Although Half-Life 3 ultimately never came out, at least an official spin-off was in the works. Although this never saw the light of day, a few selected scenes have now been published.
Ravenholm is not only one of the most famous areas in the cult shooter Half-Life 2, but was also the name of one discontinued spin-off, which was in the works at Arkane from 2005 to 2008the studio best known for Dishonored and most recently Deathloop.
It’s no secret that the studio was working on a Half-Life spin-off. Two years ago, the documentary channel Noclip published a video regarding Arkane on YouTube, which also talked regarding the failed Half-Life project. But you mightn’t see much of the game back then.
What If: Released an hour of shooter gameplay from Ravenholm
Now Noclip has come back, because channel operator Danny O’Dwyer was actually allowed to capture a full hour of gameplay from the never-released game and now share with the world. You can watch the full video on YouTube:
Half-Life developer Valve is known, among other things, for the original use of physics in games. Whether the iconic gravity gun in Half-Life 2 or the eponymous portal cannon in Portal. Arkane also had some exciting concepts in mind for Ravenholm.
So Electricity plays a central role in the never-before-seen game’s combat and puzzles. Among other things, it was possible to shoot nails or move metal chairs to close or break electrical circuits. In later stages of the game there were even weapons that had to be previously charged at power boxes instead of relying on conventional ammunition.
Since this is a never-completed prototype, the shots are unfinished, as expected. So is the frame rate is rarely stable and sometimes textures are missing. For Half-Life fans and anyone else interested in video game development, the lesson is still a must-see.
