Black Mesa is an exceptional fan-made remaster of Half-Life, featuring a great dedication to detail, refined game mechanics, stunning visuals and a spectacular soundtrack.

The game stays true to the original story, offering extended playtime, achievements and impressive additions that utilize the physics and graphics of the Source engine. The developers have created a masterpiece that raises the bar even higher for one of the games that laid the foundations of the FPS genre.

It really is a homage to the first Half-Life, which is sure to please fans and "newbies" alike and, in my opinion, is a must-have game for any fan of the genre.

I still prefer HL1 to this, but this one is still okay. I didn't really like how they made level longer by adding unnecessary parts and thus makng the game lose its pace. The bugs are present, but are not that critical: I had issues with rendering in water in Xen, collision physics was messed up sometimes, the textures were not solid from time to time. The rebalancing of weapons was acceptable, but I still don't really like how they made human enemies too smart and tanky. Overall, I would say 6/10, probably a bit lower than the HL2 episodes.

(Difficulty: Hard)
Part intriguing puzzle, part exceptional platformer, and all fps. This game is something very special and is so well-made I found myself applauding the developers time and time again.
What starts as a regular day in an underground facility quickly turns sinister. Gordan Freeman is our voiceless protagonist in an orange suit wielding a crow-bar and some other handy weapons and explosives I would dare not spoil. It starts a bit slow but quickly ramps up into something that feels very fleshed out and quite challenging at the hardest difficulty. Heavy and weighted gun play, monstrously aware enemies, and tight jumps left me always excited for the next section. The ambiance and atmosphere is well constructed and some of the writing is very funny. It takes itself seriously but finds time to pepper in jokes and unexpected irreverence.
Boss fights and levels can feel sometimes cramped and other times overwhelmingly vast.
So many sections I had no idea what was coming next in the best way.
This is also not a game for the faint of heart. It wants you to explore and find things out on your own which is so fun. Every puzzle and hidden passage to find the next area is so satisfying because nothing is just handed to you. It gives metroid-vania vibes constantly.
Game crashed on me once in 20 hours and I had very few instances of frame drops. Also a few very minor clipping issues but everything else is wonderful.
Holds up in 2023 and many developers STILL TO THIS DAY don't do things as well as Black Mesa does.This is a gem and I highly recommend.

(Warning, this is a long ass review, but with a good reason)

There's one thing about touching up on the Mona Lisa, but there's another to remake the Mona Lisa from scratch and ending up with a better piece of art than the original.

While I do think the original Half-Life is a great game in its own right and I think in terms of its impact on gaming, it still is essential and I do respect it for it, saying that though, it wasn't perfect for me. I wasn't sure if it was because it was the first FPS game I've gone all the way through, but I had a surprisingly hard time trying to get through the original game, especially when compared to its sequels. There were many moments where things felt rather jank and difficult to get through without resorting to abusing the game save feature, whether it would be battles I was unprepared for, such as certain fights with the HECU or having to avoid the Gargantua in Power Up, or chapters that felt either poorly designed or were incredibly annoying to get through, mainly chapters like On a Rail and the Xen chapters, which really impacted my overall feelings for the game. I get that this was a PC game from the 90s so things were going to act a little more weird compared to nowadays, but compared to a lot of what I enjoyed in this game, it made these moments more jarring. Going into Black Mesa, I was rather curious to see not only how much this remake changed compared to the original to make it more up to standards with later games in the series and take proper advantage of the Source engine (Unlike the rather infamous Half-Life Source which what Black Mesa was inspired from), but to see how much of the fundamentals and design choices of the original game was kept in Black Mesa, and oh boy, what a surprise I got myself into.

First of all, probably the most important aspect of Black Mesa to me would be just how well done all of the chapters were made for the game. Each chapter solved all of the major problems I have with them in the original game and now, all of them are now more tolerable and fun to traverse over. Each chapter ranges from more refined and streamlined versions of their original counterparts in HL1, to chapters that were greatly expanded upon while still keeping the feel of the original game, such as Anomalous Materials and Surface Tension, to chapters that were given a complete makeover to make them more a lot more easier to navigate and easier to understand, while still keeping the core ideas of their original chapters. This last part mainly applies to the Xen chapters, which I absolutely adore the changes it went through. Instead of being a series of short but annoying and tedious platforming and combat challenges that are set in an alien environment with a rather odd-looking color palette, it actually feels like you're traversing over an actual alien planet with some insanely gorgeous visuals that remind me a lot of James Cameron's Avatar, while greatly expanding upon what the original chapter contained along with providing some amazing world-building. What I particularly like is how great they reworked the two bosses for Xen. I remember hating fighting against Gonarch and Nihilanth in the original game either because of being unprepared, wonky physics, or just being unfun, but now I think there are real highlights to the Xen portions of the game and it makes it even more rewarding when you do beat them.

When it came to the main gameplay of Black Mesa, I was worried that the core idea of the original games combat of "Run, Shoot, Think, Live" was gonna be changed for something that was more akin to Half-Life 2's combat, but I was gladly proven wrong. The combat in Black Mesa felt very similar to the original, only more touched up and adapted to fit in with the environments of the new chapters, with it being just as exciting to fight through enemies as it did in the original, especially with how untouched many have been from the original. The games selection of weapons also felt very much the same as the original with even more tweaks and changes that feel each of the weapons that much more special from each other, such as the alternate firing modes for the pistol and the Hivehand. Though I did think it did run into the same issue as the original where it felt like not every weapon became useful or would become rather obsolete such as the Tau Cannon the moment you get the Gluon Gun, or the Snarks not having a proper moment to shine unless you dedicate yourself into using them for a specific situation, though I'm not sure if I can really fault the game for it since I imagine they didn't want to make the weapons too different from their original HL1 counter parts. The story is essentially exactly the same as the original, only given a lot more worldbuilding and lines of dialogue with the NPCs to give it more life compared to the original, which I absolutely love and I really wanted to see what the scientists and security guards would say next either in the context of the chapter, or just a simple line when pressing the talk key. The story early on also did some minor retcons with the original story to be more in line with what happened in Half-Life 2, such as a quick cameo from Barney along with Kleiner and Eli taking the place of the two scientists checking on the equipment and helping Gordon reach the rest of Black Mesa, which was both really cool and felt natural to the rest of the narrative, though their presence doesn't last very long so it still feels like you're going through the original games story, which is very much a good thing.

Graphically, I think it's probably one of the best mixes of old and new I've seen in any game. I think a lot of the artistic direction for the original games areas and set pieces is still intact, only refined and expanded upon to not only take advantage of the features the Source engine has by making things more up to date with proper character models and maps, but to make each area in both the Earth and Xen levels more distinct from each other, and make the game just that visually appealing to look at, while still keeping the original games art direction in tact. I especially love the character models keep the important design aspects of their original looks, while updating them to make them less like 90s PC game models and something that feels more real, while still knowing it's those same characters. On topic with the characters, I thought the voice acting from everyone was simply amazing. While the original voice lines will always have a special place in my heart for how incredibly quotable and cheesy they are, the way each character delivers their lines feels much more natural to the tone of the game, and it made them feel even more human than they did before. The only notable exception I can think of would be Kevan Brighting's cameo in Anomalous Materials, since the tone he delivers his line is exactly the same as his Narrator voice in The Stanley Parable, which did sound odd, but I let it slide since he was only there for that chapter and saw it as a cool one of cameo rather than a complete distraction. Finally, the soundtrack done by Joel Nielsen, to put it simply, is straight up incredible. I thought each song used in the game was not only incredibly well done, but it really fits within each chapter and makes various moments that much more exciting to get through, while still making each song feel incredibly varied and refreshing. Probably my favorite songs in the game would probably be some of the songs that play in Xen, since it really feels like you're in another, unfamiliar, planet that conveys a very different feeling compared to what you've seen before.

To me, this game feels like the video game equivalent to Peter Jackson's remake of King Kong. Both of them are remakes done by people who are massive fans of the original and, while they are still the same as their originals in their core, they focus on expanding and fixing the originals and turning them into the best they can be, and I can't be more happier about it. I absolutely love every change that was made into Black Mesa and how it was made to only improve the game. Nothing felt like it was changed for no reason or issues from the original were still present and were just ignored. I never had a major issue with any of the chapters and really enjoyed each one on their own, which is really impressive coming from a series who can be weirdly inconsistent that the most random times despite being really incredibly a lot of other times. The core gameplay is still just as fun as the original game, only even better given the amount of improvements to both the level design and balance of everything surrounding it. The puzzles, combat shootouts, and expansions to the story felt right at home with the original game and don't slow down the pacing of the game. The changes made felt very natural and help make the game even better than it was. Overall, I can really tell that this game was made by fans for the fans in the best possible way. This game feels like a massive passionate love letter to the entire Half-Life series and the community that was built upon it, and I couldn't be happier with it. It really takes what the original worked, and makes the rest of it even better to make a game that feels rich, and complete in every way. What I'm trying to say is that, the game sparked something inside of me that I really hadn't before. I think this game sets up not only a new standard for fan games, but the rest of the Half-Life series and video games as a whole. I absolutely loved going through each part of it, and I couldn't be happier with the amount of effort Collective Crowbar went into giving Half-Life 1 new life that makes it feel on par with everything else. To put it simply, this is my new favorite game of all time, and I am glad that I've gone through the entire Half-Life series (Excluding Half-Life Alyx) before hand to really appreciate just about every minute detail this remake has. Good job Collective Crowbar, you really knocked it out of the park.

Genre: Genre-defining adventure shooter puzzle thingy | Released: March 2020 | Platform: PC | Developer: Crowbar Collective | Publisher: Crowbar Collective | Language: English | Length: 15 hours | Difficulty: Easy | Do I Need To Play Anything First: No, this is a remake of the original Half-Life game with added and changed content. It does not replace the first game, nor is the first game required. I have not played the original and had a fantastic time | Accessibility Options: Fast reactions required | Monetization: Single Purchase | Microtransaction: None | Gambling Elements: None | Content Warning: Violence, gore, gross… stuff | Parenting Guide: M for mature, adults-only | How Did You Play It: Via steam | Did you need a guide: No, and don’t use one unless you really need one | Mods: None

Is It Good: It’s mesmerizing and I can’t wait to boot up the original. A must-play.

Back of the Box: Quite a nasty piece of work you managed over there, I am impressed.

Black Mesa is an odd game, as it’s a fan remake of the first Half-Life fully supported and sold by Valve on their own storefront. This is a fantastic way to experience the original, and I can’t recommend it enough. The new content the team has added to the last levels is fantastic, and I would not have known it was never part of the original game unless told.

It’s an excellent game that is based on one of the greatest games ever made. It’s very, very good. Play it.

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Half-Life was one of the first PC games I ever played. I found it one day on my aunt’s computer, my cousin must have installed it. Come to think of it, I'm surprised their computer even ran the game. The game later re-entered my life when my friend let me borrow his copy of the game. This was around the time of Counter-Strike: Source. He hadn’t activated the game on Steam so I used the code and still have the digital copy as well as Counter-Strike 1.6 on my account to this day.

I first played Black Mesa during its early access days when it would roll credits as you got to Xen. This was a good number of years ago so when it came to playing the final version the game felt new to me all over. I mostly recognised it from the original Half-Life and not the early access Black Mesa. The layout of the game was so familiar to me and coupled with auto-run switched on I felt as though I was speed running the game. The options you can disable or enable at a new game were really quite impressive, you can adjust the playstyle to your liking. Whether it be the original Half-Life controls or more modern ones.

While Black Mesa lets you edit the controls to be more in line with modern FPS games, the game at its core still handles like a game from the late 90’s as they weren’t out to draw in new fans to the franchise but to celebrate the original game with its current fans, which I fully support. That said, some of the weapons can be slow to reload, the machine gun won’t let you secondary fire while reloading and you need to book off annual leave to reload the shotgun or crossbow. The shotgun and possibly other weapons seemed inconsistent to me, sometimes a single shot would send a Zombie flying, sometimes a double-shotgun blast would barely kill it leaving the headcrab alive. Speaking of headcrabs, those little bastards are a pain to shoot with precision as they hop around you chipping away at your HP.

Black Mesa carries over a lot of the characteristics from its source material. Two things that stood out are the white fuzziness of the screen around radiation, the same way a camera does if you film radiation and my complete inability to dismount a ladder without launching myself into the hole I just climbed out of. Black Mesa also bridges the gap between the first and second Half-Life by using the same character models of Issac and Eli as well as building their characters a bit more. The game also fleshes out the Black Mesa lab a bit more, adding more sections, more rooms which you explore and realise there is no reward for exploring so it feels like a waste of time.

The new part of the game for me was Xen, and wow, what an entrance. You are greeted with this vibrant nebula-like spectacle as you traverse its biomes. The music as well is just so wonderfully atmospheric, the noises of the wildlife in the background is something that people would probably use to help them sleep at night. I’m even listening to the Xen soundtrack by Joel Nielsen as I write this review. It’s not only the Xen soundtrack that is amazing, back in the Black Mesa complex I absolutely love the epicly triumphant music that plays when you succeed at something and progress to the next area. The level design on Xen especially is very intuitive. As they mentioned in a Documentary on the YouTube channel NoClip, level design was very important. You should know as you enter an area where you are headed and where you should go next with the use of lighting. Nothing was impossible to figure out for yourself, a lot of the things you figure out subconsciously and then feel very smart for doing it all on your own. This is because the game shows you something working then not working, you just need to figure out what is missing. The game also does not punish you for missing anything, You cannot permanently miss anything in this game unlike RPG games.

It was very obvious that Xen was extended quite a bit from the original game, which is great because Xen could have been a game on its own. There are some areas that have sequences that should have been shortened. Xe, like the Black Mesa complex, can feel like a conveyor belt obstacle course when you are then literally put on a converter belt, a section of the game that out-stays its welcome. The large vertical elevator scene could have had one less section to be less taxing.

When playing old or retro games for the first time I often find the most optimal way of playing the game whether it is the original with mods or a remaster. As much as I really enjoyed Black Mesa I would definitely encourage first time players of the Half-Life games to give the original a go. Source version or not. The Source version has a lot of graphical glitches in it which can spoil the feeling of the original game. Play the original then Black Mesa is my advice. I don’t know if I could say Black Mesa has the ability to be a stand-alone game as it’s more of a projection and reimagining of the original Half-Life. People who played this and only this might not get what the game is trying to achieve and question its lack of modern game mechanics. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed the game, it looked incredible, played incredible and I'm extremely grateful that it was made.

This game of what I would say is one of my favorite games is something of an anomaly, since the original iteration of this was a free mod called Black Mesa: Source. Then again, a lot of Valve official games started off as mods, so this must have started off on the right foot, right?
Well yes, but also no. Later levels are much more well polished for what Black Mesa intended to do, which was to offer up a fresh way of playing HL1. Xen is evidence of this as Xen was beautiful and fun in this game as opposed to the source material. The earlier levels, which were first thought through before this became a standalone game really don't have that reimagined feel and just feels like to a certain extent that someone ported up Half Life Source with better quality models and textures. That's not a bad thing; I think the first few chapters didn't really need that much revision, but it still feels odd to see that departure about 30% through the game.
Since this game is not on GoldSrc and is a re-imagining I feel it is unfair to grade it solely on that, especially when the gunplay and AI is so different in these games compared to how the AI functioned in Half-Life 1. I don't think they had pieced together voicelines for better or for worse, and I also think that the weapons don't fit the gameplay as well as they did in HL1. There are many more long range angles that the AI can chip you in due to hitscan but you have guns that just seem to not be as accurate, which can cause some unneeded stress. Out of all of the things to be faithful on, I don't think the guns should have been one of them given certain areas of the game. Most areas however play amazingly.
If you have a friend who has never played HL1, recommend this instead of HL1. Having achievements, a physics based engine, those funny carry this item through this entire section of the game areas, and most importantly streamlined less-technically inclined gameplay means that this should appeal to a wide variety of players not interested in bhopping through the game and would instead like to take in the atmosphere of the Black Mesa incident in a way that the original dev company approves of and even gives their graces for.