Transmissions: Element 120

Transmissions: Element 120 is a free short first person game set in the Half Life universe. We explore a strange abandoned location, follow clues left behind by people who were there before us and slowly work out what is going on. It feels much more like a small Half Life style adventure than a normal full length shooter. The atmosphere is probably the best part. The early sections are dark, quiet and mysterious, and the game does a really good job of making us wonder what happened before we arrived. The lighting and sound work especially well here, and there are some creepy moments that feel much more effective because the game is not constantly trying to scare us. The exploration is also good at the beginning. We can find notes, strange signs and codes that give us little pieces of information about the area. A lot of the early progression comes from looking around and working out where we are supposed to go next, which gives the game a nice sense of mystery. The gravity weapon is easily the most interesting gameplay idea. Instead of using it like a normal Gravity Gun, we can use it to launch ourselves through the air, jump across huge gaps and survive ridiculous falls. Once we get used to it, moving around the environment becomes much more fun and gives the game something that feels genuinely different from normal Half Life gameplay. The combat is also decent, especially once the game starts mixing the gravity weapon with enemies. We can use the environment and the strange movement system to deal with threats, and some of the action sequences are surprisingly impressive for such a small project. The Source Engine effects and physics also help the game look much better than we might expect from a free game from 2016. The biggest problem is the length. This is a very short experience and we can finish it in well under a few hours. The mystery gets us interested quickly, but the game ends before the story has enough time to fully develop. The ending is also quite vague, so we are left with more questions than answers. The other weakness is that the gameplay is not equally strong all the way through. The first part has a better balance of exploration, atmosphere and mystery, while later sections lean much more heavily into the gravity weapon and action. The movement is fun, but the mystery becomes less important once the game turns into more of a showcase for the weapon. Overall, Transmissions: Element 120 is a really impressive free Half Life fan experience, especially considering how small it is. The atmosphere, level design and gravity weapon give it some genuinely memorable moments, even though the story is too short and the later gameplay loses some of the mystery from the opening. We would not call it a full Half Life adventure, but it is definitely worth playing for the experience. Rating: 7.8/10