Half-Life: Element 64 brings Valve’s legendary shooter closer to its inspirations, reimagining it as a modern boomer shooter.

Originally released in 1998, Half-Life was groundbreaking for its storytelling and gameplay innovations. This new mod makes it feel much more like Quake, effectively converting its core elements into a fast-paced shooting experience. The demo reveals an asset flip into an original game where players navigate through levels reminiscent of Quake, firing at head crabs and vortigaunts almost immediately.

The levels are designed as direct shooting galleries, filled with lurking enemies that keep the action intense and frenetic. Players will notice a familiar HUD and a sense of urgency with scarce resources, making survival a challenging endeavor. The full version will consist of four episodes, gradually increasing the difficulty as new missions are introduced.

The developer, Dark Vector, aims to polish the demo further as they prepare for the upcoming release of a related deathmatch mode called Half-Life Arena. As for potential narratives, this adaptation steers away from the heavy story elements, focusing instead on the pure adrenaline of gameplay reminiscent of its past iterations.