Split Fiction alternates its story every chapter, showcasing both main protagonists through their individual stories and side stories. This unique structure allows players to experience the journey from different perspectives, diving deeper into the world and characters. Alongside the main narrative, side stories add more depth, offering engaging moments that expand on the duo’s adventures.
Split Fiction Review
Split Fiction is a must-play and yet another co-op gaming masterpiece from Josef Fares and his team at Hazelight Studios.
The fourth level, Final Dawn, begins with players dropping from a dropship into a massive facility responsible for producing dangerous toxins. It’s up to Zoe and Mio to navigate the facility and put a stop to its operations. This guide offers a step-by-step walkthrough of Final Dawn in Split Fiction.
The Dropship
After the opening cutscene, players will regain control and begin freefalling toward the facility. During this section, you can move to avoid debris and exploding airships. As you descend, the game will pan the camera toward an open pipe that you must enter while avoiding the moving fans. You will land in a body of water and must jump down a slope into another pool. Dive into the water and head toward the door, where both players need to interact to proceed.
Infiltration
Swim through the pipe and surface to find two floating platforms and a ladder leading to the first of many switches you'll encounter on this level. You can shoot these switches using your gun by pressing R2/RT on your controller. The blue switch is for Zoe, while the red switch is for Mio. Shoot the four switches, wall climb to the next ladder, and shoot two more switches to open the door, triggering a cutscene where Mio tells Zoe about his father’s situation. After the cutscene, shoot the small switches to create platforms, hop across, and move to the other side. Wait for the hydraulic press to rise, then head toward the tower with the moving platforms.
At the top, you'll find more switches to shoot, and you can use your grappling hook to reach two mech turrets that need to be destroyed with your blasters. Move forward, shoot the switches to activate the moving grapple hook platforms, and jump toward the ladder leading to an up-and-down platform. Ride it up, then jump onto the moving platform, where enemy mechs will spawn — take them out. Jump off where you see "02" written on the wall, and shoot the switches multiple times to lower the platform.
Go through the doors to find an energy pod with a glowing orb inside. One player must shoot the switches while the other shoots the orb when its energy depletes. This will create a hole in the red shield ahead, allowing you to pass. Repeat the process on the other side, but with reversed roles. Finally, interact with the panels ahead to activate a new mech armed with chainsaws.
How To Beat The Chainsaw Mech
For this mini-boss fight, players must coordinate by luring the mech into the glowing field on the floor. Once it stands on top of it, shoot the nearby orb to disable its shield temporarily. This gives you a window to deal damage before the shield regenerates to a different color. Repeat this process a few times to destroy the mech, which will activate the platform, acting as a lift. Ride the platform up to reach a large red shield.
Gun Upgrade
To the left of the large shield, there is a weapon station where you can upgrade your guns. After the cutscene, you’ll gain additional control for your blasters, allowing you to fire a Shield Buster using L2/LT and detonate it to create an opening. Use this to proceed and engage a new mech, destroying their shield before dealing damage. Head up the platforms, stand on the pressure plates, and shoot the switches to open the door. Here, you'll encounter explosive rolling mechs — run past them and shoot the switches to stop their spawns.
If a lot of mechs are following, use the Shield Buster to create a hole in the floor and drop them.
Wall climb while avoiding the hydraulic press, then jump onto the small moving drones, which you can move using the right stick. Approach the lasers and jump to avoid them. Detonate the shields, shoot the switches, and glide across the rail. Mechs in this area must be handled the same way — destroy their shields first. Finally, prepare for a shield-busting sequence where both players must alternate attacks to open a path forward.
How to Use the Friends Pass in Split Fiction to Play With a Friend Online
Here's how the Friend's Pass works in Split Fiction.
Toxic Tumblers
Go across the ramp and use your grapple hook to land on the rotating machine parts. Navigate your way to the other side while avoiding the toxic river below. Once you reach a set of stairs, keep moving straight to find the first side story of this level, Kites.
Side Story: Kites
The Kites Run is a race where both players must use their grappling hooks to outpace each other. After a few grapples, you'll pass through air rings that propel you forward, requiring precise aerial control to glide effectively. The final section features rotating air rings, so you'll need to aim carefully to catch the speed boost and avoid falling. Once you complete the race, the side story concludes, and you can return to the facility.
Go back to the staircase and head right to find two panels to interact with. A few mechs will appear, which you can easily handle by opening a hole in the floor to make them fall. Once the fight is over, open the door by shooting the switches, and wall climb to the left. Here, both players must shoot the switch and then detonate the shield based on their respective colors. Go through the door on your left, climb the poles, and grapple into a room with switches that you can shoot to drop down into the toxic testing area.
Green Laser Dome Room
Using your shield busters, open holes in the dome shields while avoiding the green laser that sweeps through every few seconds. The laser alternates the shield colors and instantly kills you on contact. Carefully make your way across this section, waiting for the laser to pass when needed. Once you reach the end, interact with the lift to trigger a cutscene.
Factory Entrance
After the cutscene finishes, you will reach the entrance to the factory. Detonate the shields in front of you before grappling to the other side. Move along the right wall, jumping onto small platforms to reach the first node puzzle in this level. To open the door, both players must position their shield busters so that when they are detonated, all shields are within the blast radius.
Destroy the boxes to reveal two switches and shoot them to reach the next area. Jump across the moving platforms to reach the other side, then interact with the two panels at the end to initiate a cutscene. Afterward, defeat the floating mechs to open a path to the right, where you’ll find more switches to shoot. Slide down the slope and shoot the switches to create a wall-climbing section leading to the other side. Jump onto the poles and move up while avoiding the moving green lasers.
Split Fiction: How Long to Beat
The time it takes to beat Split Fiction can vary depending on how long it takes you to complete levels – and how much of a completionist you are.
Factory Exterior
You will arrive at a node door leading to the factory exterior, where a large metal pipe has a spike contraption moving along it. Since you can't jump over it, look to the left for a grappling point to reach the platform. Head right of the pipe to find toxic vents, which you can close using your blasters to move forward. Stand on the pressure plates and shoot the switches to spawn mech balloons that you can grapple onto and control. Avoid the green laser while making your way to the slope at the end.
Moving Box Shield Buster Puzzle
At the slope, you’ll find a jump pad that Zoe must shoot to launch Mio to the other side. Mio then interacts with the panel to open the gate for Zoe, allowing her to enter the factory. Inside, Zoe must shoot her shield buster at the boxes moving along the rail, while Mio uses hers on the red shield. Once the box reaches the blue shield on Mio's side, detonate it to open a hole for Mio to pass through, then open the red shield for Zoe. Align the nodes, use the shield buster to spawn a pressure plate, and shoot the last switch to propel up to the ramp.
Test Chamber
Inside the test chamber, activate the security measure by having one player stand on the launch pad while the other shoots their shield buster at the shield ahead, then shoots the switch to propel them toward the security measure. Repeat this for both characters to trigger the appearance of a massive mech enemy.
How To Beat Factory Warden
The first phase of this fight is straightforward. Use shield busters on the mech's legs to reveal switches — shoot them to make the mech lose a leg. After each leg loss, it enters a defensive mode, spawning laser drones and occasionally slamming the ground to create a flame wave that must be jumped over.
You can use the grappling points to slide quickly across the floor.
Once all legs are destroyed, two giant switches appear on its body. Use the launch pad to fly up, detonate the shield, and damage the switches while avoiding mines.
Now, the boss gains a health bar and functions like the shield mechs encountered earlier. Attack using the correct shield buster color based on the boss's glow. After dealing enough damage, it falls, allowing players to press a prompt repeatedly to remove a chunk of its health. The arena shrinks, forcing players onto platforms above a toxic river. For the final phase, jump off the ramp and shoot switches to activate a hydraulic press that crushes the mech.
Afterward, climb a ladder behind the mech, crawl through a duct, and use switches to navigate walls and laser fields. Ignore the right path at the rotating platform and go straight to reveal a path to the second side story, Moon Market.
Side Story: Moon Market
The Moon Market side story takes place in a castle with a lively marketplace where merchants sell various wares. There are plenty of interactive elements, such as turning your partner into a frog, mixing potions to transform into a mushroom, or becoming bloated.
Your main objective is to explore three different paths and retrieve the cats waiting at the end of each one. Once all three cats are returned, the gate will open, marking the completion of this side story.
- For more details on the Moon Market Side Story in Split Fiction, read our complete Moon Market Side Story walkthrough here!
After exiting the side story, return to the rotating platform and head through the laser fields on your right. Shoot the switches to bring a platform for the other player, then move forward and jump down to a small platform with a switch on your side. Shoot it, and you'll be trapped, requiring you to shoot a few more switches to unlock the path and slide down.
In this section, both players will be sliding while using shield busters to create a way forward. Avoid the numerous hydraulic presses, and after a few more shield buster segments, you'll drop down.
Run And Gun
This sub-level shifts into a side-scroller segment. Shoot the buttons above and head right to encounter two vertical green lasers. Shoot the orb to disable them and proceed. Descend carefully, avoiding the rotating bridge, as touching it will kill you. Shoot the buttons at the end to drop down, then continue right to climb some walls. A turret awaits ahead — detonate its shield and destroy it to unlock the door to the node room.
The Moving Lever Node Puzzle
For this section, both co-op partners need to place their shield busters on the ball of the moving lever. After that, shoot the buttons to make the lever move to the opposite side, and during the animation, detonate the bombs to open the path below. Use your shield busters to create a path through the circular shield balls and approach another turret. Go through the purple portals, and once you have destroyed the laser balls, drop down by pressing the left stick down along with the jump button. Shoot through the purple portal to hit the buttons and open the door to your right.
Inside the next room, you will have to deal with two mech enemies that have shields around them. You can step on the yellow tiles, but they disappear after a few seconds. Continue going right, and you will come across a toxic river with platforms that rise if you shoot at them. Cross to the other side and shoot the laser orbs, then go right to jump across two bridges that tilt left and right while a green laser moves along with them. There will be a few more enemies before you reach individual portals.
Go through the purple portals to reach the moving purple portal puzzle. First, Zoe will need to move the portals to the right, ensuring Mio does not land on the green laser. Once Mio is across, repeat the process for Zoe. Climb the ladders while avoiding the lasers, then shoot the buttons to pass through the purple portals and reach the next boss arena.
The Overseer Boss Fight
This sub-level starts with a massive mech destroying the wall in front of you. Begin by shooting at the face of the Overseer. After taking a small amount of damage, it will step back and deploy a moving spike ball. Destroy it to make the boss come forward again. Avoid the green toxin balls while aiming for the head. The boss will then deploy drones from its eye sockets, each with shields. Detonate the shields and take out the drones to deal more damage.
After depleting 35% of the boss’s health, it will begin leaking acid, preventing you from standing on the lower part of the arena. Individual portals will appear, and you must go through them as the acid rises. Players also need to shoot the colored boxes between platforms to clear a path upward.
In the next phase, the camera shifts to show the fight from the boss’s perspective. It will spawn exploding canisters that you must shoot to trigger a prompt, allowing you to throw them at the boss for damage. The next section requires one player to focus on shooting while the other deals with vertical lasers that can be disabled by shooting them. Keep firing while avoiding the rolling obstacles behind you.
In the final segment, the boss tries to hold the door shut. Shoot it while dodging a sweeping laser that moves from corner to corner and a head slam that causes debris to fall. Once weakened, you can shoot the gears to make the door shut on the boss, finishing the fight.
Soaring Desperados
With the jetpacks acquired, hold down the jump button to boost. The boost is not unlimited, so you will fall after a few seconds. Avoid the green lasers as you ascend through the individual laser fields, then shoot the switch to burst out of the factory. You will come across another large wire with a spike mechanism moving along it. To the left of the wire, there is a small platform where you can find the final side story of this level.
Side Story: Notebook
This side story takes place inside Zoe's notebook, where everything is drawn in pencil by the narrator. You’ll play as two heroes on an adventure, battling enemies, scaling mountains, and exploring deep caves — only to face off against a... Duck? After rescuing the captured prince, you can head to the ship in the distance, marking the end of the side story.
- For more details on the Notebook Side Story in Split Fiction, read our complete Notebook Side Story walkthrough here!
After exiting the side story, go to the right of the wire to find smaller platforms. Shoot the switch to create a platform, then navigate through the individual lasers to refuel your jetpack. Use it to reach the grappling hook point and deploy the shield buster on the nodes. In the next area, numerous turrets can be dealt with directly, or you can move left to a platform where turrets can't reach you — though drones will still pursue you, requiring you to destroy them.
For the nodes here, place a shield buster on the glowing yellow orb, then shoot the switches to retract the arm before detonating the bomb. Inside, move through individual portals until you reach a rotating green laser. On the ground, there’s a section matching your color — use your shield buster to create a hole and drop down before the laser comes around.
Place the jetpacks on the pedestal to access an area with a bench straight ahead and a vent on the left. Crawl through the vent to reach a shooting challenge where hitting the target's head grants 50 points, but shooting the opposite color results in a -25 penalty. Afterward, go through the door opposite the vent to find two panels you can interact with.
Split Fiction: Every Side Story
There are a total of twelve Side Stories Split Fiction players can find, including levels with extreme snowboarding, colossal giants, and even pigs.
The Escape
Once you reach the top of the lift, go up the stairs and interact with the panels on the left to trigger a cutscene showing the trapped creature behind the glass. After the cutscene, you’ll gain access to speed boats, which you can accelerate by holding R2/RT. To dive, hold L2/LT.
This section is straightforward — move forward while avoiding toxins and obstacles by steering or diving. Upon reaching open waters, Zoe and Mio will find a portal leading out of this story.
System Fail Safe Mode
After exiting Mio's story, Rader will initiate fail-safe mode, turning the world red and causing the glitch to appear far away. Both characters will be tethered together, so straying too far apart will result in death.
Follow the linear path by jumping up the platforms. When you reach a pressure plate, one player must stand on it while the other jumps ahead and climbs up. Keep moving forward, jumping across platforms. After a slope and a wall-climbing section, you'll reach another pressure plate that both players must activate quickly to avoid being pulled apart by the tether.
Continue along the path until you encounter an orange beam that fires every five seconds. To avoid it, both players must stand on the pressure plate, which raises the platform. Move forward carefully, dodging the beam as you go. At the end, interact with the glitch to start the next level.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- March 6, 2025
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Hazelight Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - all platforms
- Number of Players
- 2
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
- PC Release Date
- March 6, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- March 6, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- March 6, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Nintendo Switch 2, PC
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- Local Co-Op Support
- Yes
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
