Split Fiction is Incredible on the Steam Deck - First Impressions

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Split Fiction was provided by EA for review. Thank you!

I love the entire concept behind the games that Josef Farez and Hazelight Studios develop. It takes me back to the good ol' days of split-screen co-op, and the team puts so much creativity, heart, and passion that it shines through his games. The trailer for his newest game, Split Fiction, further proved that, and I was overwhelmingly excited for the release. Now, I have had the chance to try it thanks to EA sending over a review key, and all I can say is that so far, I am blown away. It is gorgeous to look at, filled to the brim with new challenge after challenge, and it is performing wonderfully on the Steam Deck.

Since our review key came in a little late, I haven't played through the full game yet and our full review is going to be coming soon. However, I did play the first hour or two with the goal to test performance on the Steam Deck. So, I wanted to write up a little article on how I think the performance will be to see if the game has really earned its Verified badge.

Spoiler alert: It has definitely earned it.

Split Fiction's Steam Deck Performance So Far

For this test, I didn't want to focus on finding optimal settings and going through all of that. Instead, I wanted to focus more on whether there game feels like it will be playable based on the first hour or so of the game at the default settings. I usually like to wait until I have played through the game to find the parts that give me the most trouble to start optimizing settings, so this first impression gives me an idea of what to expect.

I am genuinely impressed at how well Split Fiction is optimized. Not only is this a new game that looks incredible on the small screen, but it’s also split-screen, which is usually much harder on the system. The game is able to handle all of this with its default settings, which include TAA upscaling at 100% render resolution, high textures, medium post-processing, and low on everything else. And to make matters even better, the game stuck above 40 FPS almost the entire time, dropping into the 30s only when in a cutscene and regularly going above 50 FPS.

I would arguably say that we could most likely get the game running at 45 FPS with some extra compromises and make the game look even better if you’re willing to play at 30 FPS. I was amazed at how smooth it felt the entire time I played, something I am not used to seeing with newer titles. Even though this isn’t a gigantic AAA title, it still has lots of moving parts, tons of characters on screen, explosions, and more happening at once, and the game rarely dipped below that 40 FPS mark.

If I had to call it right now, I would say this is a fantastic game for your Steam Deck. It actually feels a bit magical at times when watching myself fly through explosions or swing across hover cars. So far, I haven’t felt like anything was compromised to get this game playable on the Deck, and I have been having a blast playing it this way.

I am pleased to say that if the rest of the game is this way, Split Fiction absolutely deserves its Verified badge. I can’t wait to play more for my review, as I am already enchanted by the game and everything that has happened up until now. But I know that playing more will be the first thing I do as soon as I get back to gaming.

Split Fiction is available for pre-purchase for $49.99 ahead of its release on March 6th.

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