The original Half-Life will turn 24 years old next November. It is an inexhaustible classic, with a huge number of modifications that in turn gave rise to millions of hours of multiplayer sessions around the world. The best part is that the game now runs comfortably on systems with minimal resources, and this is demonstrated thanks to the project of user iCrazyBlaze, which allows us to play the original Half-Life online and for free, directly in the browser.
It is hard to believe that one of the best sagas in video game history begins with a theoretical physicist arriving late to work... but that is Gordon Freeman. From a burnt casserole lunch in a microwave, to an interdimensional hero armed with a crowbar.
The best part is that Half-Life runs even on a fuel dispenser, and it is an extraordinary example of retro gaming. In fact, I dare say we are looking at a great candidate to replace Doom as the next Hello World for controllers and other unusual devices. So why not start with a browser? That's right: The original Half-Life online, and free.
How to Play the Original Half-Life in Your Browser
This project by iCrazyBlaze on GitHub is based on the port of the Xash3D engine made in Emscripten by mittorn. The available Half-Life modules are four: Deathmatch, Hazard Course, and the two official demos, Uplink and Day One. For obvious reasons, the full game is not available, and when playing we must choose one of two variants: the Emscripten package, or a conventional zip. Personally, I have not found differences.
iCrazyBlaze recommends using Firefox to run these demos, but Chrome responded very well on my side. Now, if we must evaluate the overall experience, let's say it is far from perfect. On the one hand, the game window does not always fully capture the mouse, and on the other, any attempt to go fullscreen and return guarantees the environment ends up upside down.
The pauses for scene loading in the demos suggest the game has hung, but that lasts a few seconds. To tell the truth, the framerate is excellent, but that does not surprise us considering the age of the game. As for controls, I recommend remapping the left Ctrl for crouch (it can cause problems in browsers), and increasing mouse sensitivity, as well as reducing audio volume. Try it!
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