This project is undeniably a monumental endeavor. Split Fiction constantly keeps players on their toes, introducing new gameplay mechanics every quarter-hour while discarding the older ones. However, the game ensures that none of these fresh ideas come across as underdeveloped or rushed.
“Take, for example, a segment in Split Fiction where you get to ride dragons. What might surprise many is how just one of these dragons took around eight months to develop,” one of the developers reveals. “Early on in my career, I remember team members questioning our approach, often asking, ‘Why invest so much into something if players are only going to engage with it for maybe 10 minutes?'”
The developer continues, “But picture it like a movie. You don’t recycle a standout scene simply because it had a hefty price tag attached to it. Sometimes, repeatedly using these spectacular moments can diminish their impact. There’s this prevailing notion in gaming that due to high development costs, any feature should be reused, but why should that be the case? Reusing content might dilute the initial thrill you experienced.”
Split Fiction fully embraces this ideology by integrating vast segments of content that players can choose to explore or bypass. Unlike It Takes Two, which featured scattered mini-games, Split Fiction invites players to discover entire worlds, accessed through portals peppered throughout the journey. These aren’t just side quests; they are expansive environments complete with new mechanics, battles, and visuals—each almost like a separate game within the game itself.
