Half-Life 2 has enjoyed a life lasting long after the game's release thanks to its solid mechanics and expansive modding community. Now, a new mod brings the gritty world of multiplayer shooter NeoTokyo to Half-Life 2.
The original NeoTokyo was a Half-Life 2 multiplayer mod before it got a life of its own and was released as a standalone game on Steam in 2014. The full release enjoyed some popularity, and it was made by developers that moved on to work on other titles like Deus Ex, or at renowned special effects studio Weta Workshop according to PC Gamer. Half-Life 2 still has a strong modding community, and now one has returned NeoTokyo to its roots.
The mod comes from SerygalaCaffeine, a group that wanted to celebrate NeoTokyo's gritty universe. On the mod's ModDB page, it is described as "a crossover between the Universes of Kshatriya and Neotoyo Source." The mod aspires to be similar to a full-length shooter campaign, and it recently released a demo that features the first three levels. The levels are open, with multiple routes through the city blocks. Of course, there is also plenty of shooting action throughout that plays like a slight tweak of Half-Life 2's beloved combat.
Despite some known bugs that are listed on the mod's page, reactions in the comments make it seem as though Half-Life 2 fans are enjoying the demo. The comments highlight the mod's world and ambiance, as well as the level of openness in the world that lets players freely explore the city. However, some players have pointed out issues with interactable parts of the map not being clear enough, which can impede progress, as well as a lack of ambient sounds that could make the maps feel more alive.
From the first three levels, the mod looks promising, and it will surely only get better as work is completed. SerygalaCaffeine has been active in responding to feedback from the community, so the final product will likely address the issues that early players are finding. The mod looks like a great entry in the Cyberpunk genre and a great stretch of Half-Life 2's aged engine. The city and environments alone make the download more than worth it, but the mod's combat should also give fans of the original a new way to revisit the mechanics they are familiar with. Half-Life 2 will undoubtedly keep getting more crazy mods, but this one is deserving of attention.
Half-Life 2 is available now on PC.