Half-Life: Alyx

Half-Life: Alyx is a single-player first-person VR shooter with elements of action and horror set in an incredibly detailed and well-developed game environment. At launch, it supported VR headsets HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Valve Index, and headsets based on the Windows Mixed Reality standard. The game can be completed in 10 hours, while a detailed and complete playthrough will take about 15, largely due to a full-fledged story campaign, which is rarely seen in VR.

The events of Alyx take place in City 17, 15 years after the events of the first part and 5 years before the appearance of Gordon Freeman. The city is fully occupied by the Combine, which uses it as a central base to implement its plans for the genocide of humanity.

The developers preserved and enhanced all the characteristic features of post-Soviet City 17: the industrial design of human buildings coexists with the cyclopean structures of aliens, the same cars, containers, air conditioners, apartment furnishings, and much more are used. More attention was given to the breakthrough of the fauna of the Zen world into the game's reality — many places, especially basements, are filled with creepy mushrooms, predatory plants, and flowers with harmful spores.

The world of Alyx is implemented with linear levels, with the player constantly moving forward. Valve made an effort to develop every square centimeter, not only with high-resolution textures but also with meaning. The player is free to pick up and use a variety of items: put a bucket on their head to fool a barnacle; open a box and gut a stack of magazines; twist the knob of a radio; draw on windows; pick up a barrel, throw it at an enemy's feet and blow it up.

Exploring the world is an important part of gameplay, as resources are always scarce. Behind a book on a shelf, you can find ammunition, in a toilet tank — grenades, and in some refrigerator — a first-aid kit.

Alyx has a familiar set of enemies (headcrabs, zombies, barnacles, Combine soldiers, antlions, observer drones, striders, and others), trained in new tricks. At the same time, the bestiary has expanded with subspecies, for example, armored and electric headcrabs and zombies, machine gunners, and stormtroopers of the Combine with energy shields.

The events of Alyx take place between Half-Life and Half-Life 2, during a period when little is known about the enemy. The main character is Alyx Vance, familiar to Gordon Freeman from the second part. Together with her father, Eli Vance (one of the employees of Black Mesa who escaped during the Incident), she learned an important secret of the Combine that will allow significant damage to be inflicted on the occupiers.

At the same time, the Combine has tightened its control over the planet. Surviving humans are herded into cities, including Alyx's father. If the Combine discovers who he is, they will kill him immediately. The brave girl must not only save her loved one but also continue his work — the emerging Resistance needs weapons, and crucial research is being conducted underground.

Alyx recalls all the important characters from Half-Life, including G-Man and vortigaunts, and also introduces a couple of new ones. For example, the inventor of the gravity gloves, Russell, who will be a guide and navigator for Alyx during her adventures. Unlike other VR projects, this one is more personalized, containing numerous cutscenes featuring secondary characters.

Unlike the grim Gordon Freeman, Alyx is a young girl who has spent her entire conscious life under the occupation of the Covenant and the reliable protection of her father. Just recently, she has joined the Resistance and has not seen many horrific things. Therefore, throughout the gameplay, she shares her thoughts, jokes with herself or with Russell, and asks to keep her occupied with chatter.

At the same time, Alyx expands and deepens the Half-Life universe with new weapons, monsters, and enemies, descriptions of events, as well as details of the overarching plot with extremely unexpected twists.

Alyx has changed the characteristic aspects of the series. Instead of dynamic shootouts with Gordon Freeman, there are intimate encounters where the heroine faces a couple of diverse enemies, such as heavily armored Alliance soldiers and a few zombies. The available weapons are limited to a pistol, shotgun, and submachine gun, although they can be modified with resin—a universal crafting component.

Shooting differs from classic Half-Life: instead of a crosshair, there is a ring indicating the area in space where a bullet may hit. Later, a collimator or laser sight can be added for more precise shooting. Boss battles remain in the game, and each will be unique.

An important part of Alyx is the horror with survival elements. Designers created many very dark rooms where the player frantically looks around with a weak flashlight and relies on sound, like the running of a headcrab or the moans of a zombie. Otherwise, the single-player game is typical: kill-fetch, go and find, and similar tasks, in the spirit of old-school shooters.

Puzzles utilize all the advantages of 3D space, such as hacking an interface in the form of a three-dimensional sphere; connecting devices while searching for wiring scattered across several rooms, with enemies potentially lurking nearby.

The gravity gloves are responsible for indicating (health, stamina, ammo), lighting the way, grabbing items around Alyx and more, and are useful for solving particularly complex puzzles, such as unlocking a lock from a distance.

Movement is implemented as classic teleportation, accelerated movement to a designated point, or classic walking, with the game taking into account head position, organically changing the angle and enhancing the immersion effect. Controllers are used for shooting, Russell's actions, and all other interactions.