Half-Life Alyx: 13 Biggest Questions Answered For New Fans

By Jordan Rylins / March 20, 2020

In 1998, Valve released Half-Life 1, innovating the first-person shooter genre.

Between 2004 and 2007 they released a sequel, along with two episodes of DLC, expanding upon the story and offering new areas to explore. Roughly 13 long years later we are finally getting an update to the Half-Life story.

Exclusive to VR, Half-Life: Alyx tells a narrative through the eyes of Alyx Vance, main character Gordon Freeman’s companion in the previous game.

With such a dedicated fanbase and globally recognised popularity, we thought it appropriate to provide a breakdown of all-things Half-Life.

I'll do my best to catch up newer fans of the franchise or older fans who might have forgotten about all the wonderful little details of this unique universe.

We’ll be discussing everything from the first game to the last, including answering questions regarding Alyx Vance’s current timeline, the whereabouts of Gordon Freeman, the importance of VR and who exactly the G-Man is.

So, whether you’re here to brush up on your knowledge or learn something new, hopefully you’ll be able to lose a few precious minutes in the countdown to Half-Life: Alyx’s release.

13. When Is Half-Life: Alyx Set?

Now, we're going to be breaking down terminology, factions and character names throughout, so don't worry if most of this entry doesn't fully make sense. It will.

So, prompting the term Half-Life 1.5, Half-Life: Alyx will be set between the 'Black Mesa Incident' - occurring during Half-Life 1 - and before Half-Life 2.

This may not be as exciting as simply releasing Half-Life 3, but there are quite a lot of factors that play into the timeframe. Firstly, tensions surrounding the 'Combine invasion' are in a different place, meaning Alyx will likely have more freedom to explore.

Since the game predates Half-Life 2's add-on Episodes, we’ll also likely get to see Eli Vance, Alyx’s father, some variation of Dog, her mechanical pet, and the possible impact the mysterious 'G-Man' has on Alyx’s life.

There’s a lot to think about in regard to this timing but mostly it’ll come down to experiencing the results of the Seven Hour War and the potentially quieter atmosphere before Half-Life 2.

The G-Man currently has no use for Gordon, and may be spending his time focusing on other people, such as Alyx.

Now, with the basic framework laid out, let's fill in the gaps.