Half-Life: Alyx is not only a beautiful game, but it is above all what virtual reality needed to be desired and understood by the world, understood as that potential audience that until then had looked at it numb, taking refuge in its prejudices for not admit its potential.
Valve's title has probably moved much less public than the headset manufacturers hoped, but at least it has collected and settled in a real grammar of VR all those experiences that over the years they had tried to explore this recent technology, despite not having the latter large means available to go further than pure experimentation. Many have harshly criticized Valve's choice to launch a new Half-Life, after more than ten years of silence, on such an uncommon platform, but after playing it it was clear to everyone that the ideas contained in the Half-Life prequel Life 2 weren't simply applicable to a "flat" product, to put it like those who eat bread and VR every day.
The saga continues
The strength of Half-Life: Alyx is precisely that of being possible in its final form and achieved only thanks to the viewers, without which it would not simply become "other" , but it just wouldn't exist, if not as a simulacrum of itself. Someone is trying to mod it and convert it into a normal FPS, which does not require viewers whatsoever, however revealing even more how senseless and, in a sense, unfair to do so. Deprived of certain forms of interaction and the player's direct gaze into his world, Alyx literally fades, losing depth and becoming much less engaging. It turns into a senseless rush with misplaced levels and enemies who seem to have misunderstood their very existence. It is true that many would simply like to be able to play the new Half-Life to follow up on the experience truncated after Episode 2, but if to do so you have to tear the backbone of the game it is better to watch it on YouTube, at least we demean ourselves but do not commit a crime!
Story
Half-Life: Alyx puts the player in the role of Alyx Vance, a character already seen in Half-Life 2. Daughter of the scientist Eli Vance, a veteran from Black Mesa incident (lived in Half-life), is one of the leaders of the anti Combine resistance, which operates in the bowels of City17. The facts told by the game take place five years before the return of Gordon Freeman, but they manage to change the cards on the table of the entire series, opening up some really interesting and much discussed perspectives for future episodes (which hopefully there will be) . Alyx must rescue Eli before the combine takes him to Nova Prospekt for questioning. Successful in the enterprise, it will be the parent who will give her a new mission that will introduce her to some fundamental characters and better understand the nature of the invasion, up to the shocking closure that left everyone a bit stunned.
Gameplay
The best part of Half-Life: Alyx is still the gameplay, including levels designed to perfection to marry virtual reality, exquisite environmental puzzles and exciting shootings, the latter possible thanks to the system designed by Valve and the artificial intelligence of the enemies, definitely above average. However, the environmental interaction is fundamental, the real fulcrum of the experience, which offers the possibility of touching and moving a bit of everything, using a large amount of objects for the most imaginative purposes. For example, you can deflect the attack of a headcrab by brandishing a chair, or you can use doors to surprise enemies, or you can grab ammunition on the fly by reaching out. The reactions to what happens during the adventure are natural and very human, one might say, but the wonderful thing is how they are supported by the game system, which manages to predict and support them in a way never seen before, always maintaining a very high involvement. br>
Why GOTY
Even though it was not selected to compete for the 2020 Game Awards GOTY award, ending up relegated to only four sub-categories, many believe Valve's one of the best games in the year, as well as among the most courageous in its radical choice not to rely on the most widespread platforms. Perhaps this is precisely what penalized him, ending up denying him the support of the public and part of the press, where the newspapers that follow the world of virtual reality with interest can be counted on the fingers of one hand. Too bad, because it would have been nice to see him compete for the most prestigious awards, obtaining the prestige he deserves and a showcase that allows him to reappear on the main square of the industry.
