A new Half-Life game is in the works, but it’s not Half-Life 3. No, the next instalment in the ever popular, and very long-running series, will be a full-length VR title. They’re calling it Half-Life: Alyx.
According to its press release, Alyx was developed from the ground up with VR in mind, but will still stay true to the Half-Life formula. As such, fans can expect world exploration, puzzle solving, visceral combat and an intricately woven storyline. One that takes place between the events of the first and second games, as Alyx Vance and her father Eli secretly mount the resistance to the brutal occupation of Earth by a mysterious alien race known as The Combine. As Alyx, players take the fight to the Combine to save the future of humanity.
“Everyone at Valve is excited to be returning to the world of Half-Life”, says Valve founder Gabe Newell. “VR has energized us. We’ve invested a lot of ourselves in the technology. But we’re also game developers at heart, and to be devoting ourselves to a VR game this ambitious is just as exciting. For that to come in the form of Half-Life feels like the culmination of a lot things we care a lot about: truly great games, cutting edge technology, and open platforms. We can’t wait for people to experience this.”
Half-Life: Alyx is powered by SteamVR, and runs on Valve’s Source 2 engine. You’ll be able to play it on Steam, using any PC-based VR headset, and that will likely be in March 2020. It’ll also set you back $59.99 American dollars, unless you’re an owner of the Valve Index VR Unit.
Speaking of Valve Index: We’d be remiss if we didn’t let you know that Valve’s “collection of leading edge VR hardware” is now available in Japan and Canada.