Boomer Shooter December: Half-Life – Blue Shift Review

I know what some of you might be thinking: what the actual fuck is this? Half-Life isn’t a boomer shooter. Maybe it’s not, in the purest sense. But I think it absolutely belongs in that weird transitional space between the boomer shooter greats and the shift toward the more story-driven first-person shooter era that followed. It still relies heavily on those core boomer shooter elements with its linear level design, strong focus on gunfights and its overall fast-paced nature. There’s really just a bit more story and puzzle-solving layered on top. I think it more than qualifies. Blue Shift features less puzzles than the original, so it arguably fits the genre even better. Regardless, I really wanted to shove some Half-Life into this month and Blue Shift was short enough to fit the bill. You tell me. Am I jamming a square peg into a round hole here?

Half-Life: Blue Shift was originally released by Gearbox Software in 2001 as an expansion pack to Half-Life. Blue Shift was slated to be a Sega Dreamcast exclusive as a part of the Half-Life port for the console. After facing several issues during development and the console itself being discontinued, Half-Life for Dreamcast was ultimately cancelled just before release. Near-finished versions of the game were leaked and thanks to the fans, you can rip through the whole game and Blue Shift on the console today. Naturally, I went with the Steam version which was made available on the platform in 2005. The story runs concurrently with the original and we instead follow Barney Calhoun, a Black Mesa security guard whose day at work also immediately goes to shit. After Gordon Freeman triggers the resonance cascade in the test chamber, the facility begins to fall to bits and Calhoun is dropped down an elevator shaft into the depths of the Black Mesa Research Facility. Fighting through the rubble, Marines and invading alien creatures, Barney links up with Dr. Rosenberg who plans to evacuate using experimental teleportation technology. But first, the system has to be calibrated in Xen because of course it does. Barney obliges and helps to evacuate the remaining scientists. Marines storm the lab and just as it’s Barney’s turn to leave, the teleporter overloads which sends him through a chaotic series of locations before finally stabilising outside Black Mesa where he escapes with Dr. Rosenberg.

Blue Shift feels immediately familiar, but it features a noticeable visual upgrade with updated character and weapon models along with cleaner environments which gives the game a slightly fresher look without losing that strong industrial feel of Black Mesa. The gameplay sticks to the classic Half-Life formula with linear progression in each area, frequent firefights and problem solving. It’s a bit more streamlined in Blue Shift, quickly moving from one area to the next with fewer slowdowns. The pacing feels pretty great overall, you don’t often feel like the game grinds to a halt to knock through a puzzle. Environmental storytelling is Half-Life’s bread and butter and it quite clearly shines throughout the game. In-world moments slowly push the story along, rather than massive, big-scripted spectacles. The facility still feels alive as it falls apart around you. It feels like a focused, slightly trimmed down take on Half-Life that appears to prioritise momentum over complex puzzles and it works surprisingly well.

A noticeable difference to the original is the pacing, which is clearly much tighter. It’s still very much a linear experience, but the levels feel more compact and focused which works to drive things forward without feeling rushed. Every area always has a clear path forward, but there’s still enough side rooms with hidden supplies and small detours to reward you for poking around. Every area has a clear purpose and there’s no nonsense to get you lost or intentionally confuse you. That pacing plays really well on the Steam Deck and the game translates incredibly well to a controller. It isn’t a given every time with older shooters, but yet again the controls work perfectly out of the box. Adding gyro into the mix only elevates the experience, those fine adjustments with gyro aiming make everything feel precise without slowing you down. Blue Shift ends up being a top tier fit for handhelds.

To the surprise of… uh, absolutely nobody, combat and overall game mechanics in Blue Shift are exactly the same as the original Half-Life. And you know what? That’s completely fine. There isn’t some big shake-up and it doesn’t try to reinvent anything. Instead, it delivers the safe and familiar feeling of the original firefights and puzzles. There’s a small switch to body armour from the HEV suit, but we’ve still got enemy ambushes as you move into new areas as well as an abundance of cover, should you choose to use it. I mentioned them earlier, but the updated weapon models are a nice touch. They don’t change how anything works, but they definitely look a lot cleaner and feel good to use. I think the enemy AI does a good job without going over the top. Enemies are reactive enough to provide a challenge, but they’re never wildly overpowered or frustrating. They’ll keep you honest if you’re careless, they still rush and flank you, but it manages to feel pretty fair. There’s a lot to be said about sticking to what works and I think that was the right call.

Gearbox Software delivered a new story in a familiar package and overall it’s a pretty pleasant surprise. It may be a bit leaner than the original Half-Life, but it’s faster and more focused which works completely in its favour. By trimming back the puzzles and leaning more into momentum, it delivers a fast and satisfying run through the Black Mesa Research Facility and it never leaves you feeling lost or stuck. Part of what makes Blue Shift work so well is that it stays true to the original and doesn’t try to reinvent itself. Sure, the character and weapon models have changed slightly, but the core Half-Life experience is fully intact and it translates incredibly well to any modern controller or handheld. Whether you view Half-Life as a boomer shooter or some kind of transitional in-between oddball, it absolutely holds up and the core game design is still rock solid.

Verdict:
Half-Life: Blue Shift doesn’t try to reinvent itself and that’s exactly why it works so well. It’s simply a faster, more focused and momentum-driven run through that same day from hell in Black Mesa, just from a different perspective. It lessens the puzzle load and opts for a more combat-driven experience and it shows just how well good design can age.

Deck Compatibility: 10/10
Overall Game Rating: 8/10 – Expansion Done Right