Half-Life: Alyx gameplay previewed in three must-see new videos

Despite the fact that Half-Life: Alyx is launching later this month, we haven't seen very much of the game yet. We've seen glimpses of gameplay here and there, but today, Valve gave us a substantial look at how the game will play when it arrives on March 23rd. Valve published a trio of videos today, with each one of them giving us a look at Half-Life: Alyx's gameplay.

Bringing a first-person shooter like Half-Life into the realm of VR for the first time probably isn't an easy task, but judging by the videos you see embedded below, it seems that Valve has done a pretty decent job of it. The videos give us a look not only at shooting, but also at movement, which is done by deciding where Alyx will move to and teleporting her there.

It's a little jarring to those who are used to more traditional first-person shooters, but those who have played shooters in VR before should well-accustomed to this form of movement by now. In all three videos, a lot of time is devoted to combat, whether it's against humans who have been taken over by Headcrabs or Combine soldiers.

In the third video, we get our most robust look at combat, as it shows how players can use stealth and cover to hide from enemies. As Alyx takes down a squad of Combine soldiers, she teleports from cover to cover, at one point even opening up a car door to block incoming gunfire before closing it. It seems like an interesting combat system, especially if there will be a lot of opportunities for players to create their own cover.

Aside from combat and movement, the videos also show us things like set piece manipulation and item collecting. If you were wondering how the world of Half-Life would translate to VR, then this collection of videos is a good place to start. Half-Life: Alyx is out on Steam on March 23rd.