Entropy: Zero 2
Entropy: Zero 2 | |
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Single-player |
Entropy: Zero 2
The player assumes control of Aiden Walker, an "Elite" unit of the
Development on Entropy: Zero 2 began in 2018, and took over four years to complete. Key goals for the project during its development were to revitalize Half-Life 2's gunplay and overall combat flow and to create a character study of a "bad guy" within the confines of the Half-Life universe. Upon its release, Entropy: Zero 2 received positive reviews and went on to win Mod DB's 2022 "Mod of the Year" award in the "Players Choice" category.
Gameplay
Like the
Entropy: Zero 2 also features several new gameplay mechanics, including new weapons, commandable squadmates, drivable
Synopsis
Setting and protagonist
Entropy: Zero 2 is set between the events of
The game's story is told from the perspective of Aiden Walker (voiced by Sam "Trivvy" Pearson), an "Elite" unit of the Combine's
Plot
At
Later, Walker's dropship reaches the Arctic but is shot down by the rebels, crash-landing near a research complex owned by Arbeit Communications. After fighting through multiple rebel squads, Walker is contacted by clone of his consciousness, who has turned against the Combine. The clone tries to persuade Walker to abandon the Combine's mission, stating that Walker will be discarded after he accomplishes their tasks, but Walker refuses, prompting the clone to plunge him into the depths of the complex, which are crawling with mutated
Upon returning to the surface, Walker is contacted by the Advisor, who berates him for his lack of progress but is placated after Walker informs it of Aperture's connection to Arbeit. Walker boards a Combine APC and travels to a second Arbeit facility, where he suspects that Mossman and her accomplices are located. Upon reaching the facility, Walker and his Combine troops engage in a skirmish with the rebels; eventually, Walker and his troops neutralize the rebels and capture Mossman. However, Walker's rogue clone reappears and attempts, but fails, to eliminate Walker and Mossman. After handing Mossman over to the Combine, the Advisor orders Walker to kill the clone, who is headed towards a third Arbeit facility.
At Arbeit #3, Walker catches up to the clone, who is preparing to overload the facility's core. A firefight quickly ensues between the two, in which the clone is wounded and forced to flee to Arbeit's primary excavation site—where the "project" is located. After stabilizing the core, Walker enters the excavation site, where he discovers that the "project" is the Borealis, a research vessel that vanished from the dry dock of Aperture's "Enrichment Center" prior to the Combine occupation of Earth.[c] Walker finds the wounded clone, and the two discuss the vessel's value and what will happen to Walker should the Combine retrieve it, before the clone asks Walker to end his life. Regardless of his choice, the Advisor appears before Walker and crushes the clone's body, ensuring his death.
The Advisor states that Walker is to be "rewarded" for his accomplishments by becoming the "master template" for the transhuman Combine army. Should he submit to his "reward", Walker is stripped away of his memories and turned into an obedient slave of the Combine, which is killed by Freeman during a rebel assault on the Borealis. Otherwise, Walker kills the Advisior and destabilizes the facility's entropic control over the Borealis, plunging both it and Walker into a temporal event. Later, Walker awakens aboard the Borealis, where he is met by the
Development
Production on Entropy: Zero 2 began in 2018, following the release of its predecessor,
Writing
Initial story drafts for Entropy: Zero 2 were set after the events of
A key goal for the development team when making Entropy: Zero 2 was to create a character study of a "bad guy" within the confines of the Half-Life universe. Unlike most of the official Half-Life games, which employ silent protagonists, Walker is presented as a fully-voiced, "reactive" character, with dynamic responses to various player actions within a level.[11][9] When building out aspects of Walker's backstory, Richardson drew contrasting parallels to Half-Life series protagonist Gordon Freeman: both characters begin their respective lives as ordinary men, but whereas Freeman becomes a hero in his story, Walker turns into a "monster" with a deep hatred for humanity in his, which the Combine would seek to weaponize.[9]
In Entropy: Zero 2's third chapter, Walker encounters a defective
Music
Entropy: Zero 2's score was composed by Spencer Baggett, who had previously contributed several music tracks to the first Entropy: Zero.[9] Additional ambient music tracks for the mod were also written by Richardson and West.[9] Baggett's original score was released to digital platforms on August 20, 2022;[14] an extended soundtrack album, including both Baggett's tracks and the contributions made by Richardson and West, was published on Steam as a free digital download on September 14.[15]
Release
Entropy: Zero 2 was released on Steam on August 20, 2022, as a free download for owners of Half-Life 2.[8] A version for the Linux operating system was released as part of an update on May 27, 2023, which also includes native controller support and Steam Deck compatibility.[16]
Reception
Shortly after its release, NME reported that Entropy: Zero 2 received a "very positive" rating from players on Steam, with players giving praise to the game's new weapons, soundtrack, and its combat setpieces.[8] In a feature for PC Gamer, Christopher Livingston stated that the mod was "inventive" and "surprising". Livingston also gave praise to the ability to assemble a squad of Combine soldiers, which he found to be "weirdly enjoyable", and complimented the game's main protagonist, who he felt was "pretty funny at times".[4]
Accolades
Entropy: Zero 2 won Mod DB's 2022 "Mod of the Year" award in the "Players Choice" category.[17][18]
Notes
- ^ Stylized as Entropy : Zero 2
- Dr. Eli Vancein Half-Life 2.
- ^ As revealed in Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007)
References
- ^ a b Smith, Ed (August 22, 2022). "Half-Life 2 sequel launches on Steam, but it's not by Valve". PCGamesN. Archived from the original on August 24, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ a b Livingston, Christopher (January 3, 2023). "Moddb's 'Mod of the Year' is the best Half-Life 2 campaign since Half-Life 2". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Lane, Rick (July 28, 2022). "Wildly ambitious Half-Life 2 mod sees you play as a Combine soldier with a Portal turret companion". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ a b Livingston, Christopher (September 8, 2022). "This killer mod finally made me OK with never getting Half-Life 2: Episode 3". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Dastoor, Vaspaan (August 22, 2022). "Half-Life 2 Mod Gives You Control Of A Combine Squad". TheGamer. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Bolding, Jonathan (August 21, 2022). "Be a remarkably bad cop in remarkably good Half-Life 2 mod Entropy: Zero 2". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Heaton, Andrew (July 29, 2022). "Ambitious Half-Life 2 Mod Puts Players in the Boots of a Combine Soldier". Game Rant. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c Coleman, Jack (August 21, 2022). "'Half-Life 2' fully voice-acted mod lets you control a Combine squad". NME. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Richardson, Johnny (August 7, 2021). "Entropy : Zero 2 - Media Tempest!". Mod DB. Archived from the original on August 7, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Valve (April 9, 2006). "Half-Life: The Story so Far". Half-Life.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Beahm, Elijah (October 18, 2022). "Entropy: Zero 2: How Half-Life Modders Made Their Own Episode 3". DualShockers. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Windows). Breadmen. Level/area: Chapter Zero.
- Windows). Breadman. Level/area: Chapter 4: Bad Cop.
- ^ "Entropy : Zero 2 (Original Game Mod Soundtrack)". Apple Music. August 20, 2022. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ "Entropy : Zero 2 Soundtrack". Steam. September 14, 2022. Archived from the original on March 15, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ Breadmen (May 27, 2023). "Entropy : Zero 2 - 1.5.5 update is live". Steam. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Cox, Matt (January 4, 2023). "Half-Life 2 and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. shake-ups top ModDB's 2022 Mod of the Year Awards". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
- ^ Kralich/David (December 27, 2022). "Players Choice - Mod of the Year 2022 feature". Mod DB. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.