A talented Half-Life: Alyx player has created a mod for the game which transports Alyx to the dingy depths of BioShock's Rapture on a unique mission. This has to be one of the coolest things you'll see today.
Wim Buytaert recently created this mod, which is now available for free via the Steam Workshop (obviously you'll first need the base Half-Life: Alyx VR game, though). It's apparently pretty short unfortunately - only about half an hour long - but Buytaert has confirmed that a second level "and more" are on the horizon.
The mod - Return to Rapture - brings the worlds of BioShock and Half-Life together in a way that'll make any fan of either squeal with delight. BioShock's first big baddie Andrew Ryan and founder of the city of Rapture - now crumbling and desolate - apparently holds the secret science behind the genetics-altering ADAM and the extraordinary power-bestowing plasmids. Knowing this, the Combine - in all their intergalactic omnipotence - want it real bad.
Enter our heroine Alyx. She's been tasked to prevent the crap out of that, and as such must descend into Rapture herself to retrieve that sensitive information before the Combine can. "No gods or kings. Only Alyx," reads the mod's tagline.
The game will feature iconic aspects of the first two BioShock games, from their soundtracks and audio diaries, to vending machines, and vita-chambers which act as save points. Buytaert also lent their own voice to the cause, which will act as a guide throughout the experience.
Judging by the screenshots we've seen, the atmosphere seems incredible. As different as these two game universes are in many ways, weaving them together like this promises a really interesting and unique experience. And the thought of visiting Rapture in VR? Yes please.
You can download the Return to Rapture mod via Steam now. Now that another modder has apparently teamed up with Buytaert to help out, hopefully fans will be getting more VR Rapture action in the not-too-distant future. Watch this space!
Source: Steam Workshop