Remember how large It Takes Two was? Coming off of the success of A Means Out, developer Hazelight Studios was intent on hitting the large time with its sophomore outing- and that’s precisely what it did. It Takes Two not solely refined the distinctive narrative-driven co-op formulation the studio was eager to construct its repute on, it additionally delivered spectacular, extremely various, and persistently inventive gameplay moments in one of the vital pleasant motion platformers in current reminiscence. Along with receiving widespread vital acclaim and successful a bevy of year-end awards and accolades (together with Recreation of the Yr at The Recreation Awards in December 2021), It Takes Two was additionally an enormous business success (on the time of writing, it stands at over 23 million items bought).
On condition that context alone, it’s not an enormous shock that Cut up Fiction is taking off the way in which it’s. Hazelight Studios and EA lately launched their third large co-op journey, one which guarantees but extra of what the developer has by now turn into synonymous with by way of co-op gameplay, however greater and higher than ever earlier than. Pleasure for Cut up Fiction had hit a fever pitch within the brief span between its December 2024 announcement and early March 2025 launch, and that pleasure has been mirrored in not solely near-universal acclaim (with a Metacritic rating of 91), but additionally spectacular participant numbers. Over its launch weekend, as an example, the sport noticed a peak of over 259,000 concurrent gamers on Steam, near 4 occasions as excessive because the all-time excessive of It Takes Two.
Clearly, then, the plenty have taken to Cut up Fiction simply as strongly because the critics have. What precisely is it, nonetheless, concerning the sport that has struck such a chord with so many individuals? Releasing in the midst of a very busy interval that has seen a number of different notable launches, from Monster Hunter Wilds and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii to the approaching Murderer’s Creed Shadows and extra, how is it that this co-op expertise that actively eschews so lots of AAA gaming’s most commercialized tendencies is promoting in addition to something any writer within the trade may hope for?
Clearly, causes one by means of ten are- it’s a actually good sport, because the ridiculously optimistic evaluations and eye-wateringly excessive assessment scores might have given away. After all, high quality is what is anticipated of Hazelight Studios at this level, given the wonderful monitor report the studio boasts, and the acclaim, accolades and recognition that the studio has earned in consequence. Dwelling as much as a repute is usually simpler mentioned than executed for a lot of within the video games trade, nonetheless, so it completely shouldn’t be taken with no consideration that Hazelight not solely retains assembly expectations, however even surpassing them, with every new sport constructing and enhancing on already wonderful foundations.
That’s precisely what Cut up Fiction has executed as well- not less than in some actually essential methods, even when the sport will not be with out points. Very like previous Hazelight titles, Cut up Fiction has its deficiencies within the storytelling division. The characters are extra bundles of tropes than precise, nuanced personalities, the dialogue interactions are sometimes dragged down by clunky dialogue and painfully cookie-cutter cliches, the plot itself usually tends to maneuver in extremely predictable methods. Personally, I believe Cut up Fiction is unquestionably an enchancment over It Takes Two not less than, the place I actively disliked just about each main character and plot improvement, however at finest, it has gone from grating to serviceable. At finest. Narratively, Hazelight nonetheless has numerous rising to do.
However many have discovered these points moderately straightforward to disregard purely on the again of the sport’s gameplay and design strengths, and actually, it’s straightforward to see why. You’d suppose that video games directed by an ex-film director can be higher at storytelling than they might be at sport design, however simply because it was with It Takes Two, the alternative is true of Cut up Fiction. Hazelight’s latest action-platformer is an absolute blast to play, and from the primary second to the final, it delivers spectacularly inventive and various gameplay moments. Completely paced, a continuing pleasure to play, and boasting extra selection in a single degree than most video games have throughout their whole runtimes, Cut up Fiction is a sport design joyride the likes of which we don’t see too usually. That it’s seeing widespread success and acclaim on the again of these strengths initially isn’t shocking to see.
A high-speed bike chase with sufficient explosions to place Michael Bay to disgrace, thrilling platforming sequences in the midst of dense site visitors in a futuristic cyberpunk metropolis, riotously enjoyable boss fights, a hilarious one-off sequence the place you play as pigs (and, ultimately, sausages), a set-piece the place you experience by means of a sea of sand on the again of large sand sharks, and so, a lot more- all of this occurs simply within the first couple of hours of Cut up Fiction, and it doesn’t decelerate past that time. It is a sport that prides itself on its lengthy listing of ideas- a large number of mechanics, places, premises, set-piece sequences, every totally fleshed out and polished.
And as soon as it has executed one thing, it simply strikes on to the subsequent factor, which simply highlights the worth of its unwillingness to remain nonetheless and get snug in its pores and skin that rather more. It’s a particular sport that not solely has that type of ambition, however can be able to really making good on these guarantees. The extent of mechanical polish and thoughtfulness in design that Cut up Fiction boasts throughout the board could also be straightforward to take with no consideration given the developer’s status, however it can’t be overstated simply how spectacular of an accomplishment it’s. Three video games in, Hazelight Studios doesn’t appear to be working of concepts or creativity by any stretch of the creativeness, and quite the opposite, remains to be delivering co-op gameplay not like the rest we’ve ever seen.
It’s additionally price highlighting how consumer-friendly Cut up Fiction is in so some ways, which you wouldn’t ordinarily count on from a sport being printed by Digital Arts. The flag-bearer of Hazelight’s standard practices has lengthy been the Pal’s Cross, which has unsurprisingly made a return with Cut up Fiction, as soon as once more permitting two gamers to play the sport with only a single buy. What’s extra, this time round, the Pal’s Cross additionally helps cross-play, which suggests you should buy a replica on, say, PlayStation, and get a good friend on Xbox or Steam to play with you by simply inviting them to your sport, so long as you’re each signed in with a linked EA account. It really works precisely as easily and simply because it ought to, too, and that lack of friction is likely going to draw loads of gamers. And let’s not overlook the truth that this can be a $50 sport, which could be costlier than any of Hazelight’s earlier titles, however is a notably cheaper worth level than the overwhelming majority of contemporary main releases, particularly within the AAA area.
After having impressed the trade at giant with progressively improved landmark co-op gameplay experiences within the type of A Means Out and It Takes Two, Hazelight Studios has now delivered what seems like the last word realization of its distinctive model of co-op with Cut up Fiction, so to see the sport getting the widespread reward and recognition that it so clearly deserves is heartening to see, to say the very least. The place the studio will go from right here will likely be attention-grabbing to see, however within the right here and now, Cut up Fiction deserves a tip of the hat, after which some.
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