Crowbar Collective’s Black Mesa is a fan-made remake of the original Half Life reimagined in the source engine. After over ten years of development, the game finally released in March of 2020. This was around when I got the game, as my entry into the Half-Life series. Although slightly frustrating and buggy on release, the game is definitely one of my favourites and I’d highly recommend anyone to play, both for new and returning half-life fans.
My favourite part was the environment. Everything from the level design to the sound design to the graphics really blend to make the Black Mesa facility feel like this giant complex. The team did a great job at showing the differences between the older parts of the facility compared to the newer ones.
The AI and combat in the game doesn’t feel like the original Half-Life, with the max pistol/SMG ammo being nerfed and damage being nerfed overall, and the HECU soldiers can now move whilst shooting, making the combat feel more arcade-y. The marines are now a lot more prevalent in the facility, with a lot more fights placed between areas. Again, different from the original game but I still found it enjoyable.
Xen is a big talking point for Black Mesa, how it’s almost completely original in Crowbar Collective’s remake. It’s visually stunning and the parkour segments are a lot smoother in Black Mesa’s Xen. I’ve heard complaints that the classic plug puzzle is used too much, but I didn’t feel this except for maybe one or two areas.
All-in-all, I really enjoyed Black Mesa. I’m a sucker for the soft-sci-fi near-future secret lab aesthetic and I really felt immersed by the game. The combat is iffy but it’s still source engine gunplay, so if you’re a fan of Garry’s Mod or Half-Life 2, you’ll enjoy Black Mesa. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get into the Half-Life series but is offput by the graphics. Does it replace the original Half-Life? No, but it’s still a nice game and I’m glad to see a passion project do so well.
Black mesa more like best game ever