14 years is a long time to wait for anything, but it's a particularly long time to wait for the next chapter of one of the greatest FPS games ever made. The appetite for Valve to resurrect the scrapped Half-Life 2 Episode 3, or make a full Half-Life 3, so that Gordon Freeman's story can continue is ravenous. The fact that several years ago the series' chief writer, Marc Laidlaw, seemingly revealed a synopsis of what Half Life's next story beat may have been only rubs salt into the wound. However, a team of Freeman fanatics is taking matters into their own hands with Project Borealis, an Unreal Engine 5 interpretation of what Half-Life 3 could've been. Now, you can get a taste of what this team is building with an all new prologue.
Inspired by Laidlaw's post, which is now removed from his own website but has been archived by the Half-Life 3 will look and feel like, and to practise developing wintery environments, today's new demo takes you to a new, frostier version of iconic Half-Life 2 location, Ravenholm.
The development team Icebreaker Industries says that it has taken "a few artistic liberties" with its recreation of Ravenholm – and not just by way of the fact that it has been "transformed by time and the elements." However, it's for good reason.
"This exercise [developing the prologue] allowed the team to simultaneously develop multiple core Half-Life 2 features and stylistic choices, while refining them with modern engine technology in a familiar setting," studio director 'Postulio' says in a new developer update video that's released alongside today's launch. He says that translating the assets and feel of Half-Life 2 in the Source engine over to Unreal Engine 5 has been challenging, but the early glimpses of gameplay look incredibly impressive, with the gunplay, movement, and object physics of the original all looking massively modernized.
"Throughout Ravenholm players will get a chance to see these systems in action. As players navigate the prologue they'll encounter several specific moments, some iconic to the original Ravenholm, and others unique to our interpretation."
The events of the prologue take place before the events of the full Project Borealis experience, which will do much more than simply revisit old Half-Life locations. So don't expect this demo to start unfurling too many narrative threads and totally scratch that Half-Life 3 itch.
However, it will give you a sense of how this ambitious project will feel once it's finally finished. It's important to note that as a community endeavor, development is going to take some time – for a sense of scale, Project Borealis was first announced in 2017, and its most recent developer update before today was aired over four years ago. Still, with the launch of the prologue, you're going to be able to play something resembling Half-Life 3 before GTA 6 – I see that as a win.
The Project Borealis prologue is out on Steam right now and is free to and play. For more info on this demo and to grab it for yourself, head to its Steam page here.
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