Split Fiction

Genre: 3D Platformer / Action

Players: 2 (Local Split-Screen, Local Wireless, Online), Game Share (Local Wireless / Online)

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Review:

Split Fiction is a 3D Platformer and Action game released in 2025 on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2, releasing alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 for the console’s launch. Split Fiction is the follow-up to the 2021-2022 game It Takes Two, and much like its predecessor, this game is focused solely on 2-player co-op play, with no way to play the game without two players.

To this end, Split Fiction gives players numerous ways to play the game, including local play, cross-platform play, and GameShare, even with the original Nintendo Switch (which isn’t getting any version of this game). Basically, this game’s designers wanted to be absolutely sure that if you own a copy of the game and have a friend with a viable modern gaming platform, you should be able to play this game with them at no added cost. I should note that no matter which way you play this game, it will play in split-screen, to give players a better indication what the other player is doing.

In my time playing Split Fiction, I found GameShare was a tad tricky to set up, and was disappointed to find that apparently I can’t do both GameShare and Game Chat at the same time – I’m guessing that’s a limitation of the bandwidth needed to stream the gameplay via GameShare to the second platform playing the game. However, once I managed to find a way to make it work properly, it worked fairly well, lack of Game Chat notwithstanding.

The presentation in Split Fiction is pretty good, with some good character designs for the game’s characters, and some impressive 3D worlds with numerous set piece action sequences throughout the game (in fact, the game frequently seems like one set piece after another). While moment-to-moment gameplay doesn’t look especially impressive, the way this game constantly moves from one impressive set piece to another absolutely is.

The characters and story are great too, with this game’s story focusing on a pair of aspiring writers, Mio and Zoe, who are invited to partake in the use of a new technology under the pretense of being able to publish their works. However, when Mio starts to suspect things aren’t adding up and tries to back out, the company presenting the tech tries to force her into it anyway, and a scuffle breaks out that results in her being trapped in the same simulation as Zoe. As they find themselves trapped together as the world around them glitches from Mio’s sci-fi stories to Zoe’s fantasy stories, they continue to work toward breaking their way out of the simulation and foiling the underhanded plans of the company behind the tech that has them trapped.

All of the game’s characters are well-written and beautifully-voiced, though I found myself not caring for Zoe, who I found to be self-centered and judgmental. I really liked Mio, on the other hand, and found her to be insightful and grounded, even if she’s also standoffish and somewhat prickly. Interestingly enough, the person I was playing the game with felt exactly the opposite – she liked Zoe but didn’t care for Mio.

Joining the visuals and voice acting is a good cinematic soundtrack and solid sound design, though I honestly felt this took a back seat to the story and gameplay for me.

Speaking of the gameplay, I feel like much of what I said about It takes Two holds true here, though there is frequently a greater focus on Action, and overall I think Split Fiction kicks things up a notch, with better pacing and overall more enjoyable gameplay. In particular, I felt like this game did a magnificent job tossing one fantastical situation at players after another – one minute you’re leaping from the top of one banner to another in a raid of ogres in a kingdom, the next you’re engaged in a thrilling gravity-defying motorcycle chase on top of an on the sides of skyscrapers. Even as me and my partner were trying to end out play session and call it a night, we kept finding ourselves sucked back into the game to see what new amazing scenario the game would throw at us.

It helps that much as it did with It Takes Two, Split Fiction is a game that is trying to make sure that players succeed, even as the spectacular events on-screen seem like they’re near-impossible feats that players only just barely accomplish. The game is very forgiving when players make a minor mistake, and even dying only sets players back a short ways back. It means that I wouldn’t say that this game has a high challenge level at all, but it also doesn’t really have to.

There are also some nice co-op puzzles too, often requiring each player to do something different – this is a game that really pushes asymmetrical play, to the extent that players may find it worthwhile to play through the game twice to experience both sides of the story.

Suffice it to say, if you have a friend to play with, you should consider Split Fiction a must-have. A great story with great characters, great story, thrilling action, engaging puzzles, and of course excellent co-op play. Definitely give it a look!

tl;dr – Split Fiction is a 2-player Co-Op-exclusive 3D Platformer and Action game from the folks who made It Takes Two, and this game takes that formula and turns it up a notch with one great action set piece after another, and with an excellent story about two aspiring authors trapped in a simulation together playing out each of their works. This game gives players just about every possible way to play together, and it’s well-worth doing so – this is an outstanding game that you should absolutely play so long as you have someone to play it with.

Grade: A

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