Black Mesa Reviews

The devs did a masterful job remaking the game. Xen is like a whole nother game. Graphics are cool considering its running on source engine. Though took me about 15 hours to beat the game, it's not short.

If you haven't played the original HL1, this is the version you must pick as it comes with significant visual improvements, minor but many quality of life changes and some aspects that are toned down. However, if you have played the original before, this game will definitely not change your opinion on HL1 as it is literally the same game on the basis. I personally don't like HL1 so much due to the abysmal platforming and bullet-sponge enemies which are literally the same here. But I still have to "recommend" it due to the lack of a rating system on Steam.

There's no need for further explanation. They've taken one of the most revolutionary games in gaming history and adapted it to the present day with the utmost quality and staying true to its essence. Kudos to the team who made it.

one of my favorite remake of hl 1 and has good music - map design - lore. and its has a workshop for people who love adding content on it like blue shift remake on workshop and still work in progress on last chapter but worth it to wait because of map design and music and more. its 100% worth and btw just prepare on your achievements hunt because you might take a while to finish it.

[h1]this game blew me away.[/h1] i try and play the 1998 og half life and cause im more of a modern playing gamer like playing gta, rdr2 etc it wasnt my sort of thing but it was supposed to be good and i wanted to play and complete all Half-life i thought i might play remake better graphics more style HOLY HELL was i blown away. the graphics and combat style was just better i could see what walls looked like in black mesa instead of 240p walls i could see realistic looking walls realistic looking humans instead of clay people with sharp jawlines i could see realism. the soundtracks were so cool and good and just gave me a sort of dance vibe so far im not planning on beating the last chapter because it supposed to quickly lead on to Half-life 2. for anybody willing to play the game after this . However one thing in all games supposedly is the main character gordan freeman has no personality never talks just kind a like doom slayer goes around killing stuff when they see something move is kinda a bit off a annoyance and how all achievements are guide based or are for the thick headed like do the shortcut shoot all of the jelly creatures or if your a 100% completer you have to carry a purple hat through the whole game like who on earth thinks to do that without a guide its just painful . Apart from those cons the game is super time skipping and is highly recommended

If you're looking for a fantastic remake of a timeless classic, you've come to the right place. Black mesa feels more alive then ever and a fantastic way to play the game. It's awesome to see the chapters have such a faithful recreation in such a fresh way and having chapters like surface tension extended while others cut down or changed to fit the pacing better. This is all without mentioning Xen which has a complete overhaul and some of the most stunning visuals in a source game. Although i'll admit it dragged on a little more than i'd like towards the very end, it was still a satisfying ending to the game and I personally believe a massive improvement over the original Xen

Very good remaster and I very much liked the new level. It is well worth the 20$ and especially worth it if it is on yet another giga sale.

Mixed feelings about this - would rate as "Neutral" if I could. The first 2/3rds of the game, up until Xen, are great - a faithful recreation of the original, preserving the vibe while modernizing and streamlining some outdated bits. The moment you step through the teleporter to Xen however, the game's excellent pacing goes out the window, and turns into a drawn out , forgettable slog. Don't get me wrong, the original game's Xen wasn't amazing - it was short, disjointed and often ugly to look at. It clearly needed an overhaul, both in art direction and gameplay. The new art direction is fantastic, but the new gameplay is paced so horribly, it drags down the rest of the game. Every single level in Xen is at least 2-3x as long as it should be. The puzzles are trivial and repetitive, environments are samey, and there is little to no narrative. What was previously a brief "kick down the alien world's door and shoot the Big Bad" finale is now hours upon hours of meandering around an alien safari. It is so bad, it single handedly makes me never want to replay the game again.

Just finished playing this absolutely beautiful game. In my opinion, Black Mesa is a brilliant example of an ideal remake: stuff that worked well was improved visually, slightly updated QoL wise and became a little bit... smoother? Stuff that was really bad even back then got improved or replaced with something better. The extra rooms with funny or cool stuff were also fun to explore. I loved overall the balance of combat, puzzles and quick action packed parts (like [spoiler]running from Gargantuans in Xen sequence[/spoiler] accompanied by an incredibly beautiful Xen theme is playing). The Xen part of the game was incredible, both visually and gameplay wise. Incredibly vibrant, alive and very alien surroundings create a proper impression of an alien world. Also want to separately mention a level design of paths in the game. During first part of the game, devteam was trying hard to stay true to original, but in Xen they could use their creative potential to the fullest and it showed. I really loved how paths intertwined in Xen part of the game. The experience team gained during development of Black Mesa half showed really well in the second half. Oh, right, music, oh my god, those specific level/encounter thematic tracks are incredible. Puzzles were really nice, many of them simple, that don't break the tempo with some a bit more complex, that give you a good break from action. Only one puzzle (very simple, as it turned out, but, for some reason, still completely missing my brain) made me spend about 10 minutes trying to figure it out. Overall, still very good. Among the bad things of this game I can say that some sections at some point started to feel a bit longer than they had to be, but then they shortly end and it feels good. For example, while I absolutely loved how Gornach sequence was remade and expanded, the middle part was a bit too lengthy for my taste. Just my personal subjective "timing" for some sections was a bit shorter than the game has, I suppose. And the second thing is regarding music. Those special tracks felt too short [i](or, again, maybe just gameplay sections were a bit too long)[i/]. And there were a couple big fights during which I noticed the absence of special high action combat tracks, that would've fit nicely there. Instead, the more generic background soundtrack was playing. In conclusion, I can absolutely confidently say that when you play this game, you do feel, that it was made with love to original and to this new vision. Thank you for incredible experience. It's been a while since I got so much satisfaction from a game. Now, I am off to find a soundtrack.

Big fan of the HL series, this remake of HL is a work of art! fantastic gameplay and graphics!