A Parent’s Guide to Split Fiction

There are few things more fun than sharing a video game with someone. In a world full of online multiplayer games, it’s refreshing to have an option to sit with your friends and/or family and play together in person. This is the name of the game for Split Fiction, Hazelight Studio’s follow-up to 2021’s It Takes Two.

Your kids may be itching to share some co-op gameplay with you, but is Split Fiction a good fit for your family? We have everything you need to decide.

Is Split Fiction Appropriate for Kids?

Split Fiction is rated T for Teen, with Content Descriptors including Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, and Violence.

According to the ESRB Rating Summary, “Combat is highlighted by cries of pain, blood-splatter effects, and explosions. Boss battles also depict violence and/or blood: a hydra getting its head cut off, with blood-splatter effects; characters impaled.”

Where Can I Play Split Fiction and How Much Does It Cost?

Split Fiction is available for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S and costs $49.99.

Split Fiction also includes a “Friend’s Pass”, which allows players to share the game with only one copy. For example, if your kids wanted to play Split Fiction with a friend, they would only need one copy of the game, even if they’re playing together online.

What is Split Fiction About?

Split Fiction puts you and your co-op partner in the shoes of Mio and Zoe, two writers that are looking to enter a publishing deal with an ethically questionable company, Rader Publishing. When the writers discover that Rader is looking to use a machine to steal their ideas, Mio and Zoe get trapped in simulations of their own stories and must work together to figure out how to escape.

Throughout the story, the pair are jettisoned between Mio’s sci-fi stories and Zoe’s fantasy stories. As the duo gradually learn more about each other, why they write, and why they were at Rader, they may even become friends!

How Does Split Fiction Play?

Typically, video games have a handful of core “mechanics” … which are basically the actions that a player can take throughout the game. Most games take three or four of these core mechanics and build off of them in new and interesting ways as the game progresses, oftentimes increasing in complexity and challenge. Split Fiction is a little different, in that each level introduces new mechanics and challenges.

For example, one level of Split Fiction may see you and your kids navigate through a side-scrolling shoot-em-up with laser guns and robots. Meanwhile the very next level can put you on the back of a dragon as you collaborate to solve puzzles and progress together.

Split Fiction almost defies genre in this way. At different points throughout the game, it will be a shooter, a puzzle game, a platformer, and more. As a point of comparison, I played through It Takes Two with my wife – who loves a video game here and there but is far from an expert in all genres. Our playthrough introduced her to a bevy of video game genres she had never experienced before, and added the fun layer of communication and collaboration that Split Fiction also features.

And collaboration is a key word here. Split Fiction requires two players that can work together to achieve a common goal. Mio and Zoe will have different abilities and roles throughout the game, meaning players will have to communicate and take advantage of unique abilities to help each other progress.

In addition to the main stories, there are also “side stories.” These optional vignettes introduce more gameplay styles and put Zoe and Mio into smaller stories.

Making Sure Your Kids’ Video Game Stories Stay Appropriate

Playing a co-op game with your kids makes it easier to manage their experiences and keep them appropriate. But for the times when you can’t tackle a challenge with them there are tools and tips to help you make sure their video game time stays suitable.

ESRB has step-by-step parental controls guides to help you manage what your kids can play, with whom, when and for how long, and whether they can spend money on new games or in-game purchases. Visit ParentalTools.org for more.

If you’re interested in establishing some household rules around screen time, online play, privacy, and more, you can visit ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide. These guides provide simple tips to help you start an ongoing, judgment-free conversation around appropriate video game play in your home.