With the fortunate resurgence of split-screen co-op games, it was a matter of time for It Takes Two developers, Hazelight Studios, to take a crack at yet another duo adventure. During The Game Awards 2024, we got to see the announcement of Split Fiction. At first glance, it looks amazing. As the trailer said, no “modern gaming” shenanigans. Just pure fun with another player. However, with how high It Takes Two raised the bar, I can’t help but wonder if Split Fiction will be able to cause the same impact.
Split Fiction Has Big Shoes To Fill
I won’t lie: I’m excited. Playing co-op games locally is always great. Before the online subscriptions and other things that just disconnect us from interacting with humans next to us, we only had split-screen experiences; they were great. One of the best of recent years is It Takes Two, hands down. So, it is always nice to see the studio looking at a new game that follows the same co-op concepts.
One of the things that made It Takes Two so great was the theme it presented: a shaky marriage and how to fix it, in a few words. Split Fiction, on the other hand, approaches the co-op mayhem with a different story and a vastly different visual style. I’m not saying either is bad. On the contrary, they both look great. Still, I can’t help but wonder if they will be as impactful as in It Takes Two. The 2021 classic was the perfect couples game, and I believe Split Fiction might fall into the same category in 2025. However, I couldn’t help but feel a few parts were a tad generic, bouncing hot dogs aside.
Still, it is quite early to talk about what may or may not be. As first impressions go, I’m beyond excited. Hazelight Studios has proven it has everything to create a banger of a game. I mean, It Takes Two won GOTY. We all know the high quality is there. Hopefully, this will be the case for Split Fiction, too. Also, 2025 is already looking like a packed year with some heavy contenders. I would love for this new co-op adventure to take the GOTY crown, but with so many competitors, it needs to surpass It Takes Two, which is already a huge undertaking.
