Gabe Newell Said Ending of Half-Life Alyx Worked for the Series Direction

by
Cole Travis
in General | Aug, 9th 2021

To say that Half-Life Alyx was a success is an understatement, seeing that the game is the first time that fans are returning to the world of half-life after the end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2, while a lot of fans were upset that the game was going to be a VR Exclusive, the game still sold very well, and the implications of the game’s story meant that the series was going to continue, however, during an interview with Valve founder Gabe Newell, he mentioned that the game’s ending is perfect for where the series is going to go next, and fans are wondering what’s going to happen to the series following the event’s of Half-life Alyx. 

For those who are unaware of where Alyx stands in the Half-Life Timeline, the game takes place before the events of Half-Life 2, but after the original title. Players step into the shoes of Alyx Vance, a fan-favorite character of the series, seen first in her debut in Half-Life 2, being the second person that Gordon Freeman meets in the game after stepping off the train to City 17. In the game, Alyx finds herself being captured by the combine after the hostile force breaks down the door of the safe house where she and her father were staying, being saved by Russel one of her father’s friends, it’s up to the two of them to rescue her father before he’s sent to Nova Prospect, With the game in VR it’s possible for the player to combat against headcrabs, combine, and other hostile enemies in the Half-Life world, in complete immersion, while being able to shoot, reload, and upgrade items without having to consult menus in the game. The title is also a full game, spanning around 8 hours, making it one of the few VR games to be a complete single-player package. 

During an interview with Gabe Newell Regarding the steam Deck, Newell had this to say when asked about Half-Life Alyx. “Endings are hard but, to us, it feels like the right progression for where we’re going with Half-Life,” Newell said when asked about the game’s ending. “So it worked perfectly in terms of where we’re headed.”

For those who are curious about the ending to Half-Life Alyx, but aren’t willing to play it, here’s what happened in the game. Spoiler’s ahead. The ending of Half-Life Alyx has the player enter the Vault, a massive floating prison which is assumed to house Gordon Freeman, Alyx enters the vault, and is stripped of her weapons, only to find out that the Gravity Gloves, the items Alyx is wearing, have become supercharged by the Vortigaunt Energy powering the prison, when Alyx makes it to the end of the Vault, she discovers that the vault isn’t holding Gordon Freeman, but holds the G-Man instead. Alyx is then transported with the G-Man who then offer’s her a job, but when Alyx declines, he then persuades Alyx by offering her the ability to stop the death of Eli Vance, her father. As Eli was murdered at the end of Half-Life 2: Episode 2. Alyx sees this happen, and then stops the death of her father, however, in return G-Man takes her away from that same point in time, meaning that Alyx disappears at the end of Episode 2, rather than Eli dying. After the credits roll for the game, an After Credits scene plays where Eli and Gordon witness the disappearance of Alex Vance. Eli knows exactly what happened, and hands Gordon a Crowbar, which signifies that the story is now officially continuing. 

With all this information in mind, this now sets the stage for a possible Half-Life 3, and while it’s most likely far from being complete, the series is now reinvigorated with the seeds set from the previous game. But only one question remains about the title, what is the future of Half-Life going to look like. Judging by the after-credits scene of Half-Life Alyx, the game is going to put players back into the shoes of Freeman, with Eli and Freeman on the hunt for the G-Man, now that Freeman isn’t under the control of the G-Man now. But, will the next game be a VR title? Or is the game going to be a hybrid title, with players being able to experience the game on both the flat screen and VR Devices?

According to the director’s commentary on Half-Life Alyx, originally the game was going to let players have a crowbar of their own, as every game had a melee weapon, but the Crowbar had a tendency to get caught on props and the environment, and player’s thought they were Gordon Freeman, reasoning that they had a Crowbar, so they had to be Gordon. Melee wasn’t an option in Alyx, with the game relegating the title to a shooter only. This seems like ample reasoning for the next game to be a Flatscreen-only title, however, with the extra time, Melee could become an option, and VR could still be a possibility. Would they be able to fix the issues with the melee mechanics in a VR Version of half Life 3? Or is Alyx going to be a VR-only title, seeing that Freeman wasn’t the main protagonist of the title? If another main series game were to be made for Virtual Reality, it would be certain that the title would have to refrain from being a VR exclusive, as the game is going alienate its audience, many fans were upset with the fact that the newest Half-Life game was VR Exclusive, it would be obvious that Half-Life 3 would be either a hybrid title or a Flat-Screen only title. 

Regardless, Newell is very happy with the way that Alyx Turned out, and the game has rejuvenated the half-Life series once more, keeping fans guessing and proving something that fans were worried about since the release of Half-Life 2: Episode 2. There will be Half-Life 3, and it’s coming. 

Source: https://www.esportstalk.com/news/gabe-newell-said-the-ending-of-half-life-alyx-worked-for-the-series-direction/