H
eadcrabs have always been the runt
of Half-Life’s alien litter. The small
and annoying cousin of the face-
hugger from Alien, Half-Life’s headcrabs might
have cost you a few health points when they
appeared, but their threat was nothing a well-
timed smack from a crowbar couldn’t fix.
Yet like so much else about Valve’s venerable
shooter series, Half-Life: Alyx transforms the
headcrabs. Now, they’re no longer the spindly,
almost comical critters you once knew, a pet
hat for Doctor Kleiner to show off. They’re 14lbof alien flesh leaping at your face. Succeed in
dodging one, and it will barrel into whatever is
behind you, knocking over crates, chairs and
buckets. If it successfully latches on to you, you’ll
hear it trying to gnaw at you as you desperately
try to tear it from your body.
This is a tiny example of how Half-Life is
transformed in Alyx. It’s not just ‘Half-Life in VR’,
it’s ‘Half-Life made for VR’. Every aspect of it
has been designed to maximise VR’s unique
qualities, lending unparalleled depth and tactility
to the world of City 17. At the same time, Alyx is
a true Half-Life game, blending thrilling action
with horror and humour through spectacular
and inventive set-pieces.
Taking place between Half-Life 1 and Half-
Life 2, Alyx sees you play a young Alyx Vance
five years before she helps Gordon Freemanto overthrow Earth’s Alien overlords, known as
the Combine. In Alyx, the Combine is thoroughly
in control, while the rebellion in which Alyx
is taking part is only in its nascent stages.
The game opens with Alyx stood on a City 17
rooftop, overlooking the city while on recon for
the resistance. It’s a dramatic introduction that
cleverly demonstrates VR’s ability to represent
scale and depth.
You get a palpable sense of height and
distance, with the game cleverly providing many
visual frames of references, such as a pigeon
that flutters on the railing beside you while the
Citadel tower looms in the foggy distance. It
also gives you a proper idea of the capabilities of
Valve’s Source 2 engine. Half-Life: Alyx is easily
the best-looking VR game ever made, rich in
detail and possessing sharp image quality even
inside the headset.
A brief walk through the city lets you
familiarise yourself with the game’s base
controls before the game gets serious. Alyx’s
father, Eli, is arrested by the Combine’s police
force and is taken by train through the city’s
Quarantine Zone. Aided by another resistance
member named Russell, Alyx devises a plan to
intercept the train and get her father back.
We won’t discuss much more about the
story. However, it’s important to know that,
despite being a prequel to Half-Life 2, Alyx’s tale
has substantial implications for the Half-Life
story as we know it, and radically expands the
possibilities of any future Half-Life games that
come out. It’s also excellently told, with a sharpREALITY
CHECK
GAMES / VIRTUAL REALITY
HALFLIFE: ALYX
/£46.49 incVAT
REVIEW
DEVELOPER Va lve / PUBLISHER Va lvecc
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