Game Review: 'Split Fiction'

Games can so often be isolating experiences, but the dynamic and thrilling "It Takes Two" injects the magic back in co-op play.

Developer Hazelight Studios, fresh off its triumphant, Game of the Year awards-raking 2021 release of "It Takes Two," continues its mastery of co-op gaming with this triumphant follow-up, which capitalizes on all the promise of its predecessor while delivering a far more mature, challenging and satisfying narrative.

The genre-hopping enterprise puts you in the role of one of two storytellers, with your online or local partner playing the other. You work together to unfold the tale, which takes you from one chills-inducing setting to another. Solo play is nonexistent, forcing hermetic gamers out of their comfort zones to infuse human connection with their quest. You'll find yourself making new friends, making playdates with current buddies, and possibly restarting dormant connections with old friends with spur-of-the-moment invitations. 

Don't let this requirement be a dealbreaker for you. Hazelight does everything in its power to make the game accessible to all. In what is both a clever marketing ploy and an altruistic outreach effort, the game's early stages are accessible to anyone via a game share feature. This masterstroke reminds me of the early days of 3DS online play.

Operating with the vivacity of an amusement park thrill ride, "It Takes Two" takes you on a series of unexpected, refreshingly intuitive adventures that make you want to keep coming back for more. Even more impressively, it helps you forge personal connections that guide you to improve on one another's ideas, settle conflicts and channel your brainpower and dexterity toward a common goal.

"It Takes Two" proves once again that Hazelight is one of the most intriguing, intelligent and creative voices in gaming. Every moment of the game feels fresh, wild and bold, and the moments you'll share with the gamers you play with will no doubt be as priceless as mine. This is the game to beat for 2025 Game of the Year honors.

Publisher provided review code.