Many of us are still pining after a follow-up to Half-Life 2, but we’ve had to resign ourselves to the fact that it’s never going to happen. The closest we’ve come so far is the Arkane Studios spin-off Ravenholm, but that was sadly canceled. As such, we must turn to the fan community for our Gordon Freeman fix.
Swelter is a fan-made mod for HL2
While a third installment in Valve’s iconic FPS series is just a pipe dream, you can always check out Swelter (shoutout to PCGamesN). This is a mod created by an independent team of HL2 lovers, which tells the story before the events of the second game.
The mod, developed by SnowDropEscape, has been made available to download on Steam and will at least offer something to fill that enormous Half-Life hole in our collective hearts.
The story “explores the internal tensions within the Resistance during their rebellion against the Combine.” Essentially, it seems to bridge the gap between the first and second games. Because it takes place before Freeman’s arrival in City 17, it’s unlikely we’ll get to encounter – let alone play as – the legendary mute scientist.
According to the description on Steam, Swelter comes packed with “classic shooter gameplay,” which has been inspired by Half-Life 2 and most likely its 1998 predecessor.
The new location of a central Asian environment gives the mod a different flavor to what we’re used to in the HL series. The plot is described as exploring an “ideological split among former allies,” but you’ll still be battling invaders from another world.
You can download Swelter for free, but you will need an official copy of Half-Life 2 as well, which makes sense, given that it’s a mod of the base game.
