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Valve has revealed the first-ever footage of the canceled Half-Life 2: Episode 3 in its 2-hour long Half-Life 2: 20th Anniversary Documentary. The previously unseen content shows early prototype gameplay features, including an experimental ice gun and new enemy types from the canceled project.
The ice gun would have allowed players to create icy structures and barricades during combat, with developers describing a "Silver Surfer mode" among its features. The footage also shows prototype blob-like enemies that could split into multiple parts and move through vents and chain-link fences using Portal technology.
"Even into Episode 3, I still don't know what that would have been if we'd built it because it hadn't been built," Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw said in the documentary. The game was planned to take place in the Arctic and would have focused on the mysterious Borealis ship that connects the Half-Life and Portal universes.
Valve engineer David Speyrer revealed that the team spent about six months developing Episode 3, creating a collection of unconnected playable levels. Development paused when the team shifted to help complete Left 4 Dead. "That's the tragic and almost comical thing about it," Speyrer said. "By the time we considered going back to Episode 3, the argument was made like, 'Well, we missed it.'"
Valve founder Gabe Newell addressed the cancellation directly: "We could've shipped it, it wouldn't have been that hard. The failure, my personal failure was being stumped. I couldn't figure out why doing Episode 3 was pushing anything forward."
Several team members now express regret about not finishing the project. "In hindsight [it was] wrong," Speyrer said. "We could have definitely gone back and spent two years to make Episode 3."
The full documentary (see below) provides the most detailed look yet at the abandoned project that has left Half-Life fans wondering for nearly two decades.
