We always anticipated that the next game from A Way Out and It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios would be good, but could they deliver yet another Game of the Year contender? Well, the answer is a big fat yes!
Split Fiction is out on Xbox this Thursday, and the reviews have been dropping today - including here at Pure Xbox where we gave it an "Excellent" 9/10. Some outlets have gone even further with a 10/10 (or 5/5 stars) score though, such as our friends at Push Square as well as the likes of GameSpot and Eurogamer.
So, let's take a look at the roundup, shall we? Here's what the critics are saying about Split Fiction:
Pure Xbox (9/10)
"Split Fiction raises the bar for co-op adventure games and will surely be in the 'Game of the Year' conversation come the end of 2025. Its increased difficulty will put some players off, but those who relish the challenge will discover a magnificently varied, inventive and ambitious gameplay journey that's bound to stick long in the memory."
Push Square (10/10)
"Split Fiction is Hazelight Studios' best game yet, and stands out as one of the most accomplished and fun co-op titles on PS5 to date. Its peerless variety means there's never a dull moment, and all of its different mechanics are consistently well-executed. There are one or two minor complaints you can throw at this, but they all fade into the background when the game is constantly showing you new ideas and almost never pausing for breath."
Eurogamer (5/5)
"And as the credits roll and you look back on everything you've done - all the wild places you've been, all the mad moments you've experienced, and all the properly great fun you've had together - it doesn't take two to realise that, co-op or not, there's really nothing else quite like Split Fiction in games today."
GameSpot (10/10)
"Split Fiction could very well be the best cooperative game I've ever played. At the very least, I firmly believe it sets a new standard for the genre. And yet, it's more than that. Split Fiction is a love letter to creativity--to stories, games, and the people who make them."
Windows Central (4.5/5)
"Split Fiction proves that Hazelight Studios isn't done defining what co-op games can be, with excellent gameplay and unique level design that stays fresh throughout the entire experience. Mio and Zoe may drift into some cheesy genre clichés, but that's entirely the point of this warm story that emphasizes human creativity above all."
IGN (9/10)
"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."
Video Games Chronicle (4/5)
"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."
Noisy Pixel (8/10)
"Split Fiction is a wildly imaginative co-op adventure that thrives on unpredictability. Hazelight Studios masterfully blends platforming, puzzles, and genre shifts into a thrilling yet sometimes overwhelming experience. While its narrative structure can feel disjointed, the inventive gameplay and forced collaboration make it a must-play for co-op fans."
Digital Trends (3.5/5)
"Split Fiction is hokey, muddled, and needlessly self-defeating. It’s also lively, inventive, and so earnest that it’s hard to be mad at it for long. These aren’t opposing forces that tear Hazelight’s latest apart; the clumsiness is inseparable from the delight."
As things stand, Split Fiction is averaging around 90 on both Metacritic and OpenCritic, which is an absolutely incredible start for this new Hazelight adventure! We expect it'll sell extremely well when it launches later this week.
Keep in mind that only one player needs to buy Split Fiction for both to play as well, as the game utilises Hazelight's unique "Friend Pass" system just like in previous titles. Better yet, it supports crossplay for the first time ever too!
Will you be buying Split Fiction on Xbox this week? Tell us down in the comments section below.
Comments 4
It's currently the highest rated game of the year. Impressive work. That mad-lad Fares did it again.
Removed - trolling/baiting
Part of the way these games work is changing the context so often that many people never realize how shallow each little bit is. Or at least that’s how I felt about a way out and it takes two. This could be entirely different. But it says something about the attention span of many modern games (or lack thereof).
I’m so very much looking forward to playing this.
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