In a world as big as that of Half-Life: Alyx, there was no lack of easter eggs scattered all along the way. Many of these are simple references to old Valve titles, so some of you may have already noticed some nostalgic goodies, especially if your curiosity has prompted you to search for them intentionally.
There is much more than you imagine and you will not be disappointed by the amount of secrets that make the game world even more immersive, with much of the story of Half-Life told in the background, conveyed through small bits of information and details collected here and there.
BEWARE OF SPOILERS: Although the plot is not discussed, the visuals may ruin your first experience of the game, so it would be best to keep this list for later. If, on the other hand, you have come here looking for a guide on how to find the little curiosities scattered around the game, then get ready to brush up on some old Valve titles that have made the history of the company.
Dr. Isaac Kleiner's book
Dr. Isaac Kleiner's “From Here to There in under a second” is found on the balcony at the beginning of Half-Life: Alyx. The spine of this book is visible in Half-Life 2, and obviously it refers to Kleiner, the well-known scientist who experimented with teleportation in previous titles.
The photo of DOG and the sketches of his project
DOG is Alyx Vance's faithful robot dog, a gift from her father Eli to protect her as a child. On Half-Life 2 DOG it's huge, but it wasn't always like that. In its base of operations, at the beginning of the game, you can find notes with sketches of any updates for DOG, along with a “puppy” photo.
The Snark in the Jar
In the same blueprint room as DOG, there will be a jar with a Snark inside. This "little creature" could be thrown like a grenade in the first Half-Life. Alyx appears to have caught one and can be fed using a jar marked "NOT COFFEE".
Alyx's globe and the fate of the United States
Right next to the Snark, you can consult a curious globe. Scribbles of a circle with arrows point to a vague area near Russia. City 17 is known to be somewhere in Eastern Europe, but if you rotate the globe, a large black mark will indicate what happened to North America. All of this harks back to the accident caused unintentionally by Gordon Freeman in the first title of the series. The Black Mesa was disintegrated by a thermonuclear explosion and the fate of humanity fell into the hands of the Combine.
The code for gravity gloves
Once you reach Russell's laboratory, there will be a lot to discover. Once you enter, there will be a CRT monitor on the immediate right. If turned on, you will recognize the hard work of the gravity glove design. More than a dozen C ++ files litter the desktop. The trash is also called an "incinerator" - perhaps a reference to Portal?
Chompski, the famous garden gnome
The most sensational (and emotionally traumatic) discovery inside the laboratory is certainly the bottle opener of the garden gnome Chompski. The gnome Chompski first appeared in Half-Life 2: Episode Two as a key item for an achievement. The player had to carry it through the entire game and then launch it with a rocket. In Half-Life: Alyx, the situation is no different: one player discovered the real life-sized Gnome Chompski behind a white sofa in the gravity glove testing area. There will be an achievement to take him up to The Vault at the end of the game!
The Black Mesa screensaver
Just look up to see a CRT monitor with the orange Black Mesa logo as a screensaver.
The Scout's bubblehead
Also inside the office is a Team Fortress 2 Scout bobblehead. When Russel asks you to “find something that represents them”, you can use it to unlock an achievement. There is a blue counterpart of this red bobblehead on a shelf towards the end of the game, referencing the RED and BLUE teams from Team Fortress 2.
Tribute to Laszlo
As soon as you have a chance to equip the gravity gloves, just turn around and look into the room to the right to see another gem. Next to the head of a mannequin you will notice post-its with the words "pw: lazl0". In Half-Life 2, Laszlo is the name of a Resistance member who tragically dies after disturbing an Antlioni nest. At that point his partner will exclaim: “Oh my God! Poor Laszlo! The brightest mind of his generation, disappeared in this way. " Having been important to the Resistance, it makes sense that Russell used his name as a password. RIP Laszlo.
Dr. Breed on the cover of a famous magazine
Also in Russel's laboratory (I swear it's the last one) you can see a magazine called Tech Impact, a clear tribute to Wired magazine. The cover features Dr. Wallace Breen with the title "The Mind Of Breen" under the title. The subtitle says "How the Right Man in the Right Place Could Save Us All". This is obviously evocative of G-Man's opening monologue in Half-Life 2 - "The right man in the wrong place can make a difference in the world."
The papers talk about the Black Mesa disaster
Around the game world, there will be newspapers in English and Russian, even here Dr. Wallace Breen will appear following an article on the Black Mesa disaster. Other front page articles trace the collapse of global infrastructure and markets between the invasion of the Xen and Combine and the continuing storms caused by the accident.
A nice graffiti by Portal
Later, as you go out to fight the Combine block, you can't help but notice this pretty graffiti of a Portal turret expressing your love for us.
0451
This is a typical game designer joke, a code usually required to solve the first puzzles of many games, including Deus Ex, Dishonored and Bioshock. In Half-Life: Alyx has no function (as far as is known) but can be found in the Northern Star hotel.
Controversial advertisements
Throughout the game, there are tons of posters advertising Mountain Peaks, a bottled water brand. This is likely a reference to the rumor spread in Half-Life 2 that the Combines tampered with the water supply to control citizens during the invasion. As a citizen who lives in a train station explains: “Don't drink the water… they take something to make you forget. I don't even remember how I got here ”.
Kojima's hand
It was recently discovered by a reddit user (KnightzIX) a reference to a famous collaboration between Valve and Kojima Productions. This is a Death Stranding style pack, complete with the BRIDGES logo and the iconic yellow ribbon bearing the “Void if tampered” warning. Next to it is a black boot with yellow soles. It appears to be located in chapter 8 of Half-Life: Alyx, in a locked storage room guarded by laser mines.
► Half-Life: Alyx is an Adventure-type game developed and published by Valve for Windows Mixed Reality, Oculus Rift (VR) and Steam VR, the video game was released on 23/03/2020
