Black Mesa for Windows

Black Mesa is an unofficial remake of Half-Life and a first-person shooter developed by the Crowbar Collective and significantly changes the original version of the story of Gordon Freeman, told by specialists at Valve.

The Black Mesa set has been completely transformed with modern effects, dynamic lighting, reworked shadows and high-resolution textures. The storyline has been partially updated with additional missions linking the disparate chapters of the original story. Artificial intelligence has also changed: opponents scatter across the map with lightning speed, act more actively and no longer try to stay behind obstacles.

Features of Black Mesa

• An almost classic story in a new rendition: looking at a distant world from the past within Black Mesa is the dream of every Half Life fan;
• To look at the space that is split into pieces and aliens from neighboring sectors of the galaxy does not get bored even tens of hours later – the developers from the Crowbar Collective have thought out opponents too thoroughly;
• The effects have increased – and, although before the shooting looked and felt quite realistic, in Black Mesa, qualitative changes in explosions, recoil are noticeable;
• In addition to the story mode, multiplayer is also available: you will have to shoot on classic maps with a whole set of familiar equipment;
• The remake supports third-party content from the workshop: the developers allow the download of additional maps, equipment and items, diluting the already eventful universe.

Gameplay and Difficulty

The updated artificial intelligence in Black Mesa forces a different approach to the passage: you need to move more often, shoot more accurately and use consumable items such as grenades and environmental elements. New puzzles have also been added: Gordon will have to bypass traps, press buttons, switch levers, break boxes with the famous red tire iron.

Even more noticeable are the changes in the neighboring world from Earth – Zen: the classic version of Half-Life spoke superficially about an unknown intergalactic space. But in Black Mesa there will be a chance to plunge headlong into the atmosphere of a frightening future, when a random scientist unexpectedly encountered alien organisms.

If you do not take into account the changes that have occurred in the remakes, then the mechanics of Black Mesa are quite familiar: the main character, Gordon Freeman, due to an incident at the production site, will have to deal with the messengers from neighboring intergalactic systems. The narration is linear: after the storyline cutscene, you have to move through specially prepared corridors, collect supplies, shoot and deal with puzzles. From time to time you have to get out to the surface of the earth, then again go down to the Black Mesa complex, and at some point even look beyond the familiar Solar System …

Modes, Maps & Updates

The game basis of Black Mesa is a story-driven narration devoid of unexpected non-linear events or gameplay scenarios. But for those who have long been accustomed to Gordon Freeman, the developers offer alternative entertainment routes. We are also talking about the multiplayer mode, where within the framework of Death Match you will have to fight with competitors and move up the career ladder. And about the “Workshop”, where additional cards with a plot, objects and other joys of life are available that can prolong the story and give new impressions. The only thing missing is content that supports Russian – independent developers tend to prefer English.