It Takes Two Vs. Split Fiction: Which Game Is Best?

The co-op gaming scene is in a better spot than ever these days, and Hazelight Studios is a massive reason why. Between 2021’s Game of the Year, It Takes Two, and the already critically adored Split Fiction from 2025, Josef Fares and friends have blessed us with two of the absolute best games in the genre over the course of the decade so far.

To be clear, both of these titles are absolutely wonderful. However! Only one game can actually be considered Hazelight’s best co-op effort to date.

I reviewed Split Fiction earlier in the year and gave it a 9 out of 10. Truth be told, I likely would’ve scored It Takes Two the exact same back in the day as well. But there’s no tying in video game criticism.

It’s going to be a tight race, but it’s time to decide once and for all which game is best. Will it be Split Fiction, or It Takes Two?

10

Visuals

Split Fiction

Simply as a product of four more years to hone their craft, the art team stepped things up a bit in Split Fiction. Mio’s sci-fi worlds are packed with cyberpunk detail, and Zoe’s fantasy creations come to life right in front of you. Everything here is just a bit sharper, cleaner, and more detailed overall in comparison.

You’ll notice this most in the character models themselves between both games. Every human character in It Takes Two just looks a little rubbery and dead behind the eyes at times. While Split Fiction‘s models still aren’t the best I’ve ever seen in game design, the improvement here is pretty obvious.

Advantage, Split Fiction.

9

Story

It Takes Two

The story in It Takes Two is much more real and grounded overall, which makes it the clear winner in this department. Seeing how Cody and May’s failing marriage has not only affected themselves, but also their daughter, Rose, makes this title much more personal and emotional.

Split Fiction tries to work some drama and emotion into the equation too, but main characters Mio and Zoe start the game as total strangers, making their dynamic much less interesting from the very beginning.

Additionally, the overarching story of a nefarious tech company stealing people’s creative IP is timely, but is also mainly a generic plot device just to keep things going.

It Takes Two is the clear winner here.

8

Gameplay/Level Design

Tie

Overall, level design is where we see both games take a bit of a differing approach. It Takes Two opts for a more quaint vibe as Cody and May explore different parts of their house in a Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves style, while Split Fiction opts to feel like a blockbuster movie nearly constantly, bouncing around to massive and exciting set pieces between the sci-fi and fantasy-themed worlds.

Both choices work well, but I do slightly prefer the cohesion and charm of It Takes Two overall in this regard. Where Split Fiction is able to keep this category tied is that the last level in the game is one of the coolest in video game history, and the overall boss design is better and more creative.

Each game has different strengths they play to in this category, so we’ll call it a draw.

7

Side Content

Split Fiction

The optional side activities are where Split Fiction made massive strides over its predecessor. Here, side stories are peppered throughout each level, and they’re all pretty substantial additions to the gameplay formula.

Hazelight had an internal fan-jam where they allowed their staff to design and pitch short stories, with the best ones being selected to make their way into Split Fiction proper.

The result was some of the most memorable moments in the entire game. You’ll climb a birthday cake as sentient front teeth before fighting a demon dentist, fly around as pigs before being cooked on a grill, and engage in an SSX-style sci-fi snowboarding high score contest.

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A short and sweet side adventure never hurt anybody.

It Takes Two opted for little, competitive mini-games throughout each level in comparison, including things like playing chess, racing on ice skates, and seeing who can jump furthest from a swingset. All of these are cute and enjoyable, but they’re clearly much smaller scale than what Split Fiction brought to the table.

6

Sense Of Humor/Overall Tone

It Takes Two

He’s a controversial figure among players, but I’ll die on the hill that Dr. Hakim, a book of love come to life, does so much to set an amazing, comical tone that breaks up the heavy subject matter of It Takes Two perfectly. Other standout moments, like Cody and May having to brutally murder Rose’s stuffed elephant Cutie, will stick with players for years.

Split Fiction has its moments too, don’t get me wrong! The hot dog twist of the pig side story is insane, and Hazelight even forces you to dismember Cutie once again in a darkly hilarious callback if you’re hunting all the trophies.

Still, the humor and overall tone of Split Fiction can feel disjointed at times in comparison to the personal, heartwarming, goofy story that Split Fiction pretty much nails throughout.

Where Split Fiction can get a little too melodramatic and self-serious, It Takes Two is content to just take you on a whimsical, moving story. It works much better.

5

Soundtrack

Split Fiction

This is another category where both titles are pretty close overall, but there’s just so much more diversity in the soundtrack of Split Fiction that it has to be the obvious choice. As you bounce between sci-fi and fantasy worlds (and everything in-between in the side stories), the game always makes sure you have something awesome to listen to.

This ranges from synthy electronic music that would be at home in Tron or Blade Runner, immediately followed by memorable orchestral pieces you’d hear in Harry Potter or Game of Thrones.

It Takes Two‘s music is great, and it is highlighted by the level called The Attic, which is entirely themed around music and May’s failed career as an aspiring musician. It’s great stuff, but it just isn’t as much as Split Fiction has going for it overall.

4

Characters

It Takes Two

This is a pretty easy category to call, if we’re being completely honest. Cody and May are clearly the more endearing and entertaining pair of characters, and the absurd Dr. Hakim takes this ensemble to another level.

Our heroes here have natural chemistry since they’re playing a married couple, and you really buy into all their bickering, one-liners, and words of kindness and encouragement as their relationship begins to mend.

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Zoe and Mio, on the other hand, feel much more stiffly written, and delve headfirst into really unfortunate Marvel-style dialogue way too frequently. Simply put, Hazelight delivered on making Split Fiction more of a blockbuster-type video game experience, but that also resulted in shallower characters that you are bound to care much less about throughout.

While I did come around to Mio and Zoe a bit more by the end of their own personal journeys, it’s an incredibly easy choice to side with May, Cody, and Dr. Hakim when considering the best cast of characters between both games.

3

Cooperation Required

It Takes Two

This is one of the most important categories, and it’s a pretty easy choice for me. It Takes Two feels better start to finish as an actual co-op title. The entire game is designed around speaking out loud with your playing partner in order to use Cody and May’s special abilities in each level to continue on in your progression.

Yes, Split Fiction has plenty of amazing co-op sections too, but it also feels like there are many more instances in this game of one player being able to carry the other through, rendering what the less proficient player is doing trivial. This is not a pervasive issue throughout the game, but it’s still there.

It Takes Two will genuinely make you feel like you couldn’t do anything without your partner beside you, which also happens to tie in beautifully with the theme and story of the game.

2

Creativity

Tie

The category of Creativity is another that simply has to end in a tie. At the end of the day, both It Takes Two and Split Fiction are two of the absolutely most creative and unique games available on the market.

Sure, you can debate that Split Fiction‘s final level and side stories kick it up a notch, but the fact is that there’s not a single moment in It Takes Two that’s anything but wildly creative too.

This really serves to highlight that no matter which of these games ultimately comes out on top, both are absolutely journeys worth taking. I’m really not sure if there’s a modern game studio out there right now with more creativity bursting at the seams than Hazelight.

Both titles are winners in the Creativity department, but who will take home the overall crown?

1

Winner

It Takes Two

It was a tight race, but the slight edge goes to It Takes Two. In actuality, choosing between both of these games feels a bit like splitting hairs or picking a favorite child. Still, let’s be real. Your parents have a favorite, don’t they?

Truly, I love both of these games, and it was such a pleasure getting to play through both with my partner to compare and contrast the two—but mostly just to enjoy an amazing co-op journey with someone I’m close to. You can’t go wrong either way, and both games will connect you and your playmate in ways that few other games can.

Where It Takes Two ultimately takes the cake is in the smaller details, like the characters themselves, the story, the themes, the emotions, and the tone. It’s video game magic to take control of May and Cody as they navigate their relationship while also working their way through some of the most creative game design ever.

Split Fiction is bigger, flashier, and full of tons of incredible moments too, but the heart and soul of It Takes Two sets it that much further apart.

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It Takes Two

Released

March 26, 2021

ESRB

T for Teen: Animated Blood, Comic Mischief, Fantasy Violence, Language

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

Engine

Unreal Engine 4