Split Fiction: Hopes Of Spring Walkthrough (2025)

Hopes Of Spring is the third chapter of Split Fiction, a co-op game about two fiction writers who are trapped in a machine that simulates worlds born from their creative minds.

After defeating the SRI boss in Neon Revenge, you'll find the second glitch and enter Zoe's story, where both of you become shapeshifters and must travel through a lush forest to defeat the nefarious Ice King.

As part of a larger collection of Split Fiction walkthroughs, here's a comprehensive guide to the game's third chapter.

Warning: Story spoilers ahead!

Chapter Abilities

When the chapter begins, you'll be introduced to Zoe and Mio's new abilities, which now make use of both trigger buttons on the controller.

Both of you can now transform from your human form to a smaller form and a larger form, each with unique skills that are crucial to solving this chapter's puzzles.

Mio Abilities

As a shapeshifter, Mio's large form is a hulking ape with the ability to climb ceilings and smash objects with her bare fists.

Her more agile, smaller form is an otter that can swim in the piranha-infested waters of this world.

For brevity's sake, we'll refer to each form as Ape-Mio and Otter-Mio.

Zoe Abilities

Zoe, on the other hand, can transform into a pixie that can chain unlimited jumps that flatten out in trajectory the farther you go. Some flowers can be used as launch pads for Zoe's fairy form, as their pollen can carry her across an area with ease.

Her other transformation is a woodland spirit (they look like fantasy treants, so we'll call it that) that can connect with plant life and control parts of the environment to make navigation much easier.

For brevity's sake once again, we'll refer to each form as Pixie-Zoe and Treant-Zoe.

The Underlands

After a brief cutscene, the game will immediately teach you the core abilities that Mio and Zoe have in this chapter.

Navigate through the environment with the appropriate ability. For the first section, Ape-Mio can climb the viny ceiling while Pixie-Zoe can multi-jump across wide chasms.

You'll quickly learn that the waters are infested with deadly piranhas that can instantly kill you. Mio must transform into Otter-Mio and swim through the pond, while Zoe can transform into Treant-Zoe and grow a tree that will lift the boulders, giving you a window to fly through as Pixie-Zoe.

Traverse through the next area. You'll also learn that Treant-Zoe can attach to marked walls and grapple to them.

Smash the ground and you'll both be reunited. Keep traversing through this area with your shapeshifting abilities, and you'll arrive at a massive boulder.

With Treant-Zoe's nature-based abilities, attach yourself to the flower node and lift the boulder up. This allows Ape-Mio to smash the highlighted log and let the boulder roll down the slope, smashing the wall of vines that blocks your path.

After a cutscene, you can proceed to the next area. But before you move on, there's a swing that can be used to acquire the "A Friendly Push" achievement/trophy. Drift from the flower as Pixie-Zoe and swim underwater as Otter-Mio to reach the next area.

The next area is free for you to explore at your leisure. Most notably, there's a stone seesaw for you to play with and a small fairy hut for Pixie-Zoe to enter. Inside, you'll find a fireplace that you can light, but we're not sure what that does other than a (very) short dialogue acknowledging this action.

You'll then spot a bird of paradise, which will fly away. Follow it and you'll reach a puzzle.

Treant-Zoe can pull down this flower catapult that can launch Ape-Mio to the viny ceiling, which is patrolled by a spiky spider. Time it properly so that Mio can grab the vines the moment the spider is crawling on the left-most side of the ceiling.

Climb right and land on the hanging basket of flowers and smash it to bring it down, where you can then both climb the vine to the ledge above you. Traverse the area.

You'll then arrive at a 2D side-scrolling puzzle. With Treant-Mio, slowly bring down the ceiling for Ape-Mio to climb, who will then land on the top floor where she can smash some flowers to turn boulders for Treant-Zoe to grapple onto.

Using correct timing, you'll need to turn the boulders quickly enough so that Zoe can jump between boulders before spiders can knock her to her death.

The next one also requires precise timing and coordination. With Ape-Mio's smash attacks, you can now activate the flowers that blow their pollen to carry Pixie-Zoe to the other side.

Activate the flowers on the left first, and climb the ceiling to the other side as quickly as you can. Punch the next button to blow Zoe back to the left side, and keep the chain going by punching the left button.

It's not over yet. You'll notice that climbing the ceiling brings it down a little, leaving a gap just wide enough for Pixie-Zoe to run through. Watch out for the spikes, as dying to them will force you to restart this puzzle!

You'll then traverse through a series of linear, fast-paced jumps and grapples that will transition you to the next subchapter.

Lord Evergreen

After you leave the Underlands, you'll land near a pool and startle a beautiful bird resting nearby. It flies away and is tragically swallowed by a carnivorous plant, which populates this next section.

You'll notice a small, floating tree that Zoe can climb on. Meanwhile, Mio can transform into her otter form and drag the tree along. Both of you need to be careful of the plants, as touching any part of them means instant death.

While Mio is swimming through the water and towing the tree, Zoe will need to climb up and down the pole to avoid the plants, all the while making micro-adjustments to her position by shifting around the pole.

Make your way through the first row of plants. You'll first shuffle down the pole (without jumping off and becoming piranha lunch), then avoid the bottom plants by climbing up.

Next, Zoe can land on a platform and use her Treant powers to move the wall of plants all the way to the left, which will slowly return to their position, giving you a narrow window to swim through the closing corridor.

This next part requires speed and timing. You'll notice a column of plants that only Mio can swim through and a pole on the other side of a wall of plants.

Take Zoe to the wall so that she can grapple over it, landing on the pole that will start to slowly sink. As Mio, tow the floating tree through the column of plants and then through the underpass, arriving just in time for Zoe to grab onto the pole.

As you leave the area, you'll notice a forking path: on your left is the way to continue the chapter, and on the right is the path to the "Train Heist" side story.

If you're trying to reach the side story, Zoe can triple or quadruple jump as a fairy to reach the grapple point and wall run, while Mio can dive as an otter and jump out of the water before grappling. Here's a guide to the side story.

Once you complete or ignore the side story, proceed downward to where you left off. Start jumping across sinking poles over a sea of plants, and you'll need to traverse over a wide chasm, either by multi-jump (Zoe) or climbing (Mio).

You'll find a button that activates a nearby flower that'll send Zoe to the other side of the area. Mio will then jump up near a thick root with giant bugs crawling around it, and with no apparent way of climbing to the other side.

That's where Zoe's Treant form comes in. Attach to the nearby flower node, and with your nature powers, move the climbable patch of flowers over to the left where Mio is.

With careful coordination and communication, slowly inch the patch of flowers so that Mio can climb to the other side, all the while avoiding damage from the spiky bugs. Once on the other side, smash a nearby button again to boost Zoe up to a nearby ledge.

While Mio climbs over to the next area, you'll need to enter the tiny crawl space and run along a narrow road, where a singular spider is patrolling. There are a couple of conveniently positioned crannies for you to hide in to avoid getting hit by the spider.

Now that you've reunited, the next puzzle requires a little bit of creative thinking. You'll notice three giant chicks (one of them hasn't fully hatched yet and is still stuck in its egg), a flower node, a stone seesaw, and a giant tree trunk.

First, climb the bottom of the tree trunk to slowly let it down. Get off, and the trunk will remain there for the next steps.

You'll notice very quickly that while you can carry the chicks to the nest on the seesaw, the fully hatched ones will immediately waddle back to their original nests, so you'll need to grab the one that's still stuck in its shell.

Place the unhatched chick on the nest, and use Ape-Mio's smash attack on the other side of the seesaw, which will launch the chick in the air where it'll stay floating for a few seconds.

With Zoe's Treant form, connect with the flower node and extend the nearby flower to grab the tree trunk. Pull the trunk back like a rubberband and release when Mio launches the unhatched chick in the air with her smash attack on the seesaw.

This will smash the wall and hatch the chick at the same time. A little cruel, but hey, those baby birds turned out just fine!

Heart Of The Forest

After the cutscene where you enter Lord Evergreen, the colossal, elderly tree who lets you enter his mouth for this next section.

Traverse the area, where you'll come across tangled vines that Mio can smash apart, allowing Zoe to merge with nature.

In this section (and the next), Zoe will become the level itself, controlling platforms and plant life in this section for Mio to navigate.

Use the button prompts to retract spikes, and the controller sticks (or keys) to move the totems around. This will require some coordination and timing.

Thankfully, this path is rather linear and straightforward, so keep climbing and jumping through the platforming sections.

When Mio reaches the top of the totem, you may extend or retract spikes in an alternating pattern. Slowly let Mio climb along the ceiling by retracting and releasing the spikes.

When you reach the end, there will be a patch of spikes on the ground. To land safely, you'll need to retract the floor spikes at the moment Mio lets go of the ceiling and is in midair.

Next, you'll reach a thick trunk that Zoe will spin in either direction. Make your way down the trunk while avoiding spike traps, and you'll reach a section where you'll need to time your jumps properly while Zoe moves the bark.

You'll then "stomp that stump" and complete this section, moving on to the next area.

Mother Earth

Still connected with nature, Zoe can control various plant life to help Mio navigate the woods. With the first plant, attack and eat the bugs climbing on the vines to open the way for Mio.

Next, control the barrel-like plants that look straight out of Donkey Kong Country and tilt them to launch Mio, who will then climb the vines and jump off into the pool, transforming into her otter form in midair.

With Zoe's control over nature, raise and lower the water level for Mio to jump over the walls, and keep navigating the area.

You'll eventually arrive at an underwater cave populated by sharks, and your only form of survival is to hide underneath rocks and inside patches of aquatic grass.

You'll be chased by a shark before jumping out of the water, where you can slide down a trunk and complete this level.

Walking Stick Of Doom

Zoe's back! Now that you're reunited, navigate the area, and you'll spot another fork in the road — one on the right to continue with the story, and the other to the "Gameshow" side story, which might be one of the hardest side stories to complete.

To proceed with the story, make a right on the split path, and you'll land on the back of the titular Walking Stick of Doom. Break the vines and let Zoe control the bug kaiju.

As you traverse through the forest, you'll be attacked by mischievous monkeys. While Mio defends you from the monkeys by throwing and punching them, you (as Zoe) will need to steer the stick bug and charge up a beam attack to break gates and towers.

Eventually, the kaiju will meet its demise. You'll be thrown off, forcing you to travel on foot.

Silly Monkeys

Traverse through a snow-covered forest, and you'll eventually arrive at a dam that can be blocked by Zoe's Treant powers.

As Otter Mio slides down the waterfall and on the waterwheel, release the dam so that the water will blast Mio across the chasm. Transform into her ape form and smash the brittle rocks to reveal a path.

Keep going until you reach a field of traps obscured by red foliage. Walk to the other side via balancing beams, and the rest should be simple platforming puzzles.

You'll then arrive at a frozen lake. Otter Mio will dive into the water and activate poles that jut out from the surface for Zoe to grapple on. Do this until you reach the end.

Treant-Zoe will move the vines so that Otter-Mio can jump up and transform into Ape-Mio to grab onto and climb across. Do the same with the next flower node, and Ape-Mio will drop on a large flower, which Pixie-Zoe can multi-jump onto.

Treant-Zoe can then "give life" to the plant, lifting both of you.

You'll eventually arrive at the entrance to the Monkey King's abode, which is blocked by a puzzle.

You must match the colors of the totems to the idols on the top of the gate by smashing them with Ape-Mio and holding them down in the right order with Treant-Zoe.

You'll need to smash the totems in the following order: middle (yellow), red (right), then blue (left). As the totems slowly go up, you can briefly lock them in place with Treant-Zoe's vines.

We have a dedicated guide for this one, just in case you're struggling to input the proper solution here.

This will unlock the gate, letting you enter the Monkey King's court and earn an audience with him.

It Takes Three To Tango

During your audience with the Monkey King, the groovy regent will invite you two to a dance-off in a series of mini-games.

First, he'll raise five platforms where he'll play a little game of "follow the leader" with you. All you need to do is pay attention and follow which platform he steps on in the correct sequence.

If you do it in the wrong order, the Monkey King will throw you off your platforms.

Next, you'll be gathering color-coded monkeys in a conga line. This mini-game's mechanic is similar to the classic Snake game, where you must keep moving and not touch either your or your partner's line. If you do, it'll break and you'll have to gather your monkeys again.

You'll end this portion by gathering all your monkeys in your designated corners.

The last portion of the dance-off has you striking poses with the Monkey King. Using directional inputs, copy the Monkey King's poses as he calls for them.

Do this three more times with increasing speed. Not only will he strike his pose, he'll also say which direction to pose in. Doing the incorrect pose will also make the Monkey King throw a monkey at you that you'll have to shake off.

With a successful dance-off, the Monkey King will congratulate you and grant you passage through his domain. You'll leave his court and continue onward to infiltrate the Ice King's palace.

Halls Of Ice

Leave the Monkey King's realm and proceed onward, and you'll arrive at a little corner that has a roulette wheel and a slot machine that spits out bananas.

There's a little puzzle where Ape-Mio can break a dome of vines to let Pixie-Zoe drift to the other side. Transform into Treant-Zoe and control the pillar for Ape-Mio to get on so that you can jump over the icy spikes. Push through the door, and you'll arrive at the entrance to the Ice King's castle.

Eventually, you'll arrive at the front door that's locked shut. You'll notice four symbols on the doors, which you'll need to punch in a code to unlock the door. Smash the vines, and Fairy-Zoe will drift through the keyhole. You'll see a lever that will trigger the mechanism that will allow you to solve the puzzle.

Once you pull the lever, you'll have around 25 seconds to solve the puzzle before it resets.

When Ape-Mio punches a button, it'll jiggle a corresponding lock. You must match the symbols of both the buttons and the locks.

Here's the order of locks that you'll need to turn from Zoe's perspective, labeled 1-4 from left to right. The above gallery can be used as a reference, with the first image as the default setting:

1. Turn 3 twice.
2. Turn 1 once.
3. Turn 4 three times.
4. Turn 2 three times.

After you turn each lock, punch the buttons on the door outside to lock in the code. If you've put in the correct code, the door will then open, leading to the next puzzle.

You'll need to push an ice block on a grid by lifting cubes to stop it from sliding all the way. You can find a separate guide to the puzzle here. Once you've completed the puzzle, it'll open up a small tunnel for you to walk through.

There's also a bench to the very left of the puzzle for you both to rest on, which is the second of six total to acquire the "A Tale of Two Besties" achievement/trophy.

Exit and you'll find another puzzle on a frozen pool, where Otter-Mio will need to go underwater and launch a flower bulb into the air, allowing Treant-Zoe to grab it and throw it at the window.

Leave the chamber and grapple to a pole. Navigate the castle exterior, and you'll eventually arrive at the portal to the "Collapsing Star" side story.

Proceed onward and swing from the chandeliers. You'll eventually arrive at a frozen courtyard with a statue of a scary-looking saber-tooth cat.

Bring down the statue with Treant-Zoe's vines and launch the bulb with Otter-Mio, allowing Treant-Zoe to smash the ice, opening the way to the Ice King's throne room.

The Ice King

You'll soon meet the Ice King. He's not some goofy, blue-skinned man with a pointy nose with a penchant for kidnapping princesses, but rather a haughty cat. He demands pets before threatening to kill you.

Realizing that you're here to defeat him, he'll transform into a massive saber-tooth cat and begin the boss fight.

The boss will first trap you on an isolated platform where he'll slowly but surely destroy the platform with his fluffy mitts. Avoid his attacks and he'll eventually destroy the entire platform, changing the arena to a larger disc-like platform.

From the edge of the arena, the Ice King will attack you by swiping his claws, sending wave after wave of light pillars that you'll need to bob and weave between.

Then, he'll send waves of icicles that you'll need to jump over. He'll then expose his chest, which features a spot for Treant-Zoe to grab onto. Button-mash to drag him down so Ape-Mio can punch his crystal to deal damage.

Next, he'll howl and rain down icicles with marks that telegraph where they'll land. Then, there will be a large paw print in the center, indicating that the Ice King is about to pounce, which is an instant kill.

The Ice King will continue sending out waves of attacks and icicles. Keep moving and don't stop. The boss will eventually expose his chest once again. Like last time, bring him down and punch his crystal.

He'll destroy this arena, sending you two down an icy slide. Avoid the traps and run to the next arena.

Once you arrive, he'll summon a freezing tornado with smaller cyclones that'll circle the arena. After a while, the tornado will disappear, and he'll start summoning spiky mines that spawn around you.

Otter-Mio needs to swim into the pool at the center of the arena and launch the bulb for Treant-Zoe to grab and throw at the boss. This opens the window that allows Ape-Mio to further deal damage to his crystal.

The Ice King will get angry and freeze over the pond. He'll then spit out hairballs that will chase you and explode. Let them chase you on the frozen circle to crack the ice.

Avoid the tornadoes and cyclones again, and the boss will continue to spit hairballs. Once the ice is cracked, launch the bulb again and throw it at the boss. Keep punching his crystal, and it'll crack and blow up, turning the Ice King back into a harmless kitty.

Hurrah! You've saved the Underlands from the Ice King's frigid reign and brought spring back to the world! Now it's time to save humanity as super soldiers in the next chapter: Final Dawn.

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Split Fiction

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

Fantasy

Systems

Released

March 6, 2025

ESRB

T For Teen // Blood and Gore, Crude Humor, Language, Violence

Developer(s)

Hazelight Studios

Publisher(s)

Electronic Arts

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