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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteSplit Fiction features scenes that GameSpot compares to Assassin’s Creed, Dark Souls and Sonic the Hedgehog, along with nods to a range of other games and franchises. The clearest examples are a leap into straw in the prologue, a bonfire-like stop in The Hollow, and a loop-the-loop in an optional Notebook side story. These are the guide’s interpretations; the sources cited here do not establish that Hazelight confirmed each one as intentional.
The clearest references: Assassin’s Creed, Dark Souls and Sonic
GameSpot’s Cheri Faulkner described the following examples in a guide published March 21, 2025. The scenes are spread across the game, and the Sonic comparison is in optional content rather than the main story.
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Overcooked! All You Can Eat - PlayStation 5 | $22.49 | Buy on Amazon |
Assassin’s Creed: a leap into straw
In the prologue, Mio and Zoe leap from a high point into a pile of straw. GameSpot calls it an Assassin’s Creed-style leap of faith, echoing the series’ familiar haystack landings.
Dark Souls: “Moonfire Lit” in The Hollow
In The Hollow, the guide points to a campfire where sitting prompts the words “Moonfire Lit.” GameSpot compares the moment to resting at a bonfire in Dark Souls.
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#1 Best Overall
- Build your own zoo with over 500 different animals at your disposal, then splice together over 300,000 different animal combinations
- Keep your animals and your itors happy, with hundreds of buildings, foliage, path and enclosure decorations
- Hire the perfect employees to deal with a variety of life events
- Control everything that happens in your park, from what your animals eat to what eats your animals…
- Decide whether you want to run your Zoo above board... or break the law and pocket the extra cash
Sonic: a loop-the-loop in Notebook
In the optional Notebook side story, Mio and Zoe ride goats around a loop-the-loop. The words “Gotta go fast!” appear inside the loop, making the Sonic the Hedgehog comparison especially clear.
Other game and franchise comparisons
GameSpot also identifies or compares the following scenes and callbacks. The guide’s descriptions are observations, not confirmation from Hazelight that every resemblance was intentional.
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| Game or series | Where it appears | What GameSpot compares |
|---|---|---|
| Elden Ring | The Hollow | A round table decorated with swords resembles Roundtable Hold. |
| Halo: Combat Evolved | At the start of Final Dawn | A captain’s pep talk is compared to Sergeant Johnson’s speech. |
| Portal | Final Dawn | A portal sequence and Zoe’s line “The cake is truth!” evoke the series’ familiar cake phrase. |
| Metal Gear Solid | Isolation | A moment of hiding in a cardboard box recalls the series’ iconic hiding mechanic. |
| Crash Bandicoot | A chase sequence | The camera moves toward the player in a way the guide compares to Crash chase sections. |
| Donkey Kong | The prologue | A sloped bridge and rolling barrels are described as a nod to the game. |
| Dune | Sandshark encounters | The sandsharks and the method used to distract them are compared to Dune’s sandworms. |
| Sailor Moon | Rise of the Dragon Realm | A character transformation resembles the anime’s transformation sequence. |
| Dead Space | A capsule and suit sequence | The guide likens the characters’ suiting-up process to Dead Space. |
| Hazelight’s earlier games | Callbacks across the game | The guide describes appearances or callbacks involving Cutie the Elephant, Cody and May, Dr. Hakim, and Leo and Vincent. |
Why the references are scattered across different worlds
Split Fiction is a Hazelight Studios co-op action-adventure about Mio and Zoe, writers pulled into a simulation based on their creative work. EA’s December 12, 2024 announcement says the machine they encounter is designed to steal creative work, forcing the two to cooperate to escape. The game moves between science-fiction and fantasy worlds, a premise director Josef Fares said let the team do “some really wild things with gameplay and storytelling” (EA announcement, December 12, 2024).
EA’s March 6, 2025 launch announcement describes levels with changing mechanics and optional Side Stories reached through portals (EA launch announcement, March 6, 2025). In an interview published by Xbox Wire on March 5, 2025, Fares described the optional sections as full worlds with new mechanics and sometimes bosses—“literally almost like a new game inside the game” (Xbox Wire interview, March 5, 2025). That format helps explain why a side story can support a distinct visual or gameplay homage, such as the Notebook loop-the-loop.
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What is confirmed—and what is interpretation
EA’s announcements establish the game’s premise, its co-op structure, platforms at launch, and the existence of optional Side Stories. They do not catalogue the individual references above. The detailed identifications come from GameSpot’s guide, so it is most accurate to call these scenes comparisons, apparent nods or Easter eggs identified by the guide—not developer-confirmed intentions for every specific franchise.
EA’s March 6, 2025 launch announcement listed PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, Epic Games Store and the EA app. It also said players could play locally or online through Friend’s Pass, with cross-play for Friend’s Pass across PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Those are launch-announcement details; platform availability and online arrangements can change, so check the current store or EA information for present-day access.
Quick Recap
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