Julia "Yuuki" Guzairova
Split Fiction is a cooperative game where players not only experience beautiful locations, play as various animals, and try out different game mechanics, but also face off against real bosses. Each boss tests not only how well you control your character, but also your reaction time and thinking skills. In this article, we'll talk about some of the toughest bosses in the game, including Mr. Hammer, Parking Attendant, Ice King, Overseer, and Rader. We'll break down their challenging mechanics and provide a few tips to help you succeed.
A bit about the game mechanics
In Split Fiction, just like in It Takes Two, the same mechanic applies: as long as at least one player is alive, the game continues. This means that if one of you dies, the other can help in tricky moments. Remember—this is not a solo game, but a cooperative one, so you need to work as a team!
Mr. Hammer
The first boss in our list is Mr. Hammer. He appears in the first chapter of Mio's world shortly after the game begins.
Image: youtube.com
Overall, this boss spams similar abilities, but there are a few attacks worth examining.
Rockets
As soon as Mio and Zoi enter the arena, the boss greets them with an interesting attack—rockets. To dodge them, simply jump and press the dash button. This way, you'll avoid his attacks and stay alive.
Image: youtube.com
Hammer
When the boss throws his hammer, it creates a powerful electrical AoE that you must jump over. Afterward, the player controlling Mio needs to pull herself toward the hammer and deal as much damage as possible to break the shield. Then, Zoi can use her ability to land a strong hit to the boss’s face!
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Wind
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The boss spins around the arena like a whirlwind, swinging his hammer. Try to avoid this attack by jumping and dashing. He always chases one player, so just make sure not to stand close together.
Hammer Strike and Sound Waves
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In the second phase, the hammer produces not one AoE but three. The player controlling Mio must quickly deal damage to the hammer to make things easier for their teammate.
Mobs
Here, it’s simple. Small enemies will spawn on the arena, and you need to eliminate them. Be careful, as they can easily knock you down.
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Wide Hammer Strike
This attack is similar to the wind, but instead of a whirlwind, the boss jumps around the arena and strikes the ground with his hammer. To counter it, use the same jumping and dashing techniques.
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Lightning
For his final attack, six lightning bolts will shoot out of his hammer, following the main characters around the arena. The key here is to take your time and simply run around them. This attack lasts for a short period, so when the boss throws his hammer down again, just break the shield and finish him off.
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Parking Attendant
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The first stage is a platforming section—the boss emits a laser beam that burns everything in its path. You need to escape from it while overcoming obstacles. Both players share the same screen, so the most important thing is to not fall behind each other.
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Next, the heroines take an elevator to the roof, where the main battle will take place. The eye periodically fires a laser, but it’s fairly easy to dodge with a dash or a quick sprint. It also throws cars at the heroines. Before the car starts "rolling" toward a character, there is a brief delay, allowing you to position yourself correctly.
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The attack where the boss throws cars from both sides like a hammer is easy to dodge. The headlights will start flashing, giving you literally a second to move forward or backward. However, the attack where the Parking Attendant releases motorcycles at the heroines is probably the most unpleasant part of the fight. There is no single recommendation—stand on opposite sides of the arena to avoid distracting each other. This way, you’ll have a better chance of predicting where the next motorcycle will go.
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Mio's Task
When you can move to the boss using the "gravity" ability, destroy his sections and dodge the orbs and energy lines by jumping and dashing. At the very end of the battle, jump inside him and break him from the inside.
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Zoi's Task
The most important thing is to stay alive and throw objects at the eye while Mio holds it from behind and climbs inside. Let’s be honest, playing as Zoi in this boss fight is much harder, as the boss starts spamming multiple attacks at once, so the gameplay turns into a real test of reflexes—you’ll need lightning-fast reactions and precise movements.
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Eventually, only the small Parking Attendant will remain on the arena. Jump to dodge the laser rings on the floor. Zoi must remove his armor, and Mio will slice him with her sword. In the end, the girls will dramatically crush one of the most annoying bosses in the game with their foot.
Ice King
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Phase 1
The kitten will launch icy walls at you, with a gap in between for safe passage. The walls will only move vertically but with different safe zones, so pay attention to your positioning. The key here is not to hesitate or make unnecessary movements. The fewer extra movements, the more precisely the character will pass through the dangerous projectiles.
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After the ice walls, he will use an AoE attack that expands in circles across the floor. The tactic is simple: two seconds before the ice touches you, perform a jump + dash towards the wild kitten. When he stands on his hind legs, use Zoi's ability to freeze him so that Mio can land a critical hit.
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In the next phase, dodge the icicles, where the impact area is highlighted in red. This is the same as before, but with the added challenge of icicles. The recommendation remains the same: avoid unnecessary movements. When the paw symbol appears on the ground, move away from it. The boss will charge towards that spot, destroying everything in his path.
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Transition to Phase 2
Simply descend and overcome the ice obstacles. It’s pretty straightforward, so you can enjoy the fun dialogue between the heroines.
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Phase 2
You enter an area with a whirlpool swirling in the middle. Your task is to avoid falling into it and dodge the small whirlpools moving around the arena. Once the whirlpool ends, Mio must transform into a small creature that can swim, jump into the water, and toss a ball. Zoi will throw it to the creature, stunning it, and the first player must quickly jump out of the water to strike it as the now powerful creature.
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This phase combines elements of the previous ones, with one key exception—you will see red balls with spikes that will follow you around the arena. Your task is to break them in the center to defrost the pool. You can also use your health to break the ice faster and thaw it.
One of the most frustrating moments is when small whirlpools circle around a larger one, and the heroines need to dodge them. Fortunately, the distance between them is large, so use the dash ability, but the success of surviving this attack largely depends on luck. Sometimes the boss releases a lot of whirlpools, making it nearly impossible to find a gap; other times, there are fewer.
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Overseer
Overseer is one of the toughest bosses in Split Fiction, but what makes him challenging is not his mechanics, but rather the confusion of where to go during the chase. This is why many players struggle during the fight with him.
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The boss will drop a spiked ball, which you need to destroy using pistols. Once you destroy it, the boss will reveal his head, and you’ll be able to deal some damage to him.
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The boss will release two mobs, one with a blue shield and the other with a red shield. Your task is to remove their shields and defeat the enemies as quickly as possible.
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You’ll see the familiar spiked ball again, but this time it will have shields as well. Remove the shields one by one and destroy the ball as fast as you can.
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The boss will release a corrosive liquid, filling the room. Your task is to escape! A key point: Zoi should shoot at the blue blocks, and Mio should shoot at the red ones.
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Shoot at the devices of your color scattered across the arena. Once the fire stops, grab the device and throw it at the boss!
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Once again, you’ll need to run from the boss, alternating directions with the pistol to not only destroy obstacles but also deal damage to the Overseer.
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You tried to close the door, but the attempt failed. Run from corner to corner to avoid the laser and shoot at the boss. It’s important to deal as much damage as possible to skip certain mechanics, such as barrels falling on your head and other nuisances.
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This is the final part of the battle. When the boss sticks his head between the gates, shoot at the peculiar levers on the walls: Mio should shoot the red one, and Zoi the blue one, to trap Overseer's head and finally defeat him.
Rader
Rader is the final boss of the game, and his attacks can surprise you unpleasantly, making him a real headache. We suggest going through his phases from start to finish to understand his mechanics.
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The battle is preceded by a platforming stage. There's nothing particularly special about it, except that the heroines can now move between each other’s worlds. Use this to dodge obstacles.
Once you arrive at the arena, we still cannot attack the boss. Avoid the red "puddles" on the ground, as cubes that deal damage will emerge from them. The platform will not only rotate but also change position, so once you see Rader stretching his hands toward it, quickly move to the center. The left and right edges are still safe zones where the heroines can stand.
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After overcoming the rotating arena obstacle, you’ll see glitches scattered across the arena, highlighted with an action button. Collect them together and interact with them. Once the boss knocks us back, return to the glitch and repeat the process. Unexpectedly, you’ll get a minigun to finally give Rader a hard time!
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Shoot at him with all the guns. The boss will launch ground-based attacks at the heroines. Before the damage is dealt, there’s about one second to jump and dodge to the side. A telltale sign that you need to jump is when the line turns yellow. This applies to most of his attacks.
It’s also better not to tank the boss, but to attack gradually. Otherwise, you risk losing very quickly, as the attacks are quite fast.
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The next phase begins with platforming. Now, you can no longer move between each other’s worlds. Don’t rush! The movement of the leading player affects how much the second player's screen changes. There are many situations where one runs ahead, and the other doesn’t know where to jump. Try to stay at the same pace.
In the puzzles, the key is understanding that almost everything in Zoi’s world is also in Mio’s world, just with different textures.
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The floor in front of you constantly changes, turning into grass, metal coating, or a lake filled with piranhas. Visually, this is a beautiful stage. In terms of gameplay, it’s very challenging. Don’t rush, and try to stay near the inner edge of the platform to buy yourself at least a second, which will help you orient yourself in the new conditions. The decorations change rapidly, and your task is to jump to the safe zone in time. In general, this phase resembles jumping rope.
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Rader now has a full health bar. This time, he wields a sword, and he will strike it on the ground, leaving an AoE effect that you need to jump over. You need to overcome obstacles and try to collect glitches to deal damage to the boss.
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The decorations have changed again, and Rader now has a sword. Tactics: dodge the wide strike with a jump, and for the ground-sweeping strike, use a jump + dash or a second jump, as there’s also a shockwave. You cannot damage the boss yet.
In the next arena, both you and Rader will have swords! Use them to deal damage to Rader while dodging the magical attacks he uses with his trident. These attacks are somewhat similar to the Ice King’s, but much more aggressive, and the laser walls move erratically, so it’s likely you won’t be able to avoid taking damage. There’s also a ground-based circular attack.
At around 25% HP, Rader will move the heroines to a space arena, and his attacks will include something similar to Parking Attendant’s. Only here, the boss throws balls. There will also be missile bombardments and spaceship gunfire. Dodging them is easy–indicators will always show when to move away.
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Next, the difficulty increases as Mio enters a 2D world while Zoi stays at the top, running across the screen. To avoid confusion, only focus on your character; otherwise, in just a few seconds, you won’t understand what’s happening. Overall, this is an interesting phase full of surprises and unexpected twists.
Then the real fun begins! Mio holds a tablet, and its position affects Zoi’s world orientation: a slight tilt left–the world tilts left, a strong tilt right–Zoi won’t fly off the screen but will firmly stand on the ground, and so on. The key is to get used to it.
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Keep dodging his attacks and collecting glitches, then interact with them. You’ll receive a weapon again, and now your task is to kill the mobs and deal damage to the boss, all while dodging the laser with a jump. Sometimes, it’s better to ignore the mobs than not to deal extra damage to Rader. A special danger comes from the turtle that releases spiked balls. You should destroy it first, as its summons make it harder to move around the arena.
We recommend focusing more on the boss and, if possible, understanding all his attacks head-on. After delivering the final blow to the boss, you’ll destroy the machine and return to the real world.
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Split Fiction is a difficult but interesting cooperative game, quite different from its sibling, It Takes Two. The lore features many bosses that will surprise you and make you play a bit differently than you’re used to. We hope you enjoyed our boss guide and recommendations for defeating them. Have you tried playing Split Fiction? Share your experience in the comments!
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