Half-Life: Alyx – The wait is now over

The 16-year wait has finally come to a halt as Half-Life: Alyx, the long-awaited game, the third installment in the Valve’s iconic Half-life series was released on 23rd March this year. Amidst all the anticipation this game is a VR exclusive flagship that could disappoint many players but its approach is really unique and is worth giving a shot. This game is set between the events of Half-life and Half-life 2.

It received a glowing first review from an acclaimed and well-known video game magazine, Edge. It gave the game a 9/10 rating which is considered a very high score. The game support all PC- compatible VR headsets including the Valve index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest ( using the PC connected Oculus link feature) and Windows Mixed Reality. It was announced in November 2019 that the game would be released on 23rd March 2020.

As it is a VR exclusive game, players use VR to interact with the environment and fight enemies using ” gravity gloves” to manipulate objects. Learning how to reload a gun manually is much more fun with a hand tracking controller than just pressing a button. The magic lies in being inside the world, being able to touch it and interact with it directly. 

For those who can no afford a VR or are currently not having it, the developers of Valve have decided to release the game for traditional PC play however the date has not been decided yet. Robin Walker of Valve admits in an interview with Polygon “ Yes it is going to happen. I am fine with it. For the sake of other members of the team, I don’t want to say I encourage you to do it but it’s going to happen” 

Half-Life ( Series)

Half-life is a series of first-person shooter gamer developed and published by Valve. It allows players to combat and solve puzzles through advanced gameplay that involved real-life physics.

Its first installment was the original Half-life that was released in 1998. It was Valve’s first product and was a great success. Players controlled Gordan Freeman, a scientist who must survive an alien invasion. This part was published by Sierra Studios and released by Valve. The game won over 50 games of the year awards and became an inspiration for FPS games.

The 2nd installment was released on November 16, 2004, as Half-life 2. The game was set 20 years after the original game. It won over 35 games of the year awards and was critically praised for its advances in computer animation, sound, narration, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, and physics.

The third installment came by the name Half-life: Alyx on 23rd march 2020. It is a prequel to Half-life 2 where the player controls Alyx as she and her father Eli establish resistance against Combine in City 17.

All about Half-life: Alyx

It is a 2020 virtual reality first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve. Half Life:Alyx is developed with the Source 2 engine and supports all PC compatible VR headsets. It was a much-awaited game as Half-life 2: Episode 2 was released in 2007, but it is worth all the time it took. The developers were given enough time to build up the game without forcing any crunch upon them. It is a perfect example of how the crunch tradition or overtime did by the developers to develop a game in the stipulated time is unnecessary and should be avoided.

Players control Freeman’s ally Alyx Vance as she and her father Eli Vance fight the Combine, an alien empire that has conquered earth. The game includes traditional half-life elements like puzzles, explorations, combat and a storyline to keep you involved. Its mind-boggling graphics has stolen the hearts of every gamer. Even the critics couldn’t resist themselves from praising it’s graphics, writing, sense of nostalgia and atmosphere.

Before it’s official launch Valve released an uninterrupted 13 minutes gameplay. It taught players the basics of the game and the use of VR in it. It employed slower enemies giving the players enough time to learn the game’s mechanics. The situation forces players on how to take the enemy down. Although there is plenty of time so that the player can plan its own strategy and act accordingly.

Valve has also published a guide to Half-life: Alyx’s unique Spectator mode. It is useful for both streamers and in-person watching.

How to use the Spectator mode?

Open the game’s menu to setting> Spectator. Once there, turn on the Spectator HUD for the second screen. It will help to adjust it’s the relative size and enabling camera smoothing that can be used for capturing in-game footage.

Games like Half-life: Alyx that are VR exclusive challenges the present gaming industry to look into the future and bring out something innovative. The game exhibits the real prize of patience and proves that quality is what matters. Launched after 13 years of wait, this game stopped the hearts of millions. Excellent gameplay and real-life physics have made this game look more realistic. Each and every player playing this game should express their gratitude to Valve. 

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK VALVE. WE ARE PROUD OF YOU.