Indeed, the amount of effort going into this is staggering. Split Fiction is practically bursting with new mechanics that pop up almost every quarter of an hour, only to leave the previous ones behind. It’s a juggling act to ensure these fresh ideas don’t come across as underdeveloped.
Take the section where you’re dragon riding in Split Fiction, for instance. Just crafting one of those magnificent dragons took close to eight months. At the start of my journey in game development, many teammates questioned, “Why invest so much for a scene that’s over in just ten minutes?”
But here’s the thing: in filmmaking, a fantastic scene that costs a fortune doesn’t get recycled just to offset its expense. I often feel that those exhilarating moments wouldn’t retain their magic if they were revamped repeatedly. In gaming, there’s this notion that high-cost elements must be reused. But why? Repurposing them dilutes the impact they had when you first encountered them.
Split Fiction takes this mindset and pushes it further by offering expansive sections filled with entirely optional content. While It Takes Two offered some mini-games along the journey, these sections open through portals and delve even deeper.
Imagine, you’re stepping into entirely new worlds brimming with unique mechanics, perhaps battling bosses, and exploring fresh visual landscapes. It’s genuinely akin to discovering a whole new game within the original game itself.
