Half-Life has been a franchise stuck in limbo for a long time, with fans waiting years for a follow-up to Half-Life 2: Episode 2, which released back in 2007. Now, Half-Life has emerged from its slumber, albeit in a form that nobody expected.

Instead of a Half-Life 3 that continues from where the series left off, Valve is coming out with Half-Life: Alyx, which takes place during Gordon Freeman’s slumber between Half-Life 1 and Half-Life 2. You play as Alyx Vance, a companion from the Half-Life 2 games, in her fight with her adoptive father Eli Vance against the Combine. Though not a formal sequel to Half-Life 2: Episode 2, it essentially still acts as a continuation of Half-Life’s world.

What’s more unexpected than the sudden announcement is how the gameplay presents itself. It’s still a first-person shooter with exploration and puzzle elements, but it’s now presented through VR. Alyx progresses through the game using Gravity Gloves to simulate your own movements, while invoking the franchise’s iconic Gravity Gun. Valve, of course, has its own in-house VR headset, the Valve Index, to play the game; in fact, Half-Life: Alyx seems to be bundled with the headset now, to sweeten the deal. While a lot of current VR experiences are short and/or experimental, Half-Life: Alyx is an ambitious endeavor aiming to be as long as Half-Life 2 at more than 10+ hours long, which may make it the most fully realized VR experience so far.

There is, however, the issue of the game being inaccessible to a lot of people, due to it exclusively being a VR game. Consider the fact that the entire Valve Index kit is a whopping $999, which is already astronomical. While the game is reportedly compatible with other VR headsets, those are still expensive in general and the computer needs to be able to handle VR, especially with how graphics intensive Half-Life: Alyx seems to be.

Besides Valve regulars, Half-Life: Alyx is also being worked on by Campo Santo staff, which was acquired by Valve last year. The former Firewatch developers were working on what was supposed to be the studio’s second game, In the Valley of the Gods, though a tweet by @ValveNewsNetwor noted that a few staffers removed the game from their Twitter bios. It’s unknown if that game was quietly put on hold in favor of Half-Life: Alyx or of it’s still being worked on. Half-Life: Alyx is projected to be released in March 2020 and is currently up for pre-purchase. It will cost $59.99, but as stated before, it’s free for anyone that owns a Valve Index. It’s the continuation that everybody’s waiting for; though, it’s a continuation with a steep price.

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