Best Split Fiction Chapters, Ranked

Throughout the entire cinematic adventure, Split Fiction delivers unforgettable experiences across a range of locations and environments. Blending sci-fi with fantasy, two genres that offer very different perspectives, makes it feel like the player is playing 10 different games at once, and journeying through a gallery of beautiful settings.

Just when it seems like Hazelight has run out of ideas, they flip the script and introduce a whole new gameplay element, camera perspective, or area that redefines what a video game should be. There is something for everyone and everyone. While some chapters feel more enjoyable than others, there are no real weak links, as the game keeps on giving right until the credits.

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8

Rader Publishing

The Perfect Introduction To What’s To Come

Rader Publishing serves as the introduction chapter to the game. It was never intended to be a four-hour-long battle sequence or a rapid car chase through a gigantic city, but it gives more than enough in terms of flavor and a taste of the delights that are in store further down the line.

Hazelight wastes no time thrusting players into the thick of it, forcing precise platforming across a sea of ogres and some coordination to push through and make it to the glitch. While It Takes Two introduces its story in a more comprehensive manner, this initial chapter is a pleasure to play and adds a high level of anticipation for what’s to come.

7

The Hollow

Emotional And Enlightening

The Hollow is exactly what it says on the tin. Players dive deep into Zoe’s subconscious, exploring an abandoned and derelict underground city full of haunting structures and horrifying specters.

The focus is on puzzles and moving objectives between platforms, until meeting a conjoined centipede meant to represent Zoe’s parents. From there, players journey on through boiling lava, scaling high towers, and finally conquering the hydra at the end. It is a great emotional beat in the story, and what it lacks in high-octane combat, it makes up for with its puzzles and character development.

6

Final Dawn

Non-Stop Gun-Slinging Action

Final Dawn is an amazing chapter for any old-school Nintendo fans, taking influences from Metroid and Mega Man to create an action-filled, fast-paced sci-fi adventure. Starting in the most cinematic way possible, the players plunge down from a ship, dodging debris and enemy crafts. Then, they sprint through mechanical passages and tunnels, blasting anything in their path.

The highlight is the different camera angles and exploration of genres. One minute it’s a third-person shooter, the next it’s a Metroidvania. A second later, the camera rotates once more, making this stage feel like a marathon of appreciation for the video game genres that defined a generation.

5

Hopes Of Spring

Apes Together Strong

Hopes Of Spring shows Zoe’s true colors, and gives a chapter full of beauty and color that is hard to beat. Like a softer jumpscare, players begin the chapter in entirely different, non-human forms, taking on the roles of a giant monkey and a tiny fairy. Each player also has an extra transformation, for traversing across gaps and swimming among the deadly piranhas. This adds a unique co-op element that requires using all the forms to their fullest.

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It is one of the longer chapters, but it doesn’t feel like a drag at any point. The ability to swap on the fly between different shapes and sizes feels great and fun. With so many side features to play around with and some of the more memorable fights in the game, it is for sure one to revisit later on.

4

Isolation

The Darkest Parts Of The Mind

The first of the two subconscious levels, Isolation, pushes the boundaries of the mind and puts players in the deepest corners of Mio’s imagination. There is a lot of variety here, from the settings like the sewers and high up in the skies, to the gameplay changing from gravity-bending combat to ball-controlling pinball.

The co-op in this level is a stand-out. Mio takes on a more overseeing role, helping Zoe progress past sentry turrets and get to new hard-to-reach locations. This all culminates in one of the best and most engaging fights against Dark Mio, forcing some speedy dodging and great coordinated blows to survive and defeat the darkest threat of all.

3

Neon Revenge

Bladerunner Meets Cyberpunk

If there was a category at The Game Awards for most cinematic sequences, this chapter would win in a heartbeat. Neon Revenge is the first main look at the sci-fi side of Split Fiction, and it doesn’t disappoint. It is hard to praise the actual gameplay, as players will be too busy staring at the gorgeous surroundings and absurd attention to detail in every building and structure in the skyline.

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But the combat and traversal itself can stand on its own, equipping players with deadly energy weapons to both destroy enemies and leap across gaps, all while scaling increasingly impressive and immense skyscrapers. It’s gorgeous and insanely fun, and keeps the player on the edge of their seat at very moment.

2

Split

The End Of The Journey

Split is one of the most visually and technically impressive levels in any video game out there, blending the two genres directly and literally splitting the screen and setting into several chunks and pieces. Just when things feel at their height, the ceiling is broken in half, and it keeps getting better and better.

Split also has some of the most innovative co-op puzzles and sections in the game, forcing players to utilize the split-screen to figure out precise solutions and open up new doors and areas to blow minds even more. It’s a marvel of video game design that will be studied for generations to come.

1

Rise Of The Dragon Realm

As Fantastical As Fantasy Can Get

It’s no surprise that the level in which players get to raise and ride some adorable dragons, flying into the clouds and defeating a gigantic rocky behemoth, is the best in the game. It does everything right and so much more, having so much variety in the map traversal and a progression in puzzles and combat that evolves as the dragons grow up.

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When players first take flight, it is a spectacle to behold, gliding gracefully between rock faces and through caves, then bursting out into the hope and getting to appreciate the glory of the surroundings. As if things couldn’t get any better, it is also a touching ode to Zoe’s sister and creates a moving, emotional feeling that carries through to the end of the story.

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OpenCritic

Top Critic Rating:
90/100


Critics Recommend:
98%

Released

March 6, 2025

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty