A genuine dread you might not expect from Half-Life lingers throughout.Д¬ombine soldiers may still be knobheads, but when they're chasing you down in VR and your sick headshot skills aren't there to save you, their threat becomes imminent and sometimes nerve-wracking. There's also an entire chapter dedicated to 'Jeff,' an invincible mutant with sharp hearing who can't see, and he must be dealt with through clever environmental manipulation. Other scenarios play on navigating pitch-black darkness with your wrist-mounted flashlight as Xen creatures lurk about. The same goes for Barnacles trust me when I say that you do not want your own virtual body dragged up toward the ceiling by its disgusting slimy tongue. Headcrabs aren't the annoying pests they were before at times, they're terrifying because they will literally latch onto your head or cause the occasional jump scare. It may not have many of the bombastic firefights, helicopter chases, or seemingly insurmountable enemies from the series' past-most of that's been exchanged for close encounters, sometimes tapping into a horror element that Half-Life had only previously toyed with. Half-Life: Alyx revolves around the balance of the aforementioned puzzle elements and its suspenseful combat scenarios. Once you get the hang of its mechanics, combat ramps up the intensity. Trying to find solutions can be frustrating at times, but once you understand the rules, how they grow more complex and incorporate the environment as the game goes on, it then gives way to a sense of accomplishment. Rewiring circuitry to unlock paths forward is the multitool's most crucial function, though, so you'll need a sharp eye for tracing where wires and circuits lead and use the multitool's capability of exposing the flow of currents. What's just as important is Alyx's multitool, which serves as a way to engage in the game's simple yet enjoyable spatial puzzles. Not only has Half-Life: Alyx made good on its shift to VR, it has elevated many of the aspects we've come to love about Half-Life games.

They allow you to magnetically pull in key objects from afar, and catching them midair is always satisfying-especially when snatching a grenade off a Combine soldier to throw it back in their face. You may not have the Gravity Gun here, but the spirit of its physics-based interaction lives through the Gravity Gloves, both as a sensible thematic fit and tool for proper VR gameplay. Without waypoints or objective markers to guide you, subtle visual cues and calculated level design lead you to the solutions, and progress feels earned because of that. Simply finding the right objects to progress was fine with a keyboard and mouse, but when it's your own hands turning valves, moving junk to find critical items, pulling levers, or hitting switches while turning your head to see the results of your actions, these become enticing gameplay mechanics rather than means for breaking up the pace. Because it's a VR game, the way you look at and process your surroundings fundamentally changes, thus making the solutions to environmental puzzles more of a personal accomplishment than before. There's a newfound intimacy captured in doing the things that Half-Life always asked of you. A basic premise for sure, but the journey is thrilling, and the payoff is immense.Д«y clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's With a cheeky sidekick Russell in your ear, and a trusty, prophetic Vortigaunt who comes in clutch, Alyx is more than prepared. However, you're subsequently led to uncover the nature of that massive floating structure that hovers over City 17, referred to as the Vault.

At first, it's to save your dad Eli Vance from the clutches of the Combine. What's a day in the life of Alyx Vance? In true Half-Life form, the entire game goes from morning to night in a single shot of first-person action in which you, as Alyx, trek through the undergrounds and abandoned zones of City 17. The series' staples are as great as ever here, and in its most powerful moments, Half-Life: Alyx confidently shows you why it couldn't have been done any other way.

But at each step of the way, Half-Life: Alyx proves that almost everything the franchise did best is elevated by VR: the environmental puzzles that require a keen eye, the threat of a headcrab jumping for your face, the cryptic storytelling. Naturally, monumental expectations accompany the first Half-Life game in 13 years, and for the iconic franchise's return to come in the form of a VR exclusive is undoubtedly bold.

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