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In my opinion, Half-Life 2 is an amazing sequel to an amazing game. I think the first game is paced better but Half-Life 2 takes the player on quite a fun journey and introduces some cool stuff including physics-based gameplay. Half-Life 2 was followed up by an extra level and episodic sequels; Episode One and Episode Two. This review will focus on Episode One. Developed and published by Valve, Half-Life 2: Episode One was released for PC in June, 2006 and as part of The Orange Box, released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2007. For this review, I played the PC version. Episode One continues where Half-Life 2 left off and showcases some updates to the Source engine.

Episode One continues the story of Half-Life 2. The Citadel’s reactor is destroyed and Gordon is greeted by the mysterious G-Man. Vortigaunts appear and save Alyx and Gordon from the explosion and the two end up in the ruins of City 17. They learn that the Citadel’s core will collapse and destroy the city so they set out to stabilize the core to buy enough time to escape. It’s a pretty straightforward tale but what really makes it stand out is the development of Alyx. She and Gordon will travel together throughout most of the campaign, adding a cooperative element to the gameplay. The atmosphere and tone is definitely in line with that of Half-Life 2 and my biggest complaint with the episode is its short length. You can beat it in a single sitting.
Episode One continues the series tradition of immersing the player into the world and narrative by never taking control away from the player and the pacing remains pretty consistent here throughout. Although, I would expect as much just because of how short it is. If you’re already invested in the world of Half-Life, I don’t think Episode One will disappoint but it might leave you wanting more. It contains a good balance of exploration, puzzle-solving, and action but just when things really start to pick up, it ends.

Unlike the Half-Life 2 campaign, you don’t spend much time alone in Episode One. Gordon and Alyx will travel and fight enemies together and her AI has been significantly improved. A good chunk of the beginning of the campaign has Gordon using the Gravity Gun with Alyx backing him up, and they can work together. Gordon can bring her Rollermines to reprogram to target enemies and at certain points, he can use his flashlight to spot enemies for her to kill. One sequence has her providing covering fire with a rifle as Gordon makes his way through hostile areas. While some of the cooperative elements are scripted, the cooperative aspect does feel kind of refreshing.
Outside of the cooperative stuff with Alyx, Episode One is basically just more Half-Life 2. Unfortunately, there’s no new locales but you will navigate around some new areas. There’s also no new weapons but there are some new foes like the Stalkers and Zombines. You’ll engage plenty of Combine forces which showcase some AI improvements and will crouch more often. You’ll get to take down a gunship and Strider, use the Gravity Gun to push cars onto Antlion holes preventing them from emerging, battle alongside resistance members in City 17, and solve some puzzles to progress in typical Half-Life fashion.

What really stands out to me about this campaign isn’t so much the new or improved gameplay elements. It’s the situations and set pieces. You’ll help Alyx defend an area from zombies in the dark, move through a hospital evading attacks from a gunship, and help escort citizens to a train as you’re attacked by Combine forces. There’s quite a few exciting moments peppered throughout the campaign and nothing ever feels padded or overstays its welcome. There’s no driving sequences or anything that really brings down the pacing. Episode One is a short and tight campaign with plenty of excitement packed into it. It’s just a shame it’s so short.
When it comes to the presentation, Episode One looks slightly better than Half-Life 2. I know it showcases improved facial animations and the high-dynamic-range rendering that was introduced in Lost Coast. The environments are detailed and I like the war-torn look of City 17. As expected, the environmental design and details all add to the series tradition of excellent worldbuilding. As for the audio, the sound work is on par with that of Half-Life 2 and music is used sparingly. Songs kick in at certain points helping to create certain moods and elevate tension. On the technical side, the game ran great and I encountered no major issues.

I enjoyed Episode One but I really wish there was more to it. It feels like more Half-Life 2 which isn’t a bad thing but I wish it introduced more new stuff. New locales, new weapons, and even more new enemies. In some ways, Episode One feels very much like a been there done that kind of experience. But I do think the cooperative stuff with Alyx adds a slightly new dynamic to the typical Half-Life style of gameplay. It’s nice not feeling completely alone through the whole thing and having someone watch your back. The environments are well designed and the pacing remains pretty consistent throughout. The series style of worldbuilding remains solid here and I feel Episode One does a great job at immersing the player into the world and narrative in typical Half-Life fashion. Other than that, there’s not much else to say about it. It doesn’t reach the same highs as the Half-Life 2 campaign and you can finish it in under five hours but it is a good time, nonetheless.
I would recommend Half-Life 2: Episode One because it’s a fun campaign. It’s just very short. But what’s here is fun and you can get it for pretty cheap nowadays. If I look at it as part of the Half-Life 2 package, I think it’s a fine add-on and solid continuation. But as a standalone game, I think it should have offered more.