This is not the first game from Josef Fares that I have experience with. Years ago I was charmed by Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. Furthermore, I enjoyed watching a playthrough of It Takes Two, also a game focused around co-op gameplay. Ever since the first trailers, I had no doubts about giving Split Fiction a try. I mean, a story about (fantasy) authors? That’s kind of a no-brainer…

As expected, Jasmijn and I had a lot of fun with this game. Hazelight Studios seems to fully understand that a co-op game like this not only benefits from multiple puzzles, but also from small opportunities where players can just muddle along and explore the stunning environments in hope of finding little easter eggs or crazy things to do – to simply play without an overarching goal. I mean, did the swimming pool area in the futuristic science-fiction city serve a narrative purpose? No. Did we spend a half hour fooling around there nonetheless? Certainly!

Similarly to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the story of Split Fiction isn’t very complicated. However, it is delivered in a heartfelt manner by the two amazing voice actors and efficient writing. When emotions need to hit, they hit. Additionaly, there seems some clever commentary on the use of AI versus human creativity hidden between the lines…

If you’re in need for a game to play with a friend or partner, fun but not too difficult and with a nice story to boot, Split Fiction certainly is a recommendation.