Remember Black Mesa, the fan remake of Valve’s Half-Life that provided a contemporary visual look while also revamping several areas and mechanics? Things have been rather quiet with developer Crowbar Collective finishing up the Xen portion of the game but there’s hope. Today, the team revealed the first screenshot of Xen in Black Mesa and it looks pretty good.
On the official forums, it was stated that, “The team remains, as always, hard at work on Xen! Currently our specific focus is on gameplay: crafting a fun and cohesive experience from start to finish. We want our version of Xen to feel like it really belongs with the rest of the game in terms of mechanics, cohesion, and progression.
“But we also want to push the boundaries and explore this unique and varied setting; to build an experience that feels both fresh and familiar to players from all walks of Half-Life veterancy. While our Xen is certainly going to be gorgeous, we are first and foremost really committed to making sure that the gameplay works on every level.”
Despite Half-Life’s overall excellent nature and legendary status, the Xen portion of the game was often considered the weakest part. We’ll find out what kind of magic Black Mesa’s Xen can provide in the coming year.