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Black Mesa is an FPS developed by Crowbar Collective, and the Definitive Edition was released in 2020.
This is the Source Engine Remake of the cult first Half-Life published in 1998.
The least we can say is that the talented developers have masterfully revisited Valve's masterpiece.
The great scenario of the game originally written by Marc Laidlaw remains unchanged.
The player embodies Gordon Freeman, a brilliant scientist recently graduated from M.I.T.,
working at the Black Mesa Research Center in New Mexico.
During an experiment aimed at analyzing a crystal of unknown origin,
an immense catastrophe of unprecedented scale occurred: a resonance cascade.
Dimensional portals open here and there from which unfriendly aliens emerge.
The army was called in to help stop the invasion,
but seems determined to cover up the whole affair.
You must do everything to try to get out of there, help your colleagues in difficulty, and destroy what is at the origin of this disaster...
Black Mesa lives by Half-Life's motto of "Run, Think, Shoot, Live."
The game retains the charm of yesteryear, oscillating between combat, reflection, and platform making it original.
Unlike the sadly unloved Half-Life Source, Black Mesa is not a simple port of the first Half-Life to the Source Engine.
Although the maps, enemies and plot are similar, the developers have taken some liberties, refreshing the original work.
The very essence of the game is respected, and even embellished in many areas.
The pace of the combat is much more frantic, the shootouts are dynamic to say the least.
Some complex sequences have been simplified, while others have been largely redesigned.
The game has a much more elaborate and spectacular staging than its glorious ancestor, and sometimes offers great moments of bravery.
We are amazed at every moment,
since the effect of nostalgia is enhanced by all the new things.
Half-Life has never been more beautiful and immersive than in Black Mesa.
The game pushes the limits of the ancient but still very effective Source Engine.
The graphics are sublime, the lighting and reflections magnificent,
the particle effects striking…
The weapons become covered in blood when you pulverize an enemy in close combat,
the game can be very gory,
almost giving the impression of playing a modern version of Brutal Half-Life.
The game accentuates its connection with the other illustrious Half-Life games, by borrowing various elements from them, including gameplay mechanics.
It's possible to pick up various objects to clear your path, to burn Zombies using flares, to look for a valve to place on its support in order to use it, to reconnect a cable to a socket, to launch a flammable barrel on the tongue of the Barnacles so that it explodes once it reaches their mouth...
The sprint system and the flashligt are similar to Half-Life 2, except that they no longer drain the battery of the H.E.V. Suit.
The NPCs are much more numerous and detailed than in the past.
First of all, scientists have a plethora of models, including female ones for the first time.
Female scientists should have appeared in Half-Life 1, but only a few leftovers remain in the Half-Life Alpha and Half-Life Source files.
The models of security guards are also much more diverse and better armed.
Indeed, if they are often equipped with their famous pistol, some have revolvers and even shotguns!
From time to time you can even lead a small squad of "Barneys" and Scientists.
These valuable allies often interact with each other and have new lines of dialogue, in addition to those already well known.
Some recognizable characters and elements now appear in Black Mesa.
Gordon meets the likeable Issac Kleiner and Eli Vance early in the game.
Vortigaunts communicate the same way as in Half-Life 2. Galanga!
Don't forget Dr. Magnusson’s famous "microwave casserole"…
The enemies are essentially the same as in Half-Life, but with models that resemble some of those in Half-Life 2, including their animations.
In addition to the already well-known Xen creatures (including the iconic Headcrabs, the intelligent Vortigaunts, the fierce Bullsquids and many others), Black Mesa introduces :
the Zombie Torso previously seen in Half-Life 2,
the Zombie Security Guards and H.E.C.U. coming straight from Opposing Force and Blue Shift,
two new variants of Houndeyes, the first one is explosive and kamikaze, while the second is a larger and beefier,
and a sort of underwater Barnacle, undoubtedly drawing inspiration from the unfinished Sand Barnacle from Half-Life 2 Beta.
The Military H.E.C.U. and Black Ops are as tough as ever, and can give you a hard time.
They communicate constantly, attack in groups and are not there to make up the numbers.
Female Assassins are extremely agile and flawlessly precise,
and have the same Long-Fall Boots as the protagonist of Portal 1 and 2, Chell !
Additionally, there may be enemies where there were none in the original game.
Black Mesa is much larger than before, and teeming with life and little details that will delight even the biggest fans.
The weapons are exactly the same as in Half-Life, but are not necessarily picked up in the same place.
Some have a few difference differences in their gameplay, such as:
The 357 Magnum has an Iron Sight, similar to Half-Life 1 in multiplayer.
The crossbow has a real scope at the scope, making it more practical and more realistic.
However, all those guns seem much more powerful and impactful, giving a more dynamic combat feeling than in the past.
The last part of the game, taking place in the "Border World" Xen, has been completely remade.
The artistic direction is totally original and splendid, it's a perpetual visual feast.
It almost feels like we're on the planet Pandora from the Avatar, one of James Cameron's masterpieces of the Seventh Art.
This alien universe is adorned with its most beautiful shimmering colors, mixing caves worthy of HL2: Episode Two, lush jungles, and settings similar to the abyss.
The firmament is covered with clouds of sparkling stars and a multitude of celestial objects.
This ecosystem made up of several biomes is teeming with life and details of the highest quality.
The flora is colorful, accentuating the exoticism of this distant land.
The local fauna is variegated, and while Boids fly peacefully in the skies, other species are much more harmful.
The aliens that we slay throughout the game are there have new variants.
The Vortigaunts are much more surprising beings than we might think at first glance...
Some areas are very industrialized and mechanical, while others are tribal and primitive, like in the Oddworld games.
Xen contains traces of human activities, there are some installations and devices of all kinds.
The original soundtrack by Joel Nielsen is simply masterful.
It magnificently accentuates the feeling of strangeness and drama of the events suffered by Gordon Freeman with quite calm and mysterious sounds.
During the fights, the music is very rock or orchestral and emphasizes the epic feeling of this atypical and mythical sci-fi shooter.
On Xen, the music is as unique as it's breathtaking, composed of captivating sounds and exquisite lyrical female vocalizations.
Black Mesa respects the authenticity of Half-Life by providing it with the necessary new features and accessibility.
Newcomers will love the intriguing storyline, the masterfully orchestrated staging, and its anthology sequences.
While veterans of the Half-Life franchise who have completed the first game countless times will appreciate the improved graphics, realistic physics, dynamic combat, subtle references to other episodes, and all the elements brought by this remake.
The original work from 1998 is in no way stripped of its charm and is brilliantly modernized, with a delicious touch of fan service added.
This is a must-have game.