Remember how massive It Takes Two was? Coming off of the success of A Approach 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 constantly inventive gameplay moments in one of the vital pleasant motion platformers in latest reminiscence. Along with receiving widespread crucial acclaim and successful a bevy of year-end awards and accolades (together with Sport of the 12 months at The Sport Awards in December 2021), It Takes Two was additionally an enormous business success (on the time of writing, it stands at over 23 million models bought).
On condition that context alone, it’s not an enormous shock that Break up Fiction is taking off the best way it’s. Hazelight Studios and EA not too long ago launched their third massive co-op journey, one which guarantees but extra of what the developer has by now turn into synonymous with when it comes to co-op gameplay, however larger and higher than ever earlier than. Pleasure for Break 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 in addition spectacular participant numbers. Over its launch weekend, for 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 Break up Fiction simply as strongly because the critics have. What precisely is it, nevertheless, 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 upcoming 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 business may hope for?
Clearly, causes one by means of ten are- it’s a actually good sport, because the ridiculously constructive evaluations and eye-wateringly excessive assessment scores could have given away. In fact, high quality is what is predicted of Hazelight Studios at this level, given the superb observe report the studio boasts, and the acclaim, accolades and recognition that the studio has earned consequently. Residing as much as a repute is commonly simpler mentioned than performed for a lot of within the video games business, nevertheless, so it completely shouldn’t be taken without any consideration that Hazelight not solely retains assembly expectations, however even surpassing them, with every new sport constructing and bettering on already wonderful foundations.
That’s precisely what Break up Fiction has performed as well- not less than in some actually essential methods, even when the sport just isn’t with out points. Very similar to previous Hazelight titles, Break 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 feel Break 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 growth, however at finest, it has gone from grating to serviceable. At finest. Narratively, Hazelight nonetheless has quite a lot of rising to do.
However many have discovered these points slightly 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 assume 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 other is true of Break 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 assorted gameplay moments. Completely paced, a relentless pleasure to play, and boasting extra selection in a single stage than most video games have throughout their complete runtimes, Break 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 at first 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 Break up Fiction, and it doesn’t decelerate past that time. This can be a sport that prides itself on its lengthy listing of ideas- a mess of mechanics, areas, premises, set-piece sequences, every absolutely fleshed out and polished.
And as soon as it has performed 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 Break up Fiction boasts throughout the board could also be straightforward to take without any consideration given the developer’s status, but it surely can’t be overstated simply how spectacular of an accomplishment it’s. Three video games in, Hazelight Studios doesn’t appear to be operating of concepts or creativity by any stretch of the creativeness, and quite the opposite, continues to be delivering co-op gameplay not like the rest we’ve ever seen.
It’s additionally price highlighting how consumer-friendly Break up Fiction is in so some ways, which you wouldn’t ordinarily count on from a sport being revealed by Digital Arts. The flag-bearer of Hazelight’s widespread practices has lengthy been the Good friend’s Move, which has unsurprisingly made a return with Break 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 Good friend’s Move additionally helps cross-play, which suggests you should buy a replica on, say, PlayStation, and get a buddy 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 related 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 may be costlier than any of Hazelight’s earlier titles, however is a notably cheaper value level than the overwhelming majority of recent main releases, particularly within the AAA area.
After having impressed the business at giant with progressively improved landmark co-op gameplay experiences within the type of A Approach 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 Break 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 might be fascinating to see, however within the right here and now, Break up Fiction deserves a tip of the hat, after which some.
Observe: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially signify the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a company.
