7 Games To Play If You Miss Half-Life

Summary

‘Cry of Fear’ honors the legacy of ‘Half-Life’ with creepy environmental design and is free to play.
‘Cruelty Squad’ offers innovative gadgetry reminiscent of James Bond games, perfect for indie game fans.
‘Industria’ is an immersive thinker with world-building akin to ‘Half-Life 2’ and perfect pacing.

When the original Half-Life hit the scene in 1998, it revolutionized the way modern FPS games worked at the time. The set pieces, scripted story beats, and the attention to detail with the scientists and voice work fleshed out the world more than many other FPS games did at the time.

15 Best Half-Life: Alyx Mods And How To Install Them

Half-Life: Alyx certainly has a ton of community support., These mods stand out as the game’s best, and here’s how you can get them running ASAP!

This would spawn many games in a similar vein, and which would attempt to elevate what a first-person shooter could offer players beyond just its basic mechanics. The games on this list will try to honor this legacy, being both fun games but also being games with great world building and interesting environments.

7

Cry of Fear

GoldSrc Horror

Systems

Released: February 22, 2012
Developer(s): Team Psykskallar
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op

Cry of Fear is a horror game made within the GoldSrc engine, Half-Life’s original engine. It’s a survival horror game, with a bit of a faster pace than something like Resident Evil, but not as fast as the original Half-Life. It’s a genuinely creepy game, with really effective environmental and enemy design.

8 Best Survival Horror Games With Dark Environments

Keep a flashlight handy and maybe a few flares, it’s time to see which survival horror games feature the darkest environments for players to explore.

The game is visually similar to the Condemned series, with a heavy emphasis on dense urban environments as opposed to rural ones. It’s claustrophobic, creepy, and best of all, completely free. This is an easy recommend for fans of both Half-Life and horror, as it is one of the best free gaming offerings out there.

6

Cruelty Squad

007 in Capitalist Hell

Systems

Released: January 4, 2021
Platform(s): Microsoft Windows
Developer(s): Consumer Softproducts

This game is an immersive sim where players must assassinate their target, and extract to progress. A big part of the game is movement, which is heavily reliant on physics with large margins for error. There are a lot of weapons and gadgets with specific use cases that make planning as important as gameplay.

While the moment-to-moment gameplay is most similar to the first Half-Life in terms of the shooting, the gadgetry is reminiscent of games like James Bond 007: Nightfire, which is surprising. It is definitely an indie gem and worth checking out for those who are fascinated by the premise.

5

Titanfall 2 (Campaign)

Mechs and Movement

Released: October 28, 2016
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
OpenCritic Rating: Mighty

The second and final entry on this list to use the Source Engine is Titanfall 2, which combines physics-based movement and large robots with its first-person shooting. The game plays around with a lot of science fiction concepts during the campaign, keeping the gameplay fresh beyond the typical running and gunning.

The biggest difference between this and Half-Life is the giant pilotable mechs, and the movement. Campaign got a lot of accolades at the time for its innovative gameplay, and nothing like it has really been made since.

4

Industria

Slow and Puzzle Heavy

Released: September 30, 2021
Developer(s): Bleakmill

Industria is similar to Half-Life 2 in terms of its world building, world design, and puzzles. While many entries on this list are similar in their fast-paced combat, Industria is most similar in terms of the world.

8 Puzzle Games With Horror Elements

These puzzle games don’t just challenge players’ minds; they also challenge their constitutions by throwing horror elements their way.

The pacing is perfect and the story it tells is also surprisingly well delivered. It’s an incredibly short game, beatable in a sitting, but at no time does it feel like a demo or a proof of concept; the whole thing works. Fans of walking sims might also be interested in this game as a result of this, as it isn’t mechanically taxing as it is a thinker.

3

VLADiK BRUTAL

Indie FPS That Wears Its Inspiration

Released: August 9, 2024
Developer: BRUTAL SOFTWARE
Platforms: PC

This indie game tries to capture the original feel of Half-Life 1’s Black Mesa incident, but with a Russian spin on it. The game isn’t shy about its inspirations, even referencing Half-Life moments before its own sci-fi conundrum kicks off, but that isn’t to say it’s a complete knockoff.

The game’s biggest strength is its weapon and enemy variety, which is extremely deep and wastes no time showing players this. The game has a bit of a horror spin, reminiscent of the Ravenholm chapter and opening introduction to the headcrabs. It’s a good creepy vibe on top of a good indie shooter, just don’t expect the translation to be great.

2

Halo: Combat Evolved

Vehicular Action Made Standard

Systems

Released: November 15, 2001
ESRB: M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence

Half-Life’s cousin and closest most prominent competitor after release is Halo: Combat Evolved. The game was released two years after the original Half-Life, and is the perfect companion piece to both it and Half-Life 2. Where Valve’s games focused on fast-paced shooting and physics puzzles, Halo: Combat Evolved slows things down and adds a myriad of vehicles into the mix.

It’s interesting how simple both games seem in the current era, and yet how much each can accomplish thanks to their robust sandboxes. It’s not surprising that Forge is now a staple of the Halo Franchise, as like Gary’s Mod, the potential of the core sandbox is endless.

1

Bioshock Infinite

Full Commitment to World Building

Released: March 26, 2013
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Language, Mild Sexual Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco

Bioshock Infinite is probably the most controversial Bioshock game, but it is the most similar to the Half-Life series. While the previous Bioshock games are closer to immersive sims like Deus Ex, the Bioshock Infinite speeds up the formula and focuses more on the shooting. Where Half-Life has many interesting sci-fi guns to flavor its combat, Bioshock Infinite has Vigors: abilities indistinguishable from magic that allow players to interact with enemies and environments.

The standout characteristic of this game is its world building, which like the previous Bioshock games, is in a class of its own. The story is also quite grounded and dark as well, much more mature than anything else on this list, with some extremely interesting commentary on American values specifically.