“Half-Life: Alyx” turns a sentimental PC series into a modern virtual reality (VR) experience. 

“Half-Life: Alyx” is a prequel to “Half-Life 2,” a game originally released in 2004, that has had fans waiting for a sequel ever since. The “Half Life” series spans eight games, which have been released over the course of 22 years. 

After the supposed end to the series with “Half Life 2: Episode Two” in 2007, rumors on the internet were widely spread about the possibility of a “Half-Life 3” game that has yet to come to fruition. Although “Half-Life: Alyx” takes place after the original “Half-Life” but before “Half-Life 2,” fans are thrilled to get any sort of development in the lore of the series.

“Half-Life: Alyx” is a VR-exclusive game. As such, players can only access the game on Windows-compatible VR headsets, including the Valve Index, HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest (using the Windows-connected “Oculus Link” feature) and Windows Mixed Reality. 

Since its release on March 23, “Half-Life: Alyx” has garnered glowing reviews. It holds a 10/10 rating on Steam as well as a 92 percent rating on Metacritic. The incredibly realistic graphics, expansions on the “Half-Life” lore and a surprising after-credits scene are just a few elements that fans are raving about. 

One unique aspect that stands out from other VR games is the length of “Half-Life: Alyx.” The main story game play clocks in at about 16 hours of content. Due to mainstream VR games being relatively new, it is common for games to last as short as a few minutes. 

The story of “Half-Life: Alyx” differs from its predecessors as well. This most recent addition to the “Half-Life” series has players taking on the role of Alyx Vance, as opposed to Gordon Freeman. Alyx and her father Eli attempt to fight alien invaders, known as the Combine. Players use their VR controllers as “gravity gloves” in the game, which allows players to manipulate objects, interact with the environment, solve puzzles and engage in combat. 

The creator of the “Half-Life” series, Valve, has said that there are no current plans to release “Half-Life: Alyx” for non-VR consoles, as it was designed for VR-capabilities.