(Review is based on Hard difficulty, which I recommend unless you’ve never touched Half-Life before.)

Quality-wise, this could easily have been another official DLC like Blue Shift or Opposing Force and probably outdoes them by far. I enjoyed it overall, but towards the end (I won’t say exactly where to avoid spoilers) the game drags on a bit too much, and I ended up speedrunning the last few levels.

You really notice the careful attention to how much ammo and health they give you. If you make a couple of mistakes, you’ll be left with very little to work with, but the game also rewards you for landing headshots, which makes the combat satisfying.

Probably the most iconic feature of this mod is that weapon switching takes time. This forces a more defensive and less aggressive playstyle. It’s an interesting twist—something I wouldn’t want in every Half-Life mod, but it was refreshing to experience it here.

As I mentioned earlier, towards the end the game starts to feel a bit like a chore. You really notice how the developers intentionally place enemies in frustrating spots, almost as if some unseen overlord is watching and trying to kill you.

Overall, definitely worth playing!