Half-Life Still Has Full Life
Ardent fans of Valve’s Half-Life series have been awaiting and anticipating a new installment for twelve years, ever since Half-Life 2: Episode Two released in 2007. In the mid-to-late 00s, it seemed like Valve would maintain a steady pattern of Half-Life releases following the original Half-Life 2’s release in 2004 (which just commemorated its 15th anniversary). This abruptly stopped with the aforementioned Episode Two. Worse, Valve had the gall to end the episode on a cliffhanger, and fans have been waiting all this time for resolution. You can’t blame them for being obsessed with wanting an Episode Three or a full-on Half-Life 3 for so long.
This explains why fans were overjoyed with the announcement of a brand-new game after all these years: Half-Life: Alyx. This is neither Half-Life 2: Episode Three or Half-Life 3, but it is a new Half-Life game, and will be one of the biggest games from Valve in a good while. It’s something, and that’s reason alone to celebrate.
To be more specific: Half-Life: Alyx is a VR game coming to Steam that will take place before Half-Life 2, and star the popular Alyx Vance as the main playable character. The story will cover Alyx and her father, Eli Vance, as they fight the Combine, the alien force slowly taking over the Earth. Plot and gameplay details are currently scant, but the trailer showed several returning gameplay features and themes. The gravity gloves were shown, which Alyx will use for fighting enemies and manipulating puzzles, while sections of the game will have light horror themes.
Alyx is indeed a VR-exclusive title, but don’t think this means it will be a smaller experience compared to previous games because of that. This is a full-fledged mainline game that will be on par with Half-Life 2 in terms of its length, and will be priced at $59.99 to indicate that to prospective purchasers — though with a $6 discount for anyone who preorders. Those who like Half-Life and VR games are the most satisfied here, but even those who don’t like VR are excited about this because, again, Valve is actually doing something with Half-Life. They’re currently having sticker shock upon seeing how much VR kits cost, but they’re dedicated enough that they’ll pick up one alongside the game, if not before then.
It’s also a testament to how significant an effort this will be by how long it’s been in development. Production started in 2016, coincidentally around a time when Valve was seriously brainstorming ideas for Half-Life 3. They were also working with HTC and their then-impending Vive VR headset then. In realizing how they felt a game could work just as well, if not better, in VR compared to a traditional format, they green lit the development of Alyx. The game is being made using their trusty Source 2 engine, but its graphics show how they aren’t making any compromises here. Okay, maybe Alyx’s bizarre floaty Rayman Hands are one, but that might just be a creative decision.
It seems risky to develop a game exclusively for a VR device, given how VR kit market penetration isn’t on par with “traditional” console and PC ownership. But this bet will be less risky thanks to the franchise name. They know fans have been intensely desiring a Half-Life game for over a decade, and know these fans are dedicated enough to get a kit if they don’t have one. Hell of a strategy here.
As mentioned above: A development team at Valve has been working on this for a while. But they were joined by Campo Santo developers later, the team responsible for indie hit Firewatch. What this means for their upcoming game, In the Valley of Gods, is unknown, especially after mention of the game was removed from the Twitter profiles of several team members. The official website is still active, and it’s still listed on Valve’s website, so it’s likely not cancelled.
One of the first things fans noticed in the debut trailer for Half-Life: Alyx is how the titular Alyx Vance has a new voice actress. Merle Dandridge is no longer playing the role, which has now been given to Ozioma Akagha. The developers wanted someone who sounded fitting for a younger Alyx, though not a younger actress per se considering Akagha (40) is only four years younger than Dandridge (44). Eli Vance is being voiced by James Moses Black instead of Robert Guillaume, the latter of whom died two years ago. However, Tony Todd, Mike Shapiro, and Ellen McLain are reprising the roles of the Voritgaunts aliens, the mysterious G-Man, and the Overwatch voice, respectively.
Half-Life: Alyx is planned for a March release, so the wait won’t be long. Valve also has more VR titles in development, which could perhaps be efforts just as significant as this one. They also have plans to make more Half-Life games (scroll down to the “Should we expect more?” question), and hey, maybe one of them could be that game. You know the one.
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Geoff
News Editor | Geoff is some nerd who writes for a blog and thinks he's knowledgeable. He write a lot about video games, but is capable of writing about other subjects, too. Twitter
