Split Fiction review roundup: 'a testament to the power of human imagination'

Split Fiction joins Monster Hunter Wilds as a potential Game of the Year contender

(Credit: Hazelight Studios)

• 😮 Split Fiction has a Metacritic score of after 91 after 84 critic reviews

• 😇 The game has 95% positive reviews, 5% mixed and 0% negative

• 🤝 It’s the third co-op game from Hazelight Studios

• 📅 Split Fiction releases on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC on March 6

Split Fiction has wowed critics ahead of its March 6 release date, and it could become a Game of the Year contender for many. It’s the third game from Hazelight Studios – the team behind A Way Out and It Takes Two – and many believe it’s the best entry yet.

Like Hazelight Studios’ other games, Split Fiction is designed entirely around co-op play. It’s currently sitting on a Metacritc score of 91 after 84 critic reviews, which is two points higher than the excellent It Takes Two. Here’s what reviewers made of the game.

Inverse was one of many outlets that gave Split Fiction a perfect score. The reviewer said: “Split Fiction is a generational work. It’s brimming with creativity, tells a resonant story that reflects the current state of the world, and is a sincere love letter to genre fiction that has inspired so many of us.”

Push Square also adored Hazelight Studios’ latest title, awarding a perfect score and proclaiming it to be the team’s “best game yet”. It also praised the game’s endless variety, which means “there’s never a dull moment”.

Eurogamer believed Split Fiction was also worthy of a perfect score. The outlet said the game is, “Fantastic from start to finish, Split Fiction is one of the most inventive and joyful co-op games to date, and a testament to the power of human imagination.”

The positive reviews continue from the likes of IGN, which gave Split Fiction 9/10, and said: “An expertly crafted and absorbing co-op adventure that pinballs from one genre extreme to another, Split Fiction is a rollercoaster of gameplay ideas and styles that are usually discarded as quickly as they’re introduced. This keeps it fabulously fresh for its full, 14-hour duration. With no idea sticking around long enough to get stale before making way for the next, it’s a victory of imagination and restraint in equal measure. Hazelight may have been rewriting the co-op rule book for a decade now, but Split Fiction is a new chapter that you (and a partner) cannot miss.”

VGC noted in its 8/10 review that Split Fiction is “visually streets ahead of its predecessor It Take Two, but mechanically the two games are very similar”. The reviewer continued: “The game is occasionally in danger of verging into repetitive territory with its constant shifting between two main environments, but its healthy selection of varied side-stories and its constantly changing mechanics ensure its gameplay remains engaging and entertaining throughout, even if the same can't always be said for its story.”

While hardly a damning score, Hardcore Gamer wasn’t as enamored as other reviewers, giving the game 7/10. The site said: “Split Fiction is shorter, more expensive, and while it may not have the originality or variety of It Takes Two, it still manages to create an entertaining and captivating experience for both players.”

Split Fiction appears to build upon the successful formula of It Takes Two, and those who loved the co-op designed gameplay will enjoy what’s on offer here. It’s difficult for a game to attract universal acclaim these days, but that’s exactly what Split Fiction has achieved.

Want to know what to play next? Check out our upcoming PS5 games and upcoming Xbox games lists to see what’s on the horizon for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles.

• Up next: Monster Hunter Wilds review roundup: 'one of the best Monster Hunter games ever'

Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.