Estranged: Act 1

Estranged Act 1 was a game that just popped up in my Steam store one day and it's price was £0, so what the hell reason do I have to not at least try the damn thing out?!

Well OK, Estranged isn't exactly free since it's a mod for Half Life 2.  In case there is anyone reading this post who isn't aware of what that means; it means that you have to own a copy of Half Life 2 to play the game, otherwise it won't work.  Then again, Half Life 2 was released 10 fucking years ago, so if you're a avid Steam user and you DON'T own this game, then really what the fuck are you doing with yourself?

Anyway, I didn't know anything about this game going in, and I'm glad I didn't so if you want to experience it the same way I did, then stop reading this post, go beat the game, then come back and read the rest.

The game starts with an unamed protagonist in a boat.  You get a call on a radio about an island that's been overrun with something nasty and then your boat explodes for some reason and the game starts.  From the few screen shots I saw I thought I was going to be playing either a walking simulator or a puzzle game, but oh how wrong I was.

Estranged is a rather well made first person survival horror type of game for the most part with a bit more focus on action nearer to the end of the game.  The game isn't going to blow anyones mind in terms of innovation but what is here is really well made.  It controls well, the level design is solid, there are some original models, characters are fully voiced, there's a sort of interesting plot going on with a bit of mystery, the level design is good and it's the atmosphere for the game is really nice.

All the limitations that come with every Half Life mod are present, but that's more the engines fault than that of the people who made it and it doesn't really spoil any of the enjoyment of playing the game.  I suppose you could argue that the game is a little short, I beat it in one sitting in about an hour and a half, but for £0 that's pretty good value for money.

So go and give Estranged: Act 1 a go, you have literally nothing to lose in doing so.  Personally, I can't wait for Act 2 and I'd even be willing to pay for it as long as they made it a bit longer (unless they only charged like £1 or £2 for it).  You can tell that the creators put a lot of work in here and it would be a shame if they didn't get at least some recognition for their game.