Half-Life: Alyx (2020)

Valve

SteamVR

4.59 from 435 ratings · #78 top rated on Grouvee

2190 members have it in their collection · 155 playing now · 1010 backlogged · 602 wish listed

How long? Main story 14h · with extras 18h · 100% 10h (from 31 logged playthroughs)

Half-Life: Alyx is Valve’s VR return to the Half-Life series. It’s the story of an impossible fight against a vicious alien race known as the Combine, set between the events of Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Alyx Vance and her father Eli mount an early resistance to the Combine's brutal occupation of Earth.
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Details

Developers
Valve
Publishers
Valve
Genres
Adventure, Puzzle, Shooter
Themes
Action, Science fiction
Franchises
Half-Life
Series
Half-Life
Steam
View on Steam

Release dates

  • Mar 23, 2020 (Full Release) (Worldwide) SteamVR
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Featured in lists

Rating distribution

5 stars
307
4 stars
92
3 stars
26
2 stars
5
1 star
5
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Community All Reviews Statuses

killerstar

Status killerstar Jul 2, 2022

I'm really loving the game except for it being so buggy. Each time I need to reload a save is about 50% chance of the game crashing and freezing Steam VR and disabling Oculus Link. It's really getting on my nerves in some sections in which I die a lot. I don't know if I'll finish it.

killerstar

Status killerstar Jul 1, 2022

It's quite interesting the plasticity of the brain. When i first stated the game I would get sick just walking around. Now I can run around in the middle of a gunfight without any discomfort. I guess the brain learns to selectively ignore the mismatch between eyes and inner ear.

killerstar

Status killerstar Jun 24, 2022

Well, I don't know how they did it but this one doesn't make me as nauseous, even with continuous movement. I'm enjoying the mechanics, although I miss some of the abstractions of regular games, like pressing a button to turn a valve.

PKdubs

Status PKdubs May 8, 2021

VR is hard to just pick up and play for 30 minutes. I'll have to dedicate a day to getting this one done.

Traystigo

Status Traystigo Apr 10, 2021

Absolutely incredible! I know they tried to get melee in, but they weren't satisfied with how it turned out. That's the only thing I wish was different, melee combat would have been very cool.

BMO

Status BMO Jul 15, 2020

So it’s nearly been four months. Did Half-Life: Alyx bring about the predicted revolution in VR gaming? That seemed to be a prediction before release and I wonder if it’s had a measurable impact.

QuilDewIvy

Status QuilDewIvy Mar 24, 2020

I can't really comment on the gameplay, as I haven't actually been able to play it hands-on, but I've just finished watching the full stream so I can at least talk about that story.

It was decently fine for the whole thing... until that ending. It's uh, a really bullshit plot point that's going to need some explaining, so spoilers …

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I can't really comment on the gameplay, as I haven't actually been able to play it hands-on, but I've just finished watching the full stream so I can at least talk about that story.

It was decently fine for the whole thing... until that ending. It's uh, a really bullshit plot point that's going to need some explaining, so spoilers ahead.

Alyx makes a deal with G-man, basically a favor for rescuing him at the end. He can't do the combine request, since it's too big (which makes sense), but he rewrites Eli's death, which doesn't. Now what doesn't make sense isn't that he could fulfill that request, that's 100% fine. What's stupid is that that whole death at the end of Episode 2 is completely cheapened and replaced with a gotcha. It's a bullshit plot point that retcons Eli back into the narrative of the series (while causing a paradox at the same time, since G-man is saved before the events of HL2). Loss is written straight out of the narrative, and Alyx becomes the new servant of G-man rather than Gordon. It gives me another sour feeling because this strictly takes a massive dump on Epistle 3, by immediately writing itself off of the ending that could even refer to it. It's a yikes.

Other than this, I'm sure the gameplay is pretty damn fine, but that's certainly a moniker that almost pushes me off from buying it at all eventually.

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Fugazi57

Status Fugazi57 Dec 6, 2019

Following all the Half Life: Alyx debacle, a serious question: what is it that that people find so dreadful about VR???

I mean, why do we even play games if not for a kind of escapism, to immerse ourselves in different realities... Isn't it obvious that VR is just a tool that greatly enhances those effects??

I for one have …

Read more

Following all the Half Life: Alyx debacle, a serious question: what is it that that people find so dreadful about VR???

I mean, why do we even play games if not for a kind of escapism, to immerse ourselves in different realities... Isn't it obvious that VR is just a tool that greatly enhances those effects??

I for one have dreamt about VR ever since I was a kid. I would never imagine that it would be at this stage by now and that makes me super happy. Even though I won't be able to afford HL:Alyx for a while I'm still super stoked about it, and I don't get why anyone wouldn't be.

Opinions on the subject?

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Alphadoriest

Status Alphadoriest Dec 5, 2019

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Does anyone else happen to automatically have this in their library? I thought it was only complimentary for Index owners! If it is indeed the case, thank you Valve! Now if only I had a PC capable of playing it!