Half-Life: Alyx is a satisfying return to City 17

Half-Life: Alyx it certainly is not Half-Life 3. It is a full-fledged game that the Half-life universe. And City 17’s explosive barrel industry is still going strong.

These are answers to some of the big questions Valve Software raised when it announced the first new one last year Half-life game since 2007 – but exclusively for virtual reality. Many series have VR adaptations or tie-ins, but Valve promised to deliver “the next part of the Half-Life story” in a package that could make VR mainstream.

That sets a very high bar and for now I’m not sure Alyx knew it. The game battles VR’s inherent hardware limitations, a pandemic-related headset shortage, and the difficulty of building a game for a new platform. While it is about as long as the landmark Half-life 2since my game clock in at 3pm it doesn’t feel as big or narrative and mechanically fresh. It improves the main plot of the series, but does not come close to solving it.

But if you keep these big reservations in mind, Alyx is a worthy addition to the Half-life universe. It’s not just a good VR game; it’s a good video game, period.

Half-Life: Alyx is five years earlier Half-life 2, in which lead actor Gordon Freeman awakens from a mysterious 20-year stasis to find Earth, colonized by an alien realm called the Combine. Alyx Vance is the daughter of Gordon’s former colleague, and she is one of Gordon’s most capable companions. Now in Alyx, she is the protagonist – a member of an anti-Combine resistance that Gordon Freeman considers almost mythical. When her father Eli is captured, she learns about a secret Combine super weapon, which turns out to be more complicated than it seems.

Alyx takes place in the same urban dystopia as Half-Life 2: a washed-out and run-down Eastern European metropolis called City 17. While there are many more details, you will face a similar crowd of hostile alien fauna and transhuman soldiers, as well as similar weapons and environments – although soldiers who have classic Half-life barrels a wider berth. The first two episodes of the series practically took place in different worlds. Alyx is more like the sequel’s add-on episodes, expanding the plot without starting a new chapter. At the same time, yes feels as a very different kind of game.

That’s partly because Alyx has a more humanoid character than Gordon, and City 17 is almost the whole setting, not the pit stop it was in Half-life 2. Where Valve poked fun at Gordon’s 90s stoic hypercompetence, Alyx has more realistic – if first-class – fighting abilities. Levels have the same forward momentum and minimal backtracking, but Alyx moves at a slower pace through denser and more fully formed spaces. She already has a history with the world and grew up under Combine line-up so she can add some context and familiarity to your journey – into a huge curveball at the end of the game.

Alyx takes a closer look at the weird dynamics of being a post-apocalyptic teen (at least in this game) hanging out with a bunch of nostalgic old men. Her Resistance Control is a pathologically-spirited inventor named Russel who gossips about old-fashioned sandwiches and future business plans while advising her on an earpiece. He’s not a compelling ally like … well, Alyx himself Half-life 2. But in a setting players have already seen, their conversations help determine how the characters see that setting.

Valve’s approach to VR is perfect for a character who is very skilled but fallible. It’s hard to make PC or console shooters messy but not artificially clunky. Unstable aiming or clumsy skeuomorphic controls can be effective, but disabilities seem like a “normal” point-and-shoot experience. VR hand controllers, on the other hand, mimic your physical movement in a fairly natural way – and players aren’t trained to expect mathematical precision. It is easier for games like Alyx to make your mistakes feel like natural mistakes, instead of a designer stacking his deck against you.

Unfortunately, actual VR headsets do mess up. Valve’s Index headset is the gold standard for this Alyxbut The Verge’s Index, together with the rest of our office, ended in a pandemic lockdown. Valve promises support for almost every PC-based VR setup. So I played Alyx with the Oculus Link system, which turns a standalone Oculus Quest into a tethered headset. The first experience was a mess. My PC comes together easily Alyx’s specifications, but the headset froze or the game’s frame rate dropped regularly. After I finished the game, Valve released updates that usually seemed to fix the issues, but in my later sessions it was still necessary to stop for a reboot or reset.

That’s not unprecedented for a VR experience, and some issues can be Oculus Link bugs. It’s an experimental feature, so I expect rough spots. However, compared to dedicated PC headsets, the Quest is a problem-solving nightmare: a device with its own operating system that is connected with a detachable cable and turns on with the Oculus desktop app and SteamVR. The Quest is immensely popular by VR standards, so Alyx can be a huge stress test for Link and a potentially frustrating experience for users if something goes wrong.

I hate how poor the Quest performed because when it did did work, I didn’t feel limited by a non-index system. The Index controllers can estimate the gripping force and precise placement of each finger on your hand. But Alyx uses wider movements like pushing, throwing, grabbing and, in a memorable part, holding a hand over your mouth. Oculus controllers are more than capable, especially since their stick and button layout – used for things like propulsion – is very similar to the Index.

When reloading a weapon, you physically mimic it to reload it. With a simple gun, reach over your shoulder for a new magazine, insert it into the gun, and then snap the slide lock. If you eject a half-full magazine, you only throw the bullets away, so you will have to learn all the reflexive reloading habits. Shotguns are burst open and loaded with individual shells.

You only have a handful of weapons, so fighting is a constant game of counting shots, switching between guns and almost inevitably clumsy a few reloads with a zombie sweeping your face. The system sounds awkward on paper, but you can quickly develop muscle memory, making it just a normal part of the game’s rhythm. (It also remains easier than loading a real weapon.)

Aiming is more difficult than with a mouse or stick and you cannot knock back enemies with a crowbar or Half-Life 2s Gravity Gun. So the small, fast-moving, but easily-dispatched enemies of previous games – like flying manhacks and headcrabs – become small but annoying threats. Big battles become tense shootouts as you reload and scream for more ammo as you crawl behind cover. And yes, I mean literally squat unless you enable a special accessibility feature. This game will make fun of you. Embrace it.

Alyx however, does not strive for grainy realism. You can move continuously by holding an analog stick, but the “Blink” setting – a commonly used VR motion option – offers almost instant teleportation. The game feels designed for these impossibly sudden jumps in and out of danger, and even with the first option, you use a flip flop system to jump over holes. Incidentally, I got absolutely no motion sickness with the Blink option, which is (unfortunately) remarkable for a motion-heavy VR game.

Alyx also has a pair of “gravity gloves” that have been replaced Half-Life 2s more powerful Gravity Gun, which allows you to pull objects out of a room. Instead of just pointing and clicking, stretch your hand towards something until it glows slightly, then pull the trigger, tap your wrist, and grab it from the air by pressing a handle. It’s hard to get the right thing at times, but it’s very rewarding – like having telepathic powers, not just an unusual weapon. And while the gloves aren’t an offensive weapon, they do come in handy when you’re screaming for ammo during combat or when you’re wiping back an enemy’s grenade.

in contrast to Half-Life 2s Gravity Gun and physics, but the above features don’t feel revolutionary. Some are established VR shooting conventions. Valve owes a clear debt to indie projects like Arizona Sunshine and Cuts, who helped pioneer combat and exploration in the medium.

But Valve has adapted and perfected many of these elements, especially with the famous meticulous level design. Alyx’s spaces reward interaction. You can open the doors a little bit to look for threats. Being able to go down and grab equipment remotely is key to winning battles. And Half-lifeCommon Barnacle enemies, which catch passers-by with a long, sticky tongue, are actually much more interesting in VR – where they’re harder to avoid but easier to distract with gently tossed objects. The more compact levels offer less massive cinematic set pieces, but Valve delivers some unique and incredibly clever up close combat.

Alyx’s world construction feels more like a missed opportunity. The Half-life series includes some of gaming’s most memorable creature designs, however Alyx’s new enemies are very similar to some well-known survival horror monsters. The game offers a well-done update to existing designs and makes clever use of VR – for example, you have to physically pull head crabs off your face – I wish it had a clearer aesthetic of its own.

It also opts for more traditional puzzles than Half-Life 2s physics riddles. Alyx has a multi-tool that allows it to hack containers with spatial puzzles (which are sometimes frustrating but often optional) or accurately scan an area and reroute power cables into the walls. They’re less interesting than navigating the game’s physical geography, although they do encourage that exploration.

Nevertheless, Valve takes a step forward here. Alyx is a well-designed alternative to the never completed Half-Life 2: Episode 3. And despite being a prequel, it takes the story a bit forward Episode 2 while teasing a nonexistent real sequel. (Seriously, please don’t hope Half-Life 3 again.)

But even some diehard Valve fans may not want to try it Half-Life: Alyx at launch, or maybe not at all. And that would be a rational decision.

Playing a great VR game is often like visiting a Michelin star restaurant where the waiter constantly pricks you with a fork. Valve has not solved the size and grainy screens of current-generation headsets, the annoyance of a cord wrapped around your ankles, the chance of accidentally ramming your hand into a piece of furniture, or the frustration of setting up new and sometimes complicated ones. hardware.

The Index has a relatively good screen and comfortable fit, but it’s wired, requires a clunky remote tracking setup, and costs nearly a thousand dollars. The $ 399 Oculus Quest is a great value, as you can use it as a standalone or PC-tethered headset. But even if I don’t consider the issues I’ve been through (which I hope was a coincidence), it’s front-heavy and uncomfortable.

In addition, you cannot currently buy the Quest of Index because the pandemic has caused a key in the supply chains of hardware. Alternatives like the HTC Vive Pro and Cosmos are in stock, but if you’re more keen on another headset it’s a dubious decision to buy one to play one game at launch, however good it is.

I still think Alyx is really worth finding a headset, if that’s feasible, and overlook its flaws. This isn’t the most revealing valve, but after waiting over a decade, it’s the one Half-life story I never knew I wanted.