A rather unique Half-Life mod has just been released which will reward players with a brand-new, albeit not so serious, ending if they manage to carry a cardboard box throughout the entire game. Valve's maiden release launched nearly a quarter of a century ago and is noteworthy for being a first-person shooter that deconstructs the genre's tropes. With its environmental storytelling, level design, and the fact that players are not controlling a muscular space marine, the game was hugely praised and continues to influence to this day.
It's also good to see that fans are still modding the original Half-Life, either by enhancing the graphics or adding custom content. At 24 years old, it's definitely showing its age. But the title left in its wake not only a huge imprint on FPS gaming but also spawned a sequel in 2004, which in itself has gone down as one of the greatest shooters of all time. Of course, the franchise is known to be quite serious, even dark at times, but that doesn't stop some people from getting a little silly.
Take ModDB user TEPA6ANT, who has created "Freeman With a Box," which introduces a new way to play classic Half-Life. In the mod, players are tasked with going through the story as normal. However, if they manage to carry a box the whole way, they will be treated to a new ending made just for this. The box itself is described as "unremarkable," but its inclusion does present a challenging element to the game. The description says that this mod is not serious and it's more of a mockery of games that have ridiculous achievements. It also warns that those who wish to play it may be upset by the ending.
"Freeman With a Box" is also likely a nod to Half-Life 2's famous Gnome Chompski challenge, which unlocks an achievement if players can bring a garden gnome to the concluding moments of Episode Two. It also features in Half-Life: Alyx, and a couple of years ago, Valve CEO Gabe Newell successfully launched a gnome into space to raise nearly $300,000 for charity.
As one of the most influential FPS games ever made, Half-Life has certainly stood the test of time, albeit maybe not visually. However, the community is still showing dedication to the game, not only with mods, but also in the guise of Black Mesa, a fan-made remake of the original game which received the approval of Valve itself. It's just a shame there will likely never be a third entry in the official series.
Half-Life is available on Linux, OS X, PC, and PS2.