Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One is a 2006 first-person shooter game developed and published by Valve for Windows. It continues the story of Half-Life 2 (2004); as scientist Gordon Freeman, players must escape City 17 with Gordon's companion Alyx Vance. Like previous Half-Life games, Episode One combines shooting, puzzles and storytelling.
| Half-Life 2: Episode One | |
|---|---|
Cover art showing key character Alyx Vance | |
| Developer(s) | Valve |
| Publisher(s) | Valve |
| Writer(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Kelly Bailey |
| Series | Half-Life |
| Engine | Source |
| Platform(s) |
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| Release | |
| Genre(s) | First-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
After the six-year development of Half-Life 2, Valve switched to episodic development, hoping to release games more frequently. For Episode One, they focused on developing the character of Alyx and expanded her artificial intelligence. It uses an updated version of Valve's Source engine, with new lighting and animation technology.
Episode One received mostly positive reviews; the co-operative gameplay with Alyx received particular praise, although the short length was criticized. It was ported to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 as part of the 2007 compilation The Orange Box. Episode Two followed in 2007.