s.p.l.i.t. Review: This May Make Your Head Hurt

Did you have that one friend who swore that a mouse would only slow them down and could navigate their desktop using hotkeys, tabbing and typing in prompt commands as if they were a Logitech Beethoven? I did, and thought the guy was a dick.

A mouse is as essential as cheese on a pizza, but s.p.l.i.t. is different. A mouse would slow you down, and a GUI isn’t as visceral as holding down Alt+A or D to look at your other screens or out the window for when the ‘feds’ have a trace on you. When initially waggling the mouse frantically about became redundant, I immediately felt at ease and a bona fide hacker, tapping at the keys into a non-traceable chat window, or pivoting my spine to get a looksee at the recovered field kit furnishing my abode.

To project that I fully understood what was happening in Mike Klubnika’s new game would be a blatant lie. I was phasing in and out of the story at times – not being able to ascertain what it was that this group of hackers were setting out to do, other than being naughty. Equally, the DOS command-like prompts of diving in and out of a folder using simple prompts, or printing to an attached physical receipt device with any numbers deemed necessary for the hacking process, were somewhat baffling.

However, this was just as immersive and nostalgic as I remember those times with the Spectrum and Load “” or booting up Monkey Island from an additional hard drive, switching to the drive letter and listing its contents, then typing in case-sensitive commands. Besides, typing in ‘help’ will list the parameters available, ensuring you won’t be fumbling for that C++ For Dummies you bought at a car boot. Even with a command list, accessing data and manipulating it without a mouse pointer is harder than anticipated. Fortunately, the ominous tones and urgency as the narrative progresses make this very indulgent.

In s.p.l.i.t., you’re part of a three-person hacker group. You are the one who physically holds a field kit that will grant the desired access your crew seek, and to do that, you have to log in to the device using a variety of methods to break and enter. All the while this is going on, your colleagues are on another screen, messaging codes and objectives to achieve your goal. They seem to have the easier part, as your failsafe for getting caught isn’t the best.

Actually, it was the introduction of the escape plan which instantly hooked me into its premise. I want to find out what’s next! s.p.l.i.t. takes place from Axel’s perspective in a dingy, cable-riddled den. Aside from the screens and hardware, you can attempt to peer out the window, but we all know hackers are allergic to the outdoors, so nothing happens there. With that in mind, every so often will be a cutscene, and when the, quite frankly, terrifying setpieces occur… well, the investment is worth it.

I’m not one to baulk at disclaimers in a game, but nothing could have prepared me for what I can’t now ‘unsee’. Again, the payoff was entirely worth it, and for all those connotations, I’m not a masochist in the slightest, yet this was mesmerising, like another menacing title, Clickolding. Never have I been so unsettled in a game as much since the forced torture sequence in GTA V. This will stay with me for some time, and I’m glad to have experienced it. s.p.l.i.t. is a brief playthrough, though its conclusion with both endings will continue to resonate. s.p.l.i.t. was excellent, and I encourage you to seek it out. When you do, turn up the sound. The soundtrack is comparable to a Merzbow album. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but for me? Sensational.