Half-Life: Alyx's "Re-Education" mod takes you back to school (not the good kind)

Half-Life: Alyx's

A new mod for Half-Life: Alyx promises new excitement for the flagship VR title. A designer from publisher Annapurna is behind the campaign.

Annapurna Interactive is known for creative narrative games like the atmospheric adventure "What Remains of Edith Finch" or the cat adventure "Stray." One of the company's level designers is also very active in his spare time. Nathaniel Grove, aka Polygrove, released the mod "Re-Education" for the VR hit Half-Life: Alyx on March 10th.

Explorers of abandoned places should particularly enjoy the setting - a winding, dilapidated school building. You can download the free mini-campaign, which is around 40 minutes long, from the VR game's Steam Workshop.

Mini-campaign for Half-Life: Alyx

Grove didn't join Annapurna Interactive until 2022, so he hasn't worked on the developer's most popular titles. However, those familiar with the company may know him for his work on the sci- fi platformer Solar Ash, which is available for various 2D systems.

Grove's experience as a level designer and environmental artist is evident when exploring the dimly lit school. Glowing growths and "lightning dogs" lurking in their hiding places provide delightful discomfort from the very first exploration. The story stays in the context of the main game, focusing on a slower pace and storytelling through the environment.

On the way to a remote hideout in City 17, the Combine occupiers stop the train that Alyx is taking through the region. To remove the barricade, the heroine must work her way to a switch in the school building, repair dysfunctional elevators and overcome other technological challenges.

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A colleague from the Solar Ash team is also involved in the modification, namely the English dubbing. Voice actor Troupe Gammage took over the voice of Russell and Marissa DuBois lends her voice to Alyx in the new adventure.

Aside from the voice actors and a few other details, Grove single-handedly created "Re-Education." Most user reviews on Steam are enthusiastic about the atmosphere, the boss fight, and the creative use of devices.

Half-Life: Alyx: Second spring thanks to strong VR mods

After many small fan mods, Half-Life: Alyx is currently experiencing a second spring with larger story campaigns. Alongside "Bioshock: Return to Rapture" (info), "Levitation" (review) is one of the most elaborate modifications for Half-Life: Alyx. The latter only has a playtime of three to four hours but offers a completely new story campaign with Alyx in City-17.

Sources: Steam-Workshop