together with simple puzzles and plenty of team-oriented battles.

It never feels as though the players are forced to coordinate. Rather, it just feels nice to help out and work together. The basic formula is that player one presses a button to help player two through a door and vice versa. But there are plenty of twists and turns that make the puzzles feel unique and the teamwork a joy to accomplish. The journey feels better together.

1

Immersion

Grinning From Ear To Ear

It won’t take long into a playthrough for the players to be smiling from ear to ear. The game wastes no time introducing the plot and characters, and gets the action going quickly. By crafting such compelling worlds and lovable characters and events, each moment is priceless and brings so much joy and emotion to every session.

Related

Hit Co-Op Game It Takes Two Passes Incredible Sales Milestone

Hazelight Studios shares an amazing achievement with its latest game, It Takes Two, as it reaches a significant sales landmark.

The story in It Takes Two achieved so much on the emotional side, and told a sad but lovely tale of a family. Split Fiction sets the bar even higher for immersive storytelling and gameplay, coupling the two in a perfect marriage of engaging movement, character dialogue, and a soundtrack that keeps the player glued to the screen for hours.

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
90/100


Critics Recommend:
98%

Released

March 6, 2025

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty