Half-Life: Alyx review – a spectacular immersive experience - MW

Both virtual reality and the Half-Life series struggle with the weight of the expectations placed on them. Half-Life and its sequel are precious games that redefine each first-person shooter in their own way. However, developer Valve Software abandoned the history of Half-Life for 13 years, recently admitting that previous efforts to continue, in his opinion, were not good enough.

VR, meanwhile, promises unprecedented integration, the ability to let players experience virtual environments and touch objects as if they were in the real world. But factors such as high prices, complex configurations and the need to play physics have witnessed technological difficulties in making this magic a mainstream.

Now Valve has tried to solve both problems at once, creating a new Half-Life game designed specifically for virtual reality. The result of this suffocation is nothing spectacular, offering a professionally made half-life story in the VR knockout experience.

Alyx is not a direct continuation of the history of Half-Life, taking place rather five years before the events of Half-Life 2. You do not play either the main character Gordon Freeman, but Alyx Vance, which Companion of Half-Life 2. In this prequel, Alyx is a 19-year-old rebel who is fighting guerrilla warfare against an alien invading force called Combine.

The game opens with a spectacular display of VR VR capabilities to show the scale. Executing scouts for the rebels, Alyx stands on the rooftop balcony of City 17 - a sweeping view of pastel-colored townhouses sitting in the cobalt blue of the Combine building. The introduction also lets you learn with the unique VR control system, turn on the radio and write with a stylus on the window before getting to the heart of the matter. Your father, Eli, has been kidnapped by the Civil Guard, and you must venture into the quarantine area to be infected by City City aliens to save him.

To support its mission, Alyx has a number of VR enhancement tools at its disposal. A pair of gravity gloves allows her to move objects with a snap of her finger, which can then be trapped in mid-air by pressing the controller's clamps. Besides, Alyx has a remote device to hack electrical systems and some weapons must all be handled, aimed and reloaded manually.

For the most part, this is a familiar territory for VR applications, although Valve permeates every component with its trademark ingenuity. What makes Alyx so special is the more general symbiosis between technology and the Half-Life universe. VR adds a lot of texture to City 17 and its motley residents. This is shown in striking fashion by the headcrabs, Half-Life, aliens that are rushing into your face. In previous Half-Life games, these creatures were a little less than forage. Here, you can clearly feel their weight and strength, how jagged limbs and convulsive tangerines can crack a human skull as a safe combination.

Speaking of cracking, VR adds tactile details to the strange Combine technology. Many of the terminals you come across are protected by three-dimensional security systems that can be manipulated manually. These hacking puzzles use great VR technology, although one might argue that Alyx designers, would love to hinder your progress with them.




As for what Half-Life brings to VR, how does structure, tempo, narration, characters, dazzling settings and crazy action sound? Like all Half-Life games, each chapter of Alyx 11 has a unique theme, whether it's exploring a ruined hotel infested with alien spores, or battling dead soldiers. Matching through the chimneys and brick warehouses of City Industrial Park 17. The sports game features a remarkable sound range. At some point, it became a complete survival horror, with Alyx battling zombies and heads in the cramped darkness of the city's sewers and subways. But Alyx and her companion associated with her, Russell lent the darkest moments, through first-class voice acting and a script filled with truly humorous jokes.

Valve's first VR game (after years of engaging demos) is an introduction to how to use this technology for long stories and it's an exciting new entry in the Half-Life series. It may not be exactly what Half-Life game fans hope, missing that very important. But from Left 4 Dead to Portal, Valve is the master at bringing players the games they don't know they want - Half-Life: Alyx is another example of the ability to surprise, amuse and exchange. new.

MW