SHOUT OUT - Split Fiction’s asymmetrical mechanics are pitch perfect
Fair dinkum.
By Jonathan Garrett
10/03/25
NOTE: Shout Out’s are not sponsored content. They’re games, developers, individuals, or issues that we want to highlight and share purely out of interest.
It can be easy for a sense of unintended resentment to build up when asymmetric co-op deliberately leaves the second player feeling short changed. Yooka Laylee’s b-team, Resident Evil Revelations, even the waggle-tastic implementation of Super Mario Galaxy; when you reduce your companion to fulfilling menial or unsatisfying tasks, their role becomes diminished and enjoyment ultimately plummets.
The danger with anything like this is that one player ends up doing all the heavy lifting, while the other is left twiddling their thumbs until they become useful again. Thankfully, Hazelight’s Split Fiction goes to great lengths to empower both players with unique mechanics that work in tandem with each other and give each player a sense of relevance regardless of the scenario.
After playing the first couple of hours, it became immediately apparent that equal opportunity is sewn into the DNA of each area, with some sequences going by so blazingly fast that repeat playthroughs will likely be necessary to catch up on easy to miss jolliness. Both players smartly feature identical basic move sets (double jump, sprint, dash etc…) with character specific abilities that then compliment and enhance one another.
Already, even at this early stage, the thoughtful application of asymmetric co-op is plain to see. During an extended platforming sequence one one of the sci-fi levels, myself and my trusty partner bounded over hovering traffic, combining my energy sword and their grapple to open up new paths and navigate towards a mini boss. It flowed so well thanks to intuitive signposting and puzzles that, for the most part, are easy enough to read but still provide a sense of accomplishment when they’re bested.
Other than one specific moment involving a ladder which seemed too stubborn to solve, Hazelight have perfected the asymmetrical formula here. We can’t wait to dive further in and see how these mechanics continue to evolve.
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
