Fans of the Half-Life franchise can finally play the latest title in the series without having to splurge on a VR headset as a new mod for Half-Life: Alyx is now out, allowing fans to play with only a keyboard and mouse.
Half-Life: Alyx Mod is Here
According to a report by the WCCFTech, the first-ever Half-Life: Alyx mod is still "rough around the edges," given that it is currently using Half-Life 2 models for the weapons, and there are issues with jumping.
Nevertheless, it allows players who don't have a VR headset yet to play and experience the game.
In order to install the mod, fans need to download some files and then follow a set of instructions that are available at Icedwhisper's video that is already uploaded on YouTube.
Valve Knows It's Coming
The release of the mod is already anticipated by Valve, the creators of the infamous Half-Life franchise.
In an interview with Polygon, Robin Walker, who has worked on different titles including Team Fortress Classic, Counter-Strike, and previous Half-Life titles, said that he knows that a fan of the franchise is working hard to modify Half-Life: Alyx and make it playable without VR.
When asked if the mods bother him or anyone at Valve, Walker said: "There are a set of people on the team that are concerned about that. Personally, I'm not concerned about it at all."
His reason is simple: modifying the game will make people realize why the developers had explicitly made it for VR.
"It will be a very crisp way of seeing all the stuff we got for the move into VR. If people play [a modded version on a standard display] and say this is just as good, that will teach me a lot," he added.
Additionally, fans of the game who get to play it through VR will experience being inside the game and directly interacting with it, such as reloading a gun with a hand-tracker controller instead of pressing a button.
For Walker, the mods are a great way of showcasing the stark difference of playing Half-Life: Alyx in VR compared to modifying it and making it work in a way that it was never meant to be played and although he doesn't encourage it "for the sake of the other members of the team," he knows the mods are coming.
A First Look at VR-Free Half-Life: Alyx
Fans of the franchise may have also gotten the idea to modify the game after Valve News Network creator Tyler McVicker has demoed a VR-free version of Half-Life: Alyx during a data mining livestream earlier last week.
However, the demo is only limited to the most basic of interactions, as noted by Eurogamer.
McVicker has also anticipated Half-Life: Alyx mods, but even he said that they're "not going to be fun" as the prequel is not meant to be played like its predecessor, Half-Life 2.
Nevertheless, the mod is an excellent way for fans who are itching to play the long-awaited game, especially since it has been far too long since the franchise has gained another title.
Half-Life: Alyx is now available on Steam.
