After 15 years in the making, a fan-made high-definition remake of Half-Life, Black Mesa, has officially released. Volunteer developers banned together to form Crowbar Collective, a small game development team, with the hopes of producing a high-quality remake of the beloved game. The release of Black Mesa couldn’t come at a more opportune time. Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx announcement came as a pleasant surprise, considering fans doubted the community would ever see a “Half-Life 3”.
Now that the game is just a few weeks away from launch, excitement is buzzing about the gaming community, and nostalgia for the original series couldn’t be higher. In fact, fans were so ecstatic about the newest installment in the series that Valve released the complete Half-Life collection (Half-Life, Half-Life: 2, Half-Life 2: Episode One, Half-Life 2: Episode 2) free-to-play on steam.
According to Steam, Black Mesa has been released in it’s completed 1.0 form and is currently available via the Steam client. With an initial release window of 2009, Black Mesa originally debuted in 2012 as a game mod in Half-Life 2. After overwhelmingly positive community reviews, the project has evolved into a standalone remake. Black Mesa has been accessible in an unfinished early-access version since 2015. In support of Crowbar Collective, Valve allowed the game to be sold on Steam. The final version updated the game with smarter enemies and redesigned levels.
Black Mesa’s development wasn’t easy. It took Crowbar Collective 15 years to complete the project. In particular, the last few years of development were filled with hiccups along the way as the team worked to redesign Xen levels. This redesign was a high priority for Crowbar, as the levels are seen as by far one of the most significant weaknesses of Half-Life. The level of dedication and love Crowbar developers have for the Black Mesa is evident in their relentless labor over the years.
The community hasn’t seen the last of Black Mesa just yet, however. In a Steam post, the developers revealed an update for the game post-launch, “Definitive Edition.” The update will include any additional adjustments to gameplay and mechanics. Additionally, the update will further polish the game. Crowbar Collective will also hold community events to share their knowledge of developing in Valve’s Source engine.
“Through luck, hard work, and maybe a bit of ignorance we didn’t shy away from our goal of bringing this game to completion. We are proud of what we built. We think this upcoming 1.0 release is the best, most polished, and most fun version of the game yet. The anticipation and excitement around our project is beyond flattering.” –Adam Lead, Black Mesa Project Lead
Next: Half-Life: Alyx’s Gravity Gloves Shine in New Gameplay Footage
Black Mesa is now available on Steam.
Source: Steam
