I don’t think there’s ever been more hype surrounding the release of a VR game than there has been for Half-Life: Alyx these past few months. Now, roughly two weeks away from the previously announced launch window—Valve has finally revealed the games’ official release date: March 23rd.

That’s right, in less than six weeks we’ll be neck-deep in Combine soldiers and marauding head crab zombies as we make our triumphant return to City 17. Along with a confirmed launch date, Valve has also released a handful of new screens showing off more of the sprawling environments we’ll soon be traversing. 

Valve also included three new photos showing off three vastly different game areas. The photo featured above shows what appears to be the beginning of a close-quarters gun battle inside an unfinished construction site. Two Combine soldiers can also be seen in the shot; the one in the front looks to be a standard infantry class enemy, while the larger, more menacing soldier in the background could be some sort of a “heavy” class. 

Another photo shows a drastically different scene, one more akin to a horror film than an action-adventure game. In this shot, we see what appears to be a decrepit, run-down apartment complex that’s been long overrun by Combine aliens. In the distance, we can clearly see a head crab zombie stumbling about mindlessly as well as a single barnacle mounted to the ceiling. For those unfamiliar with Half-Life lore, these annoying little buggers set traps for their prey, leaving their long tongue-like appendages dangling above the ground just waiting to catch an unsuspecting passer-by. 

The final photo shows us more of the chaotic streets making up City 17. We can see a massive drainage canal, a familiar location for anyone who’s played Half-Life 2, filled with rubble and debris. Most interesting about this shot, however, are the orange pegs and strange green text scattered across the walls below an underpass.

While it’s unclear what the text means, these orange pegs could be teasing some sort of climbing mechanic; they do appear to be in the perfect positions for someone to scale like a rock wall. Again, this is pure speculation, but considering both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 featured a fair amount of platforming, it wouldn’t be too surprising to learn Valve has adapted these mechanics for the VR format.

Valve ends their thread of updates by confirming that pre-order bonuses will be heading out to early backers on March 2nd. This includes custom Steam VR Home environments taken straight out Half-Life: Alyx. The game is also 10% off at the moment, so now would be an ideal time to secure your copy.

Half-Life: Alyx launches March 23rd for $59.99 on Valve Index, HTC Vive, Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift, and Oculus Quest via Oculus Link.

For more information, be sure to keep visiting VRScout as we continue to provide regular updates on Half-Life: Alyx before, during, and after its release.

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