Virtual reality adds a whole new level of stress, immersion, and urgency to any sort of engagement Alyx encounters, whether it's with one simple headcrab or a room full of Combine soldiers and lightning dogs (the game's stand-out new enemy) and, lacking any sort of physical armor, Alyx can be taken down with only a few shots even on the game's Normal difficulty settings. Alyx, on the other hand, is a resistance fighter living inside City 17, and although her encounters aren't nearly as large-scale as Freeman's were (with some notable exceptions towards the end of the game) that doesn't mean they're any less intense. Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were action-focused first-person shooters, with the scientist-turned-hero Gordon Freeman constantly adding more and more weapons to his arsenal and taking out wave after wave of aliens, Combine, and helicopters alike. There's something else virtual reality adds to the world of Half-Life: Alyx: it turns it into a horror game. This isn't just something to help players get objects without having to move their body across a room (although it is incredibly helpful in those situations) but is also an important tool to help Alyx solve puzzles or quickly bring an object between her and her opponent to act as a shield. It's incredibly intuitive and easy to get used to, and Valve's dedication to including as many physics items as possible means that players can spend literal hours just pulling things like boxes, bottles, trash, furniture, and explosive barrels into their grasp only to toss them away again. The Russels, also known as the gravity gloves, utilize a telekinesis-like mechanic to grab items and bring them toward the player with a flick of the wrist. In virtual reality this is an incredibly entertaining act, especially when combined with one of the game's signature items: The Russels. Half-Life: Alyx is a slow game, except when it isn't, and much of a player's time can be spent simply walking slowly through rooms, hallways, and open outdoor areas, digging through the environment and searching for useful items. After playing the title, it's immediately apparent what they meant by this.
Valve developers have gone on the record stating that they can't wait for someone to mod the virtual reality out of Half-Life: Alyx because they're so confident that, once such a thing has been done, players will realize why the game needed to be in VR all along. Related: What To Expect From Half-Life: Alyx 2
The fact that playing Half-Life: Alyx requires both a high-end gaming PC and some sort of VR headset means not everyone will be able to enjoy it, and that's a shame, because Half-Life: Alyx is one of the best games in years. While cheaper options like the Oculus Quest do exist, most virtual reality machines are too expensive for most players to have already invested in, especially considering the small library of available titles when compared to video game consoles. If Half-Life: Alyx has any flaws, they stem from how inaccessible the game is to most players simply by virtue of it existing solely as a VR title. Whether or not players are familiar with the previous games in the Half-Life franchise, Half-Life: Alyx not only provides a fantastic story filled with exploration, set-pieces, and emotional twists, but it also gives a blueprint for how other virtual reality titles should utilize the technology currently available. It's been a long time coming, but Half-Life: Alyx is so good that it makes a virtual reality headset worth buying.