A few months back, McGreavy teased that he’d gotten his hands on a bunch of new Valve concept art. Now, he’s finally found the time to scan and share some of them online.
Not a bad way to spend a day. 😅 and then I’ve gotta restart cataloging all the OTHER stuff lol pic.twitter.com/jjkFwD08Om — David McGreavy 🔜 PAX West (@DominusNoctis) April 25, 2022 The most interesting image is easily that of the slug-like creature found in the top left corner of an image alongside what we can only presume are other concept arts for Half-Life 2: Episode 3. The creature’s name, BreenGrub, might ring a bell if you’re a Half-Life fan. Dr. Wallace Breen was a villain in Half-Life 2 who fell to his death after the destruction of the Citadel’s reactor. Breen’s only appeared in flashbacks in Episodes 1 and 2 since. We know from an Episode 2 recording and testimonies from former Half-Life 2 writer, Marc Laidlaw, that Breen will be in a different “host body” in Episode 3. It’s safe to say that Breen didn’t really have much of a choice where his conscious mind would land. Laidlaw reveals Alyx and Gordon will travel to Borealis where they’ll meet BreenGrub. But, it appears that this fateful reunion is more of a sob story. Apparently, the former villain will seek help from the two protagonists, asking them to kill him and put him out of his misery. In addition to BreenGrub, McGreavy’s scans reveal other concept art for Half-Life 2: Episode 3 like post-apocalyptic vistas and a debris-filled coastline. We’re also treated to a glimpse of a robot companion, Dog, that, as per Kotaku, is meant for a spin-off title. Unfortunately, this is the first time that we’ve heard about this unnamed spin-off, so we’ve zero information on what this could’ve been. Half-Life 2 remains one of the best video games ever made along with its two episodes. It wasn’t until 2020 that Valve finally explained why Episode 3 never came out. But, if it’s any consolation, Valve has since confirmed that it’s working on multiple “pretty exciting” games at the moment, including at least four unannounced projects. Finally, Valve teased last year that fans should be excited following the success of Half-Life: Alyx.
