The Strangest Chapter In Half-Life 1

Previously in this blog I talked about Blast Pit, my favourite chapter from the original Half-Life. Today I am following that by talking about another chapter that's been in my mind, but for different reasons. Not necessarily a bad reason, though — in fact, that's exactly why I really wanna talk about this chapter, as it's probably the most "ehh?" of them all.

This chapter is the 15th chapter from the game, and the one that introduces the final quarter of it: Xen.

Yes, this chapter is named Xen, and it kicks off the general section of the game named Xen. This can get confusing, even for me, but I'll clarify it whenever needed.

"Xen" is, as mentioned previously, the opening chapter of the final section of the game, the eponymous Xen, the alien world all the creatures invading Earth are coming from.

It famously received a gigantic overhaul in the fan-made remake, Black Mesa, however I have always loved the look of the original. It's one of very few places I've seen in a game that I would describe as truly otherworldly, something that looks completely unlike anything we know.

That being said, this final section of the game is more infamous than anything. It may be cool visually, even in the original, but it's very much overshadowed by it being probably the worst overall gameplay section in the whole series. There's a reason Black Mesa completely revamped it.

There's two boss fights in this section, against the Gonarch and Nihilanth. The latter is my absolute least favourite section of the game, and the former is not as bad as I remembered but still a bottom-tier chapter.

There's also Interloper, which although has a few good maps — including probably the best one in the whole Xen section, absolutely fumbles in the storytelling aspect where it had a lot of potential. I do want to discuss thsy specific chapter some other time.

But for now, let's stay focused on the actual "Xen" chapter.

"Xen" is weird, as it's probably the shortest chapter in the entire game. It only contains one map. That map, though, is probably one of the better ones of the section — which is not saying a lot, but anyways!

This is admittedly a wholly personal opinion. I know a lot of people hate this particular aspect of the game, and even I agree it's definitely not perfect, however I actually enjoy the platforming in this game and especially this section.

Gravity is much weaker in all of Xen, meaning you jump ever-so-slightly higher and take longer to fall. Additionally, with the help of the long jump module you get at the end of the chapter just before this, you can jump much longer distances than usual! Especially with the weaker gravity.

This is what the first part of the map consists of, platforming amongst small platforms. One of them has two Vortigaunts and a Houndeye to fight, and after that you jump between smaller platforms that float around pillars, until you reach the bottom of the island.

It's not the most fun thing to wait for them to come closer, but I do find it quite fun to actually jump to them, and also find the most efficient timings for it!

After you make it to the bottom, you have to make it to the lower part of the island, which is in a groove that goes through the whole side of it. Here there's more Houndeye and some violet crystals that shoot you, however in one of these there's a healing pool that very slowly heals you, giving some rest from all that surrounds. These will appear for the rest of the section.

Around this puddle you might notice a small nook that's noticeably dim. Inside of there you will find the very last section of the chapter, an underground room lightly flooded with a weird liquid, and filled with some Headcrab-looking spores.

This section is refereed to as a "puzzle", but it isn't really. All you have to do is break a small webbed crate filled with some floating sparkly things, and activate three small pillars and wait for them to go inside. That's it!

After that a portal opens up that brings you to the Gonarch's Lair, ending the chapter.

And that's it for the chapter Xen! Technically the final map in Interloper is labelled as being part of Xen in the files, as seen in the save/load menu, but I am pretty sure that is just a bug or leftover from a previous version.

Although Xen as a whole is definitely the weakest area of the game — if not the whole series, the chapter "Xen" is a pretty fun time in my opinion, and perfectly adjusts you to the new movement, environment, and quirks of this hostile, yet weirdly beautiful alien world.

Oh, by the way! This is my tier list of all the chapters (plus Hazard Course) ranked by personal preference.