He shows Alyx the death of her father during the conclusion of Episode Two, offering to rewrite history despite warning that it will have major consequences on things to come. Instead, she finds G-Man, who offers a spooky monologue before giving her a vision of the future.

To set the scene, and here’s a second warning for major spoilers, the ending follows Alyx as she uncovers the Combine facility that is supposedly housing Gordan Freeman. I recently spoke to Robin Walker, the project lead on Half-Life: Alyx, to talk about exactly how this ending came to pass, and the impact it might have on the future. It’s an immense act of bravery on the part of Valve, and teases potential sequels and other developments I cannot wait to see take fruition. It takes the infamous conclusion of Half-Life 2: Episode Two and throws it out the window, leaving behind the cliffhanger that has held the franchise back from growth for well over a decade. I’ll be spoiling it in this piece, so you’ve been warned. I can’t overstate how groundbreaking the ending to Half-Life: Alyx truly is.