When Half-Life: Alyx was announced, the reception was pretty mixed. Fans had been waiting many, MANY, years for Half-Life 3 to come along, especially considering 2 ends on a cliffhanger, but Alyx was announced instead. Worse yet? Alyx was a VR game, and could only be played in VR. Of course this excited VR gamers like myself, but anyone not willing to shell out for a headset would be left behind.
Well it has been years since Half-Life: Alyx originally released, VR headsets are much more affordable thanks to the Meta Quest, and VR gaming as a whole is a bit more common place now days. So I thought now would be a perfect time to look back on the game, and share my thoughts on it. It's actually one of the main games that helped me get through quarantine personally, and I honestly can't think of a better way I could've spent it. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. There's actually quite a bit to the game, so I won't waste anymore time with this intro.
This is my review of Half-Life: Alyx.
The Story:
The story of Half-Life: Alyx picks up years after the events of the original Half-Life, and before Gorden Freeman's return to the world in Half-Life 2.
At this point in time the alien forces known as the Combine have completely taken over Earth, turned the world into a "police state," and all humans are living in oppression under this new rule. As members of the resistance, Alyx and her father Eli are trying to find a way to fight back, but ultimately get arrested when the Combine raid the city they've setup camp in.
Alyx manages to escape with the help of resistance member Russel, and makes her way through the city outskirts in an attempt to save her father. Along the way she meets an alien by the name of Gary, and makes a deal with him. He'll help her, if she helps him. And with that, Alyx's true journey begins, and she's forced to descend into a world of horrors.
Needless to say, there's more to the story than meets the eye.
Stepping into the world of Half-Life:
From the very start, Half-Life: Alyx pulls you into it's world. As Valve's first VR title, they crafted the world in a way that is inviting to both newcomers and long time VR players.
The game begins with you, Alyx, overlooking the city, and being able to simply take in the sights without worry. Of course a giant walker thing steps over you and freaks you out, which is a wow factor, but ultimately you are in no danger here. Instead this part of the game is here to ease you in, and give you a small taste of what VR can be like. Advancing to the little breezeway on the rooftop also provides you with some markers to play with, which can then be used to draw on the glass windows. Not only that, but it doesn't take long to realize that nearly everything around you can be picked up, and thrown, and that your hands are surprisingly detailed to the point that you can see dirt under your nails. It is all pretty impressive! It gives you the full on feeling of what it is like to live in this world, and for long time fans that is a dream come true! However, long time fans also will realize that this "dream" is also a nightmare...
As you make your way through the building, and under the city streets, it is only a matter of time before you come face to face with the threats of the world. Again, Alyx is captured by the Combine, but once she is set free, it is up to you to make your way through this haunting world. The enemies and monsters in Half-Life have always been terrifying, but VR takes them to a whole new level. Rather than being on the other side of the screen, these monstrosities are now in your face, and it is up to you to figure out how to deal with them.
The Gameplay:
The gameplay and general structure of Alyx follows the pattern established by the rest of the series. The game is a first person shooter, with you and your body being the controller, and each chapter takes you through multiple locations with enemies to kill, and puzzles to solve. Early on Alyx is given a gravity glove that allows you to pull items towards you from a distance, which becomes a life saver, and she's given a basic handgun to start. During the course of the game other guns are unlocked, but these are the main tools at your disposal.
This setup is very familiar, but thanks to the game being in VR it is also quite different. The thing about playing games in VR is the fact that they do not follow "standard video game rules." What you expect to happen, and what really happens, tends to be two completely different things. You think you know how the game will play, but the reality is that you have to put yourself in a completely different mindset. Things you took for granted in a standard video game doesn't work here, and every action you take will require physical effort to achieve. This heightens the horror in Half-Life: Alyx, but it does take awhile to get used to.
First of all, buttons cannot simply be used to perform actions. If you want to pick up something, you must physically reach down and grab it, or use the gravity glove to pull it towards you. Holding onto objects is done by using the secondary triggers on VR controllers, but the game makes use of finger tracking as well (based on which headset is used). Holding guns is done the same way, with the primary trigger on the controller acting as the gun's trigger.
Reloading ammo also must be done manually, with players having to pull the magazine out of their storage, insert it into the gun they are using, and then manually load the bullet into the chamber. For someone who has never used a real gun before, this will take a bit of practice to get used to. The moment you are attacking an enemy and run out before the thing is dead, you must go through the motions and reload as fast as possible without dying. Eject the current magazine, pull out the new one, load the new one, load the chamber, aim, and finally fire once again.
It's exhilarating to do, but also requires a lot of focus. Eventually it does become second nature, but each gun has different requirements, and different situations will arise to put more and more stress on you. Sometimes this can lead to you dropping the magazine to the floor below, which isn't a good thing when a Barnacles is pulling you to the ceiling to feast on your skull.
Another part of VR that takes awhile to get used to, is how interactive the world really is. The first jump scare I had in the game was from the time I picked up a box, shook it to see if I could open it, and then tossed it aside when I realized it was worthless. What I didn't realize is that "tossing it aside" legit meant throwing it across the room. In my case it crashed through a window, and I scared the heck out of myself! My body reacted naturally to the loud sound, and for a moment there I lost complete touch with reality. It was terrifying, but also a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.
As for the actual horrors the game faces you with, the Head Crabs lunging at your face takes a bit to get used to, and being forced to drag bloody remains out of windows, or simply moving them out of the way is an eerie feeling. You know it is fake, sure, but convincing your brain of that is a different matter. Then you have the fact that the game throws constant curve balls at you, and continues to do the unexpected. Another favorite moment of mine was when I was crouched down with my gun pointed at an explosive barrel. I waited for the zombie to make his way over to it, and just as I was about to blow the thing up like I had done countless times in Half-Life 2, the thing picked it up and threw it at my head instead! I physically flinched in real life, and was completely stunned at what happened as the slow moving zombie then decided to charge me. I had to come to my senses, take aim once again, and finish the thing off before it got me, and all of that is easier said than done.
This all happened within a matter of seconds, but my brain in overdrive made it feel much, MUCH, longer. It's something that happens to you in real life when you are in real danger, and the fact that a VR game can cause the same reaction is pretty insane.
Although Half-Life: Alyx continues to throw you into creepy situation after creepy situation, the game isn't all horror. There are many parts of the game that evolve into full on gun fights and shootouts, as well as the classic physics based puzzles. Unfortunately the game also features an annoying "ball puzzle" as well, which is used to open a lot of doors throughout the adventure. The basics of it come down to you picking up a holographic ball, using one hand to hold it, and then using your other hand to navigate a point of light around it to the "exit." While you navigate this point of light lasers fly around from the center of the sphere, and touching them causes you to fail. It isn't horribly challenging or anything, but it does get annoying after awhile. Thankfully the physics based puzzles, and exploring actual mazes to figure out where to go, are much more enjoyable and more in line with what one would expect from Half-Life.
With that all being said, the game does contain some other extra VR side activities to partake in, and many of those are used to unlock extras as well. Playing the piano of a game of pool are just two of the extras players will come across during this journey, but there are other surprises as well. Valve did a very good job crafting a "living world" for players to "live in," and talking about it here would spoil the surprise.
Should you play it, and is VR worth it for this game?
A lot of people asked if getting a VR headset was worth it for Half-Life: Alyx alone, and honestly that's a no. Not because Alyx isn't an outstanding game, but because a headset for a single use would be a waste. There are plenty of amazing VR games, experiences, and apps out there to use and experience, so it would be a shame to only care about one thing. That being said, Half-Life: Alyx is a major contributing factor as to why getting a headset would be worth it, and a great game to play.
Despite being roughly 10 to 15 hours long, Alyx is a game you can spend a lot more time in just taking in the sights, and playing with the world. It is a fun sandbox, and mod support further extends the fun. Putting that aside however, the main game is also a lot of fun, with plenty of interesting environments to make your way through.
The game features nearly everything you would expect out of a Half-Life title, with iconic enemies to take on, and Half-Life style locations to explore, but playing in VR puts a whole new perspective on this familiarity. Because of this, you truly do not know what to expect around each turn, and how you handle different situations differs from how you would tackle it in the original or Half-Life 2. It plays with your expectations to deliver something new, and that only makes the game more enjoyable. It isn't the game fans have been waiting for, technically, but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun game. That being said, Half-Life: Alyx does offer story progression that ties into the (maybe someday) release of Half-Life 3, so it isn't a prequel that doesn't matter.
On the other hand, Alyx is also great for newcomers. Everything one needs to know about the game is explained here, and the few parts that will go over a newbie's head will not ruin the enjoyment of the game as a whole. Once again, Valve was very smart when it came to crafting this game, and they treated it as a way to ease everyone into something new. Newcomers to the world that is Half-Life, VR newbies who have never experienced it before, and long time fans who think they know what to expect, but in reality they don't. It is a game that will have firsts for everyone, and that too is an impressive feat.
Of course, not everything is perfect. The hologram puzzles are annoying, VR setups may be a challenge for those who do not have the room for it (I personally punched my computer desk while live streaming the game... Which had friends laughing at me...), and there is no denying the cost of getting into VR to begin with. These aren't issues limited just to Half-Life: Alyx, but they are roadblocks that need to be tackled before even being able to play the game. A beefy computer is required as well, as VR takes more resources than a normal game, but this day in age it shouldn't be that big of an issue. I personally originally played this title with a GTX 970, which honestly isn't the best. Thankfully I only had a few frame drops from time to time (which can be dizzying in VR), and ultimately didn't hold me back. After upgrading to a RTX 2080 TI, all of the issues went away, and I was able to crank up the graphics even higher.
The final challenge to overcome with any VR game in general, is motion sickness, and Half-Life: Alyx is one that will ask you to do so pretty quickly. Although the game has snap turning options, and the ability to warp from point to point to help cut back on this, this is not the best way to play the game. The game is meant to be played with full motion, and with full use of your body. If you aren't able to do this then you will unfortunately be missing out on some of the craziness the game has to offer. The only way to overcome this is to keep practicing and getting used to VR, but it's also possible some people will never reach this state. My personal advice is to put your eyes out of focus when you turn to help cut back on it, but even this could be a challenge for some, and might not always work. Again, this is a side effect of nearly all VR games, but once you overcome it, you will never have issues with motion sickness again.
Overall, most of Half-Life: Alyx's issues are not with the game itself. Alyx is a solid entry within the Half-Life series, and a lot of fun! It has plenty of replayability, and the gameplay is solid. While the annoying puzzles holds it back a bit, it isn't anything that actually ruins the experience, which is a blast from start to finish. It is a game that anyone with a VR headset should really give a chance, but it's important to note that it does have horror elements as well. It isn't a game that everyone can get into because of that, nor is it a game that everyone can get into simply because the fact it is VR exclusive. If you can play it though, and can get past the horror (or have someone to help force you to get past the horror), then you will not regret your time with this one.
Half-Life: Alyx became one of my personal all time favorites, and I can't recommend it enough.
Post a Comment