Valve approves Half-Life roguelike remake
Valve has given the green light to a Half-Like roguelike remake, and better yet, it's already playable before it heads over to Steam.
06th Jun 2023 14:01
Valve | PinkyDev
Valve approves Half-Life roguelike remake
Valve has given the green light to a Half-Like roguelike remake, and better yet, it's already playable before it heads over to Steam.
06th Jun 2023 14:01
Valve | PinkyDev
Valve might have an aversion to the number three, but as we give up on hopes of ever seeing Half-Life 3, the developer has given the green light to a remake... of sorts. The original Half-Life has just been remade as a roguelike, and better yet, Valve actually approves of the project.
Since its release in 1998, Half-Life has become synonymous with the first-person shooter genre and is up there alongside Portal as one of Valve's defining titles. Crowbar Collective released Black Mesa as a third-party Half-Life remake in 2020, but now, we're moving into a new medium.
What is the Half-Life roguelike remake?
Originally called Half-Life Loop but later renamed as Codename: Loop to avoid confusion, the title is the work of modder PinkyDev. Here, Gordon Freeman is locked in the Black Messa and trapped in an infinite loop by G-Man. You're faced with recurring combat challenges as you try to escape - passing G-Man's test.
Back in October 2022, PinkyDev posted on the Codename: Loop site and explained, "I'm very happy to announce that Codename: Loop is going to be released on Steam when the game is ready!" They hoped a demo would be available by the end of the year, and now, it's become a reality.
In the Codename: Loop demo, you take control of Freeman in a locale based on Half-Life's Questionable Ethics level. As reported by PCGamesN, you can create your own maps that are modelled on some legends from Half-Life, as well as import classic Half-Life enemies and weapons.
What happened to Half-Life 3?
There's no news on when Codename: Loop will release on Steam, but for now, it should satisfy our Half-Life hunger. Despite a loyal fan base holding out hope, most dreams of Half-Life 3 has been largely tossed aside.
Although Valve boss Gabe Newell referred to Half-Life 2's episodes as a pseudo-Half-Life 3, a full-blown third game was reportedly in development around 2013/2014. IGN refers to The Final Hours of Half-Life: Alyx and claims five Half-Life games were canned between Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Alyx.
Valve has never formally acknowledged the existence of Half-Life 3, although it was supposedly in the works using the Source 2 engine and was inspired by Left 4 Dead. It sounds like an ambitious project that would've used procedural generation, but unfortunately, it never came to be.
The future of Half-Life remains unclear, but if Valve is willing to allow the likes of Codename: Loop to exist, it suggests the dev is keen to keep the series' name alive - at least in some form. Even if we're not getting Half-Life 3, putting a roguelike spin on the IP is a win for us.
About The Author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
