Half-Life

Softonic review

Action-packed FPS

Half-Life is a first-person shooter game from Valve. First released for Windows in 1998, this action game redefined the way videogames incorporated storytelling and world-building. Instead of focusing on gunning down endless waves of monsters, It makes you think by putting you through clever and dangerous puzzles instead of the usual locked doors of some similar games. You need to react quickly to enemies that can teleport randomly or block themselves in covered areas. The game boasts a unique narrative approach, coupled with an interesting story and tactical gameplay. It also has compelling level design, advanced graphics, and technical innovations, making it the science fiction hit that it is today. 

Redefining a genre

Half-Life stars a theoretical physician named Gordon Freeman, who—armed with a crowbar—must make his way through a ruined Black Mesa research facility to stop the massive alien invasion. The basic concepts of the game are simple. There is a short tutorial disguised as part of the game that will tell you everything you need to know before you dive right into the game. The HUD is also minimal but thorough. Be warned, though: while the game is easy to learn, mastering it will be hard. 

There is no hand-holding throughout the game. It forces you to think your way through levels instead of telling you what to do and doesn’t even give you a hint. This also applies to the final boss fight. You have to figure out for yourself how to defeat the enemy through trial and error. To get through a level faster, you need to pay close attention to your conversations with NPCs. These conversations are your main source of information throughout the game. 

Valve hit on a gold mine with Half-Life. It has many strong points that paved the way for its huge success. It is brilliant in terms of gameplay, smart AI, weapons, ammo structuring, and health packages. The no hand-holding technique may frustrate some players, but this level of difficulty is enough for those who love solving puzzles. There are still some caveats to patch, but they can easily be overlooked. Overall, Half-Life is one of the best first-person shooters in the history of gaming.