Half-Life 2: Episode One

Picking up after Half-Life 2, you play as Gordon Freeman alongside Alyx Vance in a damaged City 17. With the Citadel in crisis, they work to buy time and find a way out before the city is destroyed.

Fight Combine forces, zombies, and other alien threats in first-person combat. The Gravity Gun lets you move objects to attack enemies and solve environmental puzzles, while Alyx fights alongside you and helps in dangerous encounters.

The campaign moves through the Citadel and the ruined city, mixing firefights with exploration, puzzles, and stretches of travel in dark areas where your flashlight matters. You also encounter residents trying to escape and face challenges as your available weapons build back up.

Reviewers often enjoy Episode One as a compact continuation of Half-Life 2, especially the chance to travel and fight alongside Alyx, whose combat help and reactions make her feel like an active partner. The ruined-city atmosphere, tense dark sections, familiar shooter combat, and Gravity Gun puzzles also stand out. Some players find the short campaign limiting or feel it does not add enough to the previous game.