Feeling the hair stand on my arms as the track “Questionable Ethics” kicks off an ambush from repelling soldiers was an absolute thrill, and many other tracks induce similar feelings throughout the rest of the game.
No matter the situation, each track succeeds at building on the emotional tone set by the corresponding actions taking place in the game and at times are simply chilling. Whether it is the haunting piano strokes as you traverse a warehouse wired with dozens of laser-tripped mines, or the adrenaline pumping guitar riffs and electronic squeals as you face off against another squadron of soldiers, Joel Nielsen has performed a dazzling feat of marrying ambient and melodic tempos with the context of each chapter Black Mesa takes you into. Perhaps most impressive among the updates is the soundtrack accompanying the game. Small conversations can be heard between them revealing that even they aren’t sure what makes Gordon Freeman so important, yet such moments fuel the tantalizing immersion into the many mysteries that surrounding the famous protagonist. As the game progresses, soldiers grow more and more violent with their voiced opposition to Freeman, reinforcing the overall threat they represent. More impressive is the voice-acting and soundbites added to various scientists and the government forces. Shuffling zombies snarl with more gusto and torture than ever before, and the enslaved vortugants now sound identical to their peaceful counterparts in Half-Life 2. Many of the trademark monsters from the Half-Life games retain their familiar grunts and gurgles from before, while others were tweaked just enough to bring forth that little extra impact. In the gaming industry, music and audio effects are often overlooked in favor of stunning visuals and high-octane firefights, but Black Mesa expertly expands upon both elements.
As the Black Mesa complex crumbles into chaos, you feel more than ever the sense of dread and impending doom as Gordon Freeman becomes the primary target of both the aliens and the government seeking to contain the invasion. Memorable set pieces like the catastrophic resonance cascades that open the alien portal or battling an attack helicopter are all perfectly recreated and feel more visceral than ever. From the most banal office corners to the HEV and first-aid power nodes, nearly every detail was retooled, tweaked, and updated to exist comfortably in our HD, 1080 progressive world. Yet Black Mesa looks and feels surprisingly good considering Source’s age, and the attention to such minute details around every corridor and office is staggering. This is to be expected, however, as the Source engine is approaching its eighth year.
While the difference is vast, the graphics are still noticeably dated when compared to current PC titles out there. Marred only by frequent game-crashing glitches and technically still incomplete (the final chapters will be released sometime in the future), This re-imagining of Gordon Freeman’s original tale of survival against all odds is bested only by the superb job done by the dedicated community team behind it.įrom a graphical standpoint, Black Mesa is far beyond the original game, as every character model, environment, and level design was reworked from the ground up utilizing the Source engine used in Half-Life 2 and the Portal games. Seven years since then, such fears have been put firmly to rest as Black Mesa is a masterful culmination of tribute, precision, and design that pays proper homage to Half-Life while adding a dash of gameplay ingenuity that strengthens the pacing.