Half-Life becomes a roguelike, thanks to modder

A demo is out now

It seems almost impossible at this stage for there to ever be a third Half-Life game. It’s just been so long, and chances are that a threequel would struggle to live up to the hype. However, there are still new ways to get your Gordon Freeman kicks. For example, modder PinkyDev is working on a modification that turns Valve’s iconic FPS into a roguelike shooter.

Called Codename: Loop, the demo for the project has just been released, so you can try it out before it releases fully. There’s also a video over on ModDB that shows the Half-Life fan project in action. With a new top-down, isometric look, you once again control the mute scientist as he battles his way through invading Xen aliens. While PinkyDev says the plot is not yet written, the general story will involve G-Man confining Freeman to “an ever-changing loop” to test his skills.

When it will actually release cannot be said at this stage. Also, the reason why it doesn’t have Half-Life in the title is because, as the modder says, it stops it from getting confused with other fan-made or official games on Steam. Oh, that’s the other thing. This mod will be coming to Steam. According to a report from PCGamesN, Codename: Loop was given the blessing of Valve, which says a lot about the developer’s dedication toward the modding community.

While the first game, originally released in 1998, had a huge impact on the FPS genre, 2004’s Half-Life 2 pretty much surpassed it. The sequel is easily one of the best games Valve has ever made, but that doesn’t detract from the OG’s influence. Loop joins the likes of the unofficial remake Black Mesa in a small yet respectable list of fan games that continue the HL legacy.

Half-Life remade as a roguelike, approved by Valve, and playable now [PCGamesN]