Strap yourselves in for this emotional roller coaster. Valve has just announced a new Half-Life game. And it’s a virtual reality game. We’ll give you a few minutes to process that.
But it’s true. Valve made a splashy Twitter debut by teasing Half-Life: Alyx, a “flagship VR game” set in its acclaimed iconic shooter franchise that’s been dormant for ages. And this Thursday we’ll finally get a look at the future of Half-Life through a screen strapped to our eyes.
We’re excited to unveil Half-Life: Alyx, our flagship VR game, this Thursday at 10am Pacific Time.
Can’t wait to share it with all of you! pic.twitter.com/BupFCxSrTw
— Valve (@valvesoftware) November 18, 2019
As big as this tease is, it’s still just a tease. So until Thursday all we can really do is feverishly speculate. The subtitle implies a focus on the character Alyx Vance rather than the main protagonist Gordon Freeman. Will it be the rumored prequel? Will it contain any of her storylines from the proposed Episode 3? Will it set the stage for Episode 3? Will it have Portal references? There are just too many quesitons!
And those aren’t even gameplay questions. As a VR game, we have to imagine Half-Life: Alyx is being used to promote Valve’s powerful Valve Index VR headset hardware. The Half-Life series is famous for pushing the boundaries of what single-player shooters can do. So what does that even mean in a VR context, a format where brief novelty experiences are arguably more palatable than lengthy uncomfortable campaigns.
Also, is Valve is even capable of making single-player games like they used to? The company has been so laser-focused on Dota 2 and Steam marketplaces for years that they’ve felt irrelevant as a game developer. Plus we’ve heard unfortunate rumors about the talented folks who’ve essentially disappeared into the company. Remember In The Valley of the Gods?
Whatever happens, at least we can say “Half-Life confirmed,” and that does feel weirdly satisfying.
