s.p.l.i.t Review
The latest game from the developer of Buckshot Roulette is a brief but totally engrossing psychological horror experience.
s.p.l.i.t - Mike Klubnika
After the viral success of Buckshot Roulette, Mike Klubnika has crafted another masterpiece of psychological horror. s.p.l.i.t is a dystopian, grungy masterclass in unsettling atmosphere and storytelling that manages to create thrilling gameplay out of what should be mundane terminal commands.
You play as Axel, a hacker working with technicians on the inside to execute a malware attack against an unethical, presumably government, entity. You must gain root access to the organization's network and deploy your payload. But as you chat with your teammates via IRC while navigating file systems and executing commands, complications arise and the risks become clearer.
s.p.l.i.t - Mike Klubnika
The immersive gameplay is entirely keyboard-driven. You can shift your body to look at a handful of fixed angles: left toward a window, right toward an electronic device in a lockbox, and forward at your dual monitors. Most of your time is spent typing into a terminal, using a command line to navigate directories, run programs, and edit text files. It may sound mundane, but Klubnika has made this thrilling.
The level of immersion is genuinely impressive. Most of the story unfolds through IRC chat with your team on the inside, but there’s a brilliance to the dialogue system’s design. The game doesn't just passively present Axel’s dialogue: your words appear letter by letter as you press (random) keys on your actual keyboard, and the game forces you to hit enter to send each message. This seemingly simple mechanic puts you directly in Axel's shoes, making every conversation feel immediate and personal, while increasing tension as you see your dialogue appear one letter at a time.
s.p.l.i.t - Mike Klubnika
The ability to look left toward the window is another brilliant design choice. In reality, looking serves no practical purpose, but the game makes you think you have a reason to want to see outside. After playing the game, its true purpose becomes clear. It serves to ratchet up your paranoia and ratchet up suspense. You'll find yourself glancing toward that window constantly, expecting something to appear, building dread through the simple act of being able to look, though you’ll find nothing there. It’s an incredible subversion of expectations.
The grimy PS1-era graphics work perfectly for the game's oppressive atmosphere. To me, that distinctive low-poly style somehow makes digital environments feel more tangible and threatening than photorealism. The diegetic UI design, where all interface elements exist within the game world rather than floating outside it, creates complete immersion. There are no HUDs or user interface elements that break the illusion of sitting at this terminal on Axel’s cramped workstation, strewn with empty soda cans. The game’s excellent soundtrack perfectly complements the atmosphere of sustained, oppressive unease that the visuals create.
s.p.l.i.t - Mike Klubnika
The game offers two crushingly bleak yet deeply satisfying endings. Without spoiling anything, both conclusions feel inevitable and earned; the emotional impact that stayed with me long after the credits rolled.
s.p.l.i.t is compelling from beginning to end of its brief 90-minute runtime. It's a testament to Klubnika's storytelling that a short experience with limited perspective and tightly controlled information can create such a rich world, one in which I became deeply invested, despite the narrow window through which I saw it. I can't help but think Klubnika has much more in his mind for this setting, and I desperately want to see more of it. This intimate, immediate, and absolutely unforgettable experience is psychological horror at its finest.
s.p.l.i.t is available now on Steam.
Overall Score: 10/10
Played on: PC
