There’s a fierce dichotomy in the creative space right now between those who believe AI is the future and those that want to watch it burn. Whether the positives outweigh the negatives, it’s a dangerous and worrying future. Artificial intelligence will never replace the freedom of an innovative mind, and Hazelight has tackled the subject head on. Split Fiction is the studio’s follow-up to It Takes Two. The multiple game of the year award-winner was a masterpiece in gameplay and storytelling. It was always going to be difficult to follow, but Josef Fares and team have managed to build something wonderful.
The story of Split Fiction follows two young women called Zoe and Mio. They are under the false pretence their stories are to be published by a tech company who essentially harvests these ideas from their brains. As Mio decides she doesn’t want to be a part of it, a struggle breaks out and she ends up falling into Zoe’s creative bubble. Their two stories become connected, creating an adventure steeped in science fiction and fantasy. It’s a plot that shows the dangers of AI in creativity. Not only does it dive into the bigger themes, but personal and deeper themes present themselves.
While not exactly friendly towards each other at first, Zoe and Mio begin to open up. Emotional reveals and some sweeter moments ground the story and give us a reason to warm to the women. As the story unfolds, both fictional worlds offer up so many opportunities to explore some truly gorgeous worlds and ideas. Mio is a sci-fi nerd, and you’ll find yourself in places like a sprawling cyberpunk city and at the mercy of a dying star. Some of Mio’s stories reflect the issues she’s going through in the real world. She may be a little surly and stoic, but there’s a reason for it.
Zoe has her own problems, but fantasy is more an outlet for her to see the beauty in life. Vibrant biomes and beautiful creatures surround you all the time. She adores nature and it’s seen in almost all of her worlds. When it comes to playing, Split Fiction melds together so many genres and pays homage to popular franchises. Whether obvious or not, I spotted Assassin’s Creed and Bioshock, and while I found it cool, it was the gameplay that always made it exciting. At no point did anything outstay it’s welcome. Hazelight is master of keeping things fresh, and this is no different.
I travelled on the back of a sand snake; ran away from orcs and rode around on dragons; jumped from vehicle to vehicle on a floating highway in a futuristic city; became a pig that farted rainbows; and took part in a game show involving explosives and an evil robot akin to GLaDOS. Whatever the situation, the gameplay was fluid and thrilling. Jumping and double-jumping, dashing and sprinting. These are the core traversal maneuverers, but levels are always switching up how this is done. You might get to use an electrified whip while your partner uses a neon sword.
Another area in Zoe’s fantasy story allows you to shapeshift into either a purple monkey, fairy, otter, and an uncanny valley Groot. Working together with your co-op partner constantly throws up new ways to interact with the environment, and it never gets boring. There were a couple of moments that did grind on me, such as a section where you had to impressive a Monkey King who loved to dance. The better moments far outweigh the few frustrating sections, though. I don’t think I can count on one hand my favourite segments of the full adventure.
Outside of the main story, Split Fiction allows Zoe and Mio to step into side stories. These are shelved ideas from the writers that happen to have been plucked out from the publishing company. Completing them will stop them from being taken. These side stories are completely different from the main science fiction and fantasy base, and while they still feature those genres, the ideas are completely different. One of my favourites was where this huge star kept pulsing in the sky. By working together, the two protagonists must avoid its huge energy pulses and stop it from exploding.
While there’s an intricate tapestry of ideas, it’s never overly difficult. Sometimes it can get intense, especially as you’re playing split-screen. Some of the boss fights mean the visuals get busy, but the boss fights featured as some of my favourite moments. Split Fiction is a wonderful game that manages to take the roots of what Hazelight has built and continue the masterclass in gameplay that was seen in It Takes Two. If there are any doubts this might not reach the heights of the studio’s previous title, fear not. This is such a wonderful game with so many great worlds to explore.
