The frantic sequence of running in the dark not knowing where the enemy was or where a source of light could be became more frustrating than exciting. This wave defense suffers due to your flashlight and sprint draining the same meter, thankfully an issue resolved in Episode 2. I understand the tone they were going for, as the blackness was featured earlier and imbued a sense of fear since your flashlight relies on a draining resource and your other options for lights are flares or explosive items, the former of which barely gives off a light and the latter is deadly when shot too close to your location. The highlight of gameplay in Episode 1 would be the final underground section in which you fight against waves of headcrab infected soldiers and civilians in a pitch black basement. I do love City 17, as it is familiar and home to my favorite sequence from Half-Life 2–the opening–but Episode 1 doesn’t feature any memorable sections of the city by comparison. This increased speed means there is very little downtime, but in the restricted setting–you spend the entire time in City 17’s underground or streets–means it all blends together as well due to that speed. Both the acquisition of a full weapon wheel and escalation of conflict from headcrabs to gunships is done in much shorter time. In Episode 1, you encounter the familiar cycle of puzzle-combat-story with a shortened lifespan of 4 hours as opposed to 10+ from before. “Inverting the ultimate goal of Half-Life 2, Episode 1 requires you to get as far away from the Citadel as possible.”Įpisode 1 is a Greatest Hits condensation of the base game of Half-Life 2 some elements are inverted, such as beginning with the god-like gravity gun and trying to get away from the City 17 Citadel. All of these elements in Half-Life 2 were exemplified best in contrasting ways through the game’s two expansions after its release in 2004: Episode 1 in 2006, and Episode 2 in 2007. I never had great expectations going into the series, as when does any breathless praise of a game live up to its reality? However I was impressed by its atmosphere, both for the empty city and buildings, as well as its distinctive audio cues and ambience.
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