Doesn’t time fly? Can you believe, considering all that’s happened, that it’s been 12 months since Valve released what was undoubtedly the best virtual reality (VR) videogame currently available, Half-Life: Alyx. The epic sci-fi shooter has won numerous awards – including VRFocus’ very own ‘Game of the Year’ – and if you happen to own a SteamVR compatible headset and have yet to play it, Half-Life: Alyx is currently on sale.
There’s a 40% discount – which could be its biggest yet, in the Steam Winter Sale it was 25% – until the end of March, a good enough reason to dive in or how about the 98% positive rating the videogame has received from Steam reviewers. For more awards praise, Half-Life: Alyx also took home the 2021 SXSW Gaming Awards VR Game of the Year this past weekend.
Those awards were hosted by IGN and as part of the event Valve’s Robin Walker discussed Half-Life: Alyx’s development. He revealed that while the team were sceptical of the reaction to its ending they were happy with the response: “So yeah, the reaction from people to the story and the narrative choices we made at the end have been really energising.”
Half-Life: Alyx was a big deal in a number of ways, not only was it pivotal as a showcase of what VR could do, it finally gave fans of the franchise something to play as the last title, Half-Life 2: Episode 2, launched way back in 2007. Walker was quizzed about Episode 2 and whether a followup was ‘hot on its heels’ to which he responded: “I think hot on its heels might be a bit optimistic.” Valve being Valve it won’t rush anything. As the narrative plays such an important part in Half-Life fans have been eager to see where it goes. Half-Life: Alyx was more of a sidestep because it was set between Half-life and Half-Life 2.
While you can enjoy the base videogame for a stunning VR experience, fans know there’s far more to play with. Play through it and enjoy over three hours of developer commentary. Thanks to Steam Workshop support and the community of mod-makers there’s an almost endless supply of mods you can add to Half-Life: Alyx, offering new enemies, weapons, levels and more. You can enjoy a spot of bowling, golf, or download the eight Return to Rapture levels putting you inside the Bioshock universe!
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Half-Life: Alyx, reporting back with the latest updates.
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