‘Did We Really Do That?’: Josef Fares on How Split Fiction Advances the Co-Op Adventure Genre

This game is an ambitious undertaking, no doubt about it. Split Fiction always seems to introduce new gameplay mechanics at the drop of a hat, discarding old ones just as quickly. Yet, it somehow manages to ensure each idea is fully realized and not just an afterthought.

“Take the section in Split Fiction where you get to ride dragons. Creating just one of those majestic beasts took us about eight months,” a developer remarked. “Early in my career, many team members questioned, ‘Why go through all that effort for a sequence that lasts only about 10 minutes?'”

But here’s the thing. In filmmaking, just because a scene requires a big budget doesn’t mean you recycle it throughout the film. Sometimes cool moments should remain unique because their rarity makes them special. There’s a notion in gaming that expensive elements must be reused to justify their cost. But why? Why dilute the magic of experiencing something for the first time by repeating it endlessly?

Split Fiction embraces this philosophy to the fullest by packing in a wealth of optional content. In contrast to the mini-games sprinkled throughout It Takes Two, this game offers something more expansive. Accessible via portals you discover along your journey, these sections transform into vast worlds.

“Each one is like a full-fledged world of its own, complete with new mechanics, bosses, and an entirely fresh visual style. In some ways, it’s like playing a different game altogether within the same universe.”