Half-Life: Alyx

Half-Life: Alyx is the 2020 breakout game, the long-awaited sequel to the iconic Half-Life lineup. At the time, this series was the first shooter with a storyline, and the release of the new part was promising. This time, the developers decided to tell us the story of Alix Vance, the girl who was the protagonist of the first two games. After 12 years, players in VR mode will be able to uncover its secrets, learn about the struggle against the occupation of the Earth by aliens.

Plot

Half-Life: Alyx is a prequel to the storyline told in the second part of Half-Life. The story begins five years before the series of events already known to fans. Alix Vance is the main character, and her dad, Eli Vance, must steal a reactor from a powerful totalitarian alien empire. They are intercepted along the way and captured, but the allies manage to save Alix. Her father remains in the clutches of aliens. This is where the main character's path begins: first she needs to find her father, and then sort out the atrocities that aliens are doing in her hometown.

Atmosphere

Half-Life: Alyx has a very beautiful picture, and this seriously affects the depth of immersion in the game. Putting on a virtual reality helmet, after a few seconds, you seem to dissolve in the world created by the developers. Not surprisingly, at the beginning of 2020, this game on the VR system was recognized as the best in terms of graphical support.

The atmosphere is complemented by many small details. Due to this, the world around becomes alive. The houses around are not faceless, because in just a couple of minutes you can easily determine who lived here earlier. Photos, children's toys, household items, weapons - all these make the picture real. Everything is so well thought out that even the labels have formulations, expiration dates and promotional descriptions!

Good localization will be another plus for Russian-speaking players. The game has been completely translated into Russian, right down to the inscriptions on in-game items. You can enjoy the gameplay without language barriers.

The game will sit especially deeply in the hearts of fans of the Half-Life series. The new part reveals many secrets of City-13, about which previously fans could only speculate. True, to get to them, you need to be very careful and spend more than one hour in the game.

Gameplay

In terms of gameplay, the developers did not reinvent the wheel. Half-Life: Alyx is the same shooter with adventure elements and a good storyline. Quests are linear, to complete them you need to move from point to point on the map, on the way engaging in battles with thugs. On the spot, you will need to solve puzzles, explore locations and fight opponents again.

The main character can carry three types of weapons. She also copes well with the repair tool. The protagonist has a full-fledged realistic unloading - things are in a backpack, and they can only be used by removing it. There are quick access pockets - on the hands, but you can't put much there. You need to play thoughtfully and carefully.

The shooting mechanics are simple and atmospheric. The player is offered a choice of a pistol, shotgun or machine gun - but all one-handed. They can be improved and customized. True, you won't be able to complete the game with one favorite firearm, because you will have to choose a different fighting style for different opponents.

VR Technology

Valve has tried to make its game universal. Half-Life: Alyx will be able to play both fans of virtual reality helmets and beginners - the game will not seem too difficult for them. You can play standing, sitting, with one or two hands, in motion - for players of all physical abilities!

The good news is that the game is compatible with any virtual reality headsets. It is published on the Steam VR platform, which does not restrict the connection of third-party devices, which makes it more accessible to the general public. Of course, not all controllers have the same functionality, but here the developer company cannot influence in any way.

New features

Half-Life: Alyx has been critically acclaimed. She is given a solid 9/10 in all respects, and these are not empty words. In addition to those described above, the game has some more interesting features:

• You will have to learn a lot of interesting information about the world not from the spiked dialogues, but from the little things around. For example, in a newspaper that someone left on a bench in a park, you can read a summary about City 13, better understand the city and find out how its inhabitants live.
• The developers have made a huge contribution to the audio component. The sound is excellent, the voice acting is extremely believable.
• It is up to the player to decide how to proceed. You can use legal cheats like teleports or hyperjumps, or you can courageously overcome all the difficulties of the world, confidently walking towards the goal.

The developers have created a shooter with a well-developed artificial intelligence. The player will not be able to just sit in ambush or shoot back from the tower. You will have to cheat, maneuver and hide to beat the game. This is the main plus for everyone who loves exciting stories and dynamic action!