Half-Life's Horrific Town | Ravenholm | Full Half-Life Lore

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Ravenholm is one of Half-Life's most tragic locations. Having once been a strong resistance base, this once simple mining town is now home to nightmares and a lone survivor attempting to save the souls of his flock.
What actually happened to Ravenholm? Who resides there and why does no-one visit there? Here, I explore the lore and story behind Ravenholm in the Half-Life universe.
Timestamps
00:00 Intro & World
01:15 Background
02:35 The Ridge Sponsorship
03:33 The Combine Invasion & The First Fall of Ravenholm
07:03 A New Home for The Resistance
09:34 The Final Fall of Ravenholm & The Lone Survivor
17:36 Another Life to Save & Legacy
20:56 Behind the Scenes
24:47 Return to Ravenholm
26:44 Closing Thoughts
28:47 Ending
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Standard Sources
Half-Life series playthrough research
Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
Half-Life: Alyx Playthrough
Portal/ Half-Life Fandom
Old Valve Forums
Marc Laidlaw's Twitter
Pre-War Ravenholm Map Used
steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
AUDIO USED
Half-Life 2 OST: Lab Practicum
Half-Life 2 OST: Triage at Dawn
#Ravenholm #Lore #HalfLife

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks to The Ridge Wallet for sponsoring this video! Check them out here: ridge.com/skyrionn Use Code "SKYRIONN" for 15% off your order!

[@alternax9751]

I was here early by two minutes! I love your content!

[@calvinlucien]

Congrats dude!!!

[@Skyrionn]

@Alexandry Dumass I do try to only add what is important to the story. There are already timestamps on the video too :)

[@737Garrus]

No.

[@ricoinsweden]

@Skyrionn Before I played it I had been with my oldest´son (then 3 now 22) at the Anatomical theatre the same day as I enterned Ravenholm and I had severe nightmares after playing that part och HL2 that night. The horror that they were inflicted upon me is beyond any horror movie I´ve ever seen. HL 1 and HL 2 is of course up to this day my absolute favorite game of all times and will not ever be matched. Even if we introduce force feedback suits and distance tracks as shown in Ready Player One. Think that the Smartphone market will explode as it done in China and soon the west in the next decade to come and apps like Voice AI will trigger our laughts and question our reality. Since reality with Covid and risk of Nuclear holocoust is some of our threats in our reality, than a alternative reality seems to be fine. A reality to escape for humans that there only income is OF and Insta which makes them turn on each other cause there are not any pronounce left in the universe for them to untake in their thirst to try to be unique and special. ;). To finilize I must say that the PC market and its games will be batteled with consoles which taking market shares but I still thinks that PC's will outmatch the console market since there are games that requires more than any console can match. Last of us (or US) depending how you see it is a very good lore and getting close. Another console game that got my attention were Assassin Creed brotherhood. But thats just me getting old...

[@cubapete7954]

Father Grigori was one of the most badass side characters in gaming history. Mad respect.

[@Skyrionn]

100%

[@anthonygordon9483]

Half Life was definitely one of the first games that had NPCs to help you out in a FPS. Yeah Halo did it but Half Life 1 did it 3 years before. It felt more personable when the NPCs help you in real time and not in a cut scene.

[@tf2fanplayz976]

It would be cool to see him again

[@randomshitpostchannel]

​@@tf2fanplayz976we wouldve seen him alongside adrian sheperd but sadly return to ravenholm (hl2e4) was canceled

[@nick33ee]

@@randomshitpostchannel wat. adrian was coming back in an ep4?!

[@ender-cq1ec]

Father Grigori rips the head crab off his sholder so smoothly like he's done it so many times

[@CASA-dy4vs]

Probably has😂😂😂😂

[@dorkfactory]

Funny you mention Grigori making you feel safe. I had the same reaction. that town was CREEPY. You feel vulnerable the whole time. When grigori would show up it was like a weird wave of safety and companionship... even though he was kinda crazy

[@Skyrionn]

I always feel more comfortable when there's an AI with you. Alyx was great for the short time you spend with her too.

[@yulsummers5807]

even in route kanal and water hazard it was eerie and scary without a npc to help you

[@concept5631]

The fact he hasn't completely shut down mentally is a testament to his will.

[@KB8Killa]

When I played ravenholm the first time when I was like 12 I was terrified. Around midnight some hooligan kids threw an egg at my house and it landed on our roof. This happened to coincide with the part of the level with those screaming jumping zombies that leap around on the roofs. I was shook.

[@voxterh.6166]

💀💀💀💀

[@alexdietrich7975]

I was like 4 - 5 when this game dropped. This game was a blast and I remember loving it until this part. The second I saw those legs hanging from the tree and the buzzsaws on the walls, my little child brain knew things were going to get dark, still gives me creeps playing the chapter to this day

[@qwertyiuwg4uwtwthn]

Thats kinda cute 😊

[@relaxedsack1263]

I WANT MY ICING

[@c_alam1ty]

egg

[@muddlewait8844]

Kinda poignant to see Ravenholm in the daylight and citizens in normal clothing.

[@Skyrionn]

It was fun to put together. Ravenholm almost felt welcoming

[@jozatheman]

There needs to be a mod where you can just walk around ravenholm before combine came

[@frankg2790]

@@jozatheman Or better yet, a Mod where you play Father Grigori durin' the Fall Of Ravenholm.

[@JynxIsEnbee]

@@jozatheman There is a Garry's Mod map, called Prewar-Town or something like that

[@Sirpushyou]

@@frankg2790 yesssss. Sounds dope af.

[@TexasADV]

man I would love to see a half-life book series that explored places like ravenholm in more detail.

[@Skyrionn]

I would love that too!

[@MisterJohnDoe]

Sounds lovely. I can almost imagine one for Nova Prospekt too.

[@krasiomilchev160]

I can highly recommend you the book I Am Legend. It's not connected to half life, but the setting and vibe are almost identical. I can safely say whoever came up with the final concept for Ravenholm was heavily inspired by the book and for good reason. Also the book is way better than the movie.

[@Vicarious_Heart]

Your comment actually inspired me to start writing one. Thanks.

[@Jilldildo1]

Yeah that sound awesome!

[@tricursor2481]

Glad you found a sponsor, your content is awesome as a huge half life fan.

[@Skyrionn]

I was so happy that they reached out. Maybe they will be the first of many!

[@BigboiiTone]

Correct. It's one of my favorite macabre sci fi universes.

[@tricursor2481]

I don't know why I find it so interesting. Maybe because it's so fleshed out an unique. The whole thing where combine refers to itself as a singular unit and uses surgical terms to describe things, the overwatch and the dialog there that you'd only know if you played hundreds of times or listened to them manually, the whole genetic altering of the best of a planet's species to conscript them into their army, and their technology which was expanded upon a ton in alyx due to the super high quality models and assets. I just don't understand how there hasnt been more interest in a movie. Portal is awesome in its own way, but they're in the same universe, there's no reason you couldn't do a movie that includes both.

[@leandroingrassia]

I love that pre-invasion daylight Ravenholm that you show us. Completely different atmosphere just by doing small changes.

[@Skyrionn]

It was so fun to play with too. I loved seeing the different variations of Ravenholm and what it could have been like.

[@randomguy128]

yeah I would probably live there

[@stupidstudiosproductions2179]

Father grigiori might be insane. But he still has a heart. He sacrificed his sanity and possibly putting himself in the face of death to free his former friends. Including Gordon freeman when he came

[@debbiebernhardt5406]

I'm guessing he had to flee into black Mesa east when the explosions of nova prospect and then city 17 citadel begun destruction of area. He must have sought cover before the detonation occurred. He must have survived the blast due to the sentry being disabled and the door damaged to be operable. He must have survived the nuclear blast to be a full blown survival within the facility after nuclear destruction. Ravenholm destruction was within both blast radius. He happen to realize his survival improved with bunker.

[@Mr.Needle-Hamster]

Did you know the reason why Ravenholm is so creepy? It's because it was pulled straight out of the beta, which had a much darker, sinister tone compared to the retail version

[@gamiezion]

"that's ravenholm. we don't go there anymore." words that will haunt me forever.

[@splunkmastah4609]

Coupled with the visible distress on Alyx's face. It a good setup.

[@splunkmastah4609]

Hey Siri? Would you mind telling me who the fuck asked?

[@zexxiu]

@DriftZ TwoSeven same dude who probably cries over dying in fortnite

[@zexxiu]

@DriftZ TwoSeven nah totally didn't @ you

[@zexxiu]

@DriftZ TwoSeven do you even know what simping means im literally just defending the game so your edgy ass doesn't cut yourself over losing a game of Splatoon 3

[@chickendrawsdogs3343]

I think Half-Life 2 IS a horror game, not an outwardly, jump-out-of-your-seat horror like Dead Space per se. The horror in Half-Life is subtle in its worldbuilding, and the more you think about them, the more terrifying they get: the Stalkers' and Combine soldiers' body horror, the uneasy creeping loneliness while traversing the coast, the horrific fates of Ravenholm's inhabitants, and above all - the overpowering, almost unknowable cosmic horror of the Gman and his "Employers".

[@stephens6912]

This would make for an amazing prequel game...seeing the town normally beforehand, then just having it fall apart around you and descend into madness as you try to escape

[@warbuzzard7167]

Father Grigori is, perhaps, the greatest semi-playing NPC of all time. Love that dude!

[@royliber3824]

Ravenholm definitely made an impact on me seeing it first time... I remember I was at my uncles' house long time ago when one of them played HL2, he reached Ravenholm and I was like "nope" from the get-go. I myself played HL2 two years ago and let me tell ya... Even at age 24 I was terrified from this place. I tried to rush as much as I could and leave Ravenholm the fastest as I could. Usually I would look for a bit of lore but decided to skip Ravenholm's lore because it was kinda scary for me to stay there. Fast zombies still the scariest zombie for me in the HL universe... They don't make a lot of damage and don't got too much health but the fact they can leap between roofs and climb walls is utterly scary. Ravenholm is definitely a unique place in the HL/Portal universe combined and I do wish Return to Ravenholm will be fully made one way or another. Maybe Crowbar Collective would be up for the challenge? Everything about the chapter of Ravenholm was pure horror game material... From the eerie music you hear when you first enter and then leave Ravenholm, to the zombie sounds being heard from a distance and even the traps Grigori made himself around the town. That horror feeling of Half Life was there from the first game but HL2 definitely kicked it up a notch. Also there was a debate I remember wether Ravenholm survived the explosion of the Citadel or not... If we calculate the amount of time Gordon took to reach to Ravenholm (arriving there by midnight most likely), we could assume that Black Mesa East and Ravenholm would still be intact if we regard the invasion Black Mesa East was suffering from before Gordon escaped there. Therefore its completely possible to make another chapter about Ravenholm, and I hope we will get to see it!

[@Skyrionn]

I would love to see a Ravenholm remaster of some sort. I have seen something about where someone is attempting to port Ravenholm to VR. It'd make the whole experience even scarier!

[@archusrtm6325]

Theres also the noise that the fast zombies make

[@slackingstacker]

My Dad had to beat Ravenholm for me when I was little, I was too scared

[@minecraftweedemoji]

I wonder what grigori is up to.

[@blueechodragon99]

@@Skyrionn I just got to it in VR on my first playthrough and I am currently so scared. Its defianly as scary as Jeff, and it is more tense because you're on a ammo crunch.

[@agentjudas9912]

God i love Ravenholm. You can feel the death and loneliness there, no alive creatures besides zombies, headcrabs and the insane priest that laughs maniacly. I hope that if half life 3 will actually come out someday, they will do something with Grigori and Ravenholm. Like, turning Ravenholm into a destroyed city with the maniac of the place still being alive but injured by the explosion of the citadelle. That would've been great

[@kristapsmuravjovs7061]

I think there's lots of us who still remember Ravenholm as a terrifying experience, especially from our first playthrough. I've never liked playing horror games (jumpscares are too much of me, haha), but Half life 2 was so, so goddamn good that I just had to power through and at the end of the day, the gratification and relief I felt after escaping it was palpable. 10/10, will play again. Thanks for making these btw, it's super obvious how much love and work you pour into your videos, I really hope your channel keeps on growing, despite the fickle yt algorithm.

[@Lanuzos]

Half life 2 has a special place in my heart, and so does it's Ravenholm part. When I first saw the entrance surrounded by wooden huts, I got an eerie feeling, but also a heart warming one, seeing old wooden houses under the dark blue night sky. And what happened next was an unique experience within this game. Having a break from the combine and facing my fear of headcrabs, together with this cool ghost town immersion, this will never be forgotten

[@organicketchup5171]

Ravenholm is one of the best levels in video games, I feel. Such an inspired twist on the creepy village setting.

[@kenithmay79]

I always find your videos so soothing to listen to while I draw, I appreciate the sheer detail you manage to uncover and bring to light :>

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks do much. I was sick during this video too so I'm glad the voiceover was still okay for you!

[@ninjacat0012]

Great video! When I was getting the ravenholm gravity gun achievement I really appreciated the abundance of radiators that I could throw at Zombies scattered throughout ravenholm. I was scared, but I countered my fear by carrying radiators around an calling them "the most powerful weapon in half life"

[@Pacman009]

Same

[@alanfitzgerald9026]

I do pretty good when going for that achievement, up until the water tower area when you have to wait for the elevator while the fast zombies come after you

[@ihatehandlestheyareannoying]

Radiators are pretty powerful, the "most powerful weapon in half life" title is deserved. I conquered part of nova prospekt just throwing radiators.

[@childreninmybasement1]

@@ihatehandlestheyareannoying Saws are also really powerful but really rare

[@ScrumPMC]

I could not tell you the relief I felt once I finally got out of Ravenholm and the Combine we’re sniping me. Haha

[@anolaf]

I just went through that again, but in VR. I almost fell down so many times in Ravenholm VR lolol.

[@fetaa9236]

Its such a joy to listen to you talking about game lore. Thank you!

[@Skyrionn]

Too kind! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I was so sick when recording this voiceover too so I hope it wasn't that bad ☺

[@saxyj5773]

13:49 "Their pleas would come out backwards" Help = Pleh Imagine a zombie moan screaming "pleh" to you, would by scary, unnerving and a tad bit confusing/funny

[@NuriBass69]

I was shidding my pants so hard back then when I first played this level. Easily one of the most iconic levels in video game history. Big love to Skyrionn for these awesome videos.

[@misterskeleton1397]

What kind of card game does a headcrab zombie play? Raven Hold ‘Em.

[@Skyrionn]

I shouldn't have laughed at that.... but I did

[@peepnog]

Great video! I was always interested in what happened in ravenholm. Keep it up! (You have a great "Documentary Narrator" Voice)

[@Skyrionn]

It's the style I'm going for which seems to work. I may or may not be working on a longer Half-Life documentary...

[@peepnog]

@@Skyrionn Cant wait till then, and im sure ill be one of the first few thousand to watch!

[@LU-C4]

I love the pre-apocalypse versions of Half-Life 2's maps you use in your videos.

[@Datan0de]

I just discovered your channel a couple of days ago, and I can't stop watching your Half-Life videos. They're fantastic, and now I'm craving picking up one of the games again.

[@djKIR]

You did like allways an excelent work! The amount of information in this lore video is huge, also well presented, it is also the perfect "know what Ravenholm is" video for the younger gamers. And i like that the viewers can recognise you, not only like a person on camera but also your personal style using the game footage the way you choose - a personal touch that adds quality in your work. Ravenholm has a huge surprise as Half-Life 2 came out, Valve did a great work on that with my feeling that Nintendo started a trend with adding ghost houses for the first time in Super Mario World.. For me it was the good idea! It did worked for me like the same great idea. To be honest it is a "game changer" idea, if you look at Resident Evil 7 & 8 / Village as games are like bigger Ravenholm places (even if Resident Evil 7 is only a big family farm). I can still remember being very surprised by the graphic & gameplay of Half-Life 2 for the first time. The first time on Ravenholm was sure a "wow for the love of god.. where the heck am i here???" and also a huge inspiration to create a music single based on that feeling called "R4v3nh0lm". A dark techno track, you can hear if you like distrokid.com/hyperfollow/djkir/r4v3nh0lm Greetings & wish you the best!

[@henrik1743]

Binged so many videos of yours in the last 2 days and you do a great job of explaining so many things.. you are like the futurasound of half life

[@iMost067]

While in English version level is called "We Don't Go To Ravenholm..." in Russian version its "В Ревенхольм не ходят..." which is roughly translates into "No one goes into Ravenholm...". Still have shivers from that.

[@user-zw6ri1ou3z]

It’s actually Мы не ходим в Ревенхольм... it’s different on Russian version

[@AngryShooter]

I can't express how much I love these Half-Life lore videos, I'm so glad I found this channel.

[@Skyrionn]

Welcome aboard! I'm glad you found the channel too. I try to post once a week!

[@Neometalll]

One of my favourite parts of hl are the underground sections of city 17 in ep1 and in hl2.

[@Skyrionn]

I'd have to agree with you completely

[@ian5395]

Just found your channel on some half life videos. Incredibly good stuff. I really really really appreciate your work. I'm excited to see what other lores you do.

[@calvinlucien]

So glad you got a sponsor man! Your content is truly impeccable.

[@mjordan072]

I love these lore videos and the way you've acted out these moments. It's great being able to picture Ravenholm when it was thriving. I don't know if any of the Grigori stuff is confirmed, but my read on him was always that he wasn't actually a priest - he says people called him crazy and that he once had "too much time on his hands". I always thought maybe he was ironically something like a town drunk who somehow survived, but held onto religion to stay sane and find a mission for himself (to put the people he used to know and love out of their misery). Anyway great videos!

[@melcyeh1929]

I've been binge watching these half life lore videos. I really enjoy the way they're structured

[@muratsmg62]

Here are some more information about Beta/Leak Ravenholm G-Man was going to be glimpsed in ravenholm atleast Two times, spotting him on the first map and the second Father Grigori interestingly had an Russian Accent If you play Leaked version of HL2 or with Megabuild patches, The map e3_traptown has an soundscape involving with warehouse. When you enter the house you will hear what seem to be a disorted music playing, That's not all If you play this sound tone_warehouse in forward with audacity, It's actually just a guitar strings played

[@Skyrionn]

All great pieces of info there!

[@MisterJohnDoe]

I heard you can see G-man through a broken window somewhere near the beginning of the chapter, but I was never able to find him.

[@FUBBA]

One of the best lore channels out there. Crazy how much you reveal its like you are standing next to Marc Laidlaw explaining this.

[@Skyrionn]

Too kind! I appreciate the kind words bud!

[@minelayer26]

marc laidlaw is a writing god, dude single handedly carried the half life series

[@Miniminh98]

Excellent video essay! I’m so happy people are still talking about Half Life 2 after so many years👍

[@zuri8testlastname829]

Few people know that Father Grigor is an Orthodox priest, mainly in Eastern Europe. Every hour on your clips, they are great for you, I would like you to do the same with the Portal game, there are a lot of interesting things and people in the game.

[@Skyrionn]

I literally writing a Portal video for next Monday. I do have some older videos where I covered Portal topics but I'm just making them better!

[@SkullpunkArt]

Favorite npc imo

[@KB8Killa]

Based

[@tagoldich]

Thanks Skyrionn, these videos greatly expand my understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of Half Life!

[@gcrooks]

The dead fast zombie dropping down the lift shaft scared the shit out of me the first time playing that chapter

[@cr0wnest]

Ravenholm was such a great chapter in HL2. I like how you also included your own game footage inbetween to further elaborate the lore.

[@kyloluma]

I still remember hearing a zombie cry out "Why me?" when I started burning it. I just wanted to put all of them out of their misery.

[@eiskrie2313]

Hey Skyrionn, will you make a lore video about the entire combine/universal union? would be dope

[@spitefulraven]

I lived in the mountains in the middle of nowhere back when my mom randomly brought home HL2, I remember I got to Ravenholm at night while my family was away and there wasn't a person around for miles, It was always a relief when Father Gregori would appear to help, half the time while you're being mobbed by fast zombies...then suddenly you hear the crack of his Annabelle firing overhead.

[@jonnie7891]

I love your HL lore vids. I love horror but Ravenholm gave me nightmares. I remember being so stressed while playing that section, and no matter how many times I play it I still get those same feelings. You are right. Ravenholm is a masterpiece.

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad you understand where I'm coming from. Ravenholm was scary as hell but, now older, I absolutely appreciate it for what it is

[@thejesus8750]

I went into half life 2 thinking it wouldn’t be scary at all, Ravenholm made my heart jump so many times I was surprised I didn’t get a heart attack

[@juandiegoalvaradorodriguez7439]

The first KZbinr who makes me see the full sponsor and be pleased while watching it. Amazing narrating skills!

[@Skyrionn]

That's too kind! I wanted some sort of element of the G-Man in there somewhere ☺

[@monomakes]

Very well done mate!

[@tall_prince]

I love all these maps of pre combine locations, it really shows the difference in their domain to me, plus it's just great to see all these familiar places in a new light

[@Skyrionn]

That was probably the best part about making this video. I have a link to the map I used in the description if you wanna check it out ☺

[@tall_prince]

@@Skyrionn absolutely I do. I really want to see a half life game about the actual 7 hour war, like black Mesa period of time but just in other parts of the world

[@AustinDallasPictures]

The Big Momma pod does sound amazing, great video man.

[@upgrayeddnotsure9994]

Excellent video, great work

[@chrissatterwhite711]

One of my favorite games ever as a kid. So much nostalgia. I played this game and specifically this level countless times

[@CherylOfficial2000]

It is always good to listen to all these marvellous videos .

[@OldJerzyDevil]

Great stuff! 😀 Even the ad read. I always liked Ravenholm's creepy horror vibes. Wish we could've seen more of the resistance trying to clear it out and rescue people with or without the OpFor tie-in.

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks bud! I wanted to at least add a HL element to the ad read. I'd love a whole game set in Ravenholm where you're a part of the resistance as The Combine strike.

[@zv8r154]

Because of your videos i again bought half life you reignited my love for this game thank you

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad they could bring that back for you ☺

[@TTHBLOX_]

Did not realise this was a new vid haha been binging your vids all day

[@Skyrionn]

Perfect timing!

[@TrailBlazer5280]

Ravenholm was one of the scariest game levels ive played. It may not be an outright horror game but there were so many places like that that are definitely horrifying. My favorite part about that level is carrying around a big saw blade to cut everything down in an instant. So satisfying.

[@gscheidleiwondoida5868]

Another great lore video! :) It's too bad we see the device with the headcrab shells only in Lost Coast... Keep up your good work!

[@beezzarro]

I remember being ultra high and playing half-life 2. For some reason i decided to torture myself; "today's the day i go for the achievement where you only use the geavity gun to get through Ravenholm!"............. So the whole thing was immensely terrifying to begin with. Cue scene: fast zombies attack you on small rooftop while player waits for grigori to send the damn lift over. The most scared i have ever been was trying to dance around that little frigging rooftop avoiding being gangslashed to death by a pack of screaming emaciated crabheads. It was all luck, but i got the achievement when I long-jumped into the lift and got me an amazing memory

[@DeeZeeX]

Great vid ! Can’t wait for the next one !

[@Skyrionn]

Thank you! I post every week!

[@GouAndSotsuWereMistakes]

I still vividly remember my first time in this place. It spook me. The general vibe in this area is just so different compared to the other parts

[@k3digichaos]

I was wondering what the next video would be then I see a new one was posted an hour ago! what a great day!

[@Skyrionn]

I hope you enjoyed it!

[@learningwithharry4996]

I did not like this stretch because the tone felt like they just shoved a survival horror level in there but you've given me a new appreciation of it.

[@royliber3824]

I actually kinda liked it... I mean... Not in the eyes of a 12 year old first time playing this part ofc lol. But it definitely adds to the lore and its probably the most interesting yet scary location you get in this universe. It definitely felt different seeing someone who isn't an active part of the resistance, nor a civillian in City 17... Father Grigori was caught in a limbo inside Ravenholm and he was destined to live there forever. But only because he chooses not to leave it... Damn, I really wish Return to Ravenholm would be a thing.

[@Skyrionn]

I guess it depends on the genre people tend to like. I absolutely love it, but I understand why it was off putting for you too

[@royliber3824]

@Hardware John Honestly, I completed HL2 around 2 years ago when I was 23 years old, and I gotta say I STILL a bit scared of that place lol. I got jumpscared so much by zombies and fast zombies... I decided to book it all the way I was in there till I reached the mine shafts.

[@codyjackson1875]

@@royliber3824 It’s not that bad. Jesus you just sound weak tbh.

[@Blackmorerainbowcatch]

Half life has always had a horror element in it, dont know what you mean

[@nierax327]

awesome video as always and im glad that you have managed to receive a sponsor

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad they reached out. It'd a step in the right direction. Thanks for watching Nierax!

[@scarletcrusader5431]

Can't wait for the Return To Ravenholm video!

[@Skyrionn]

Coming at some point in the future 😂

[@shreksnow1918]

Great video! Valve did an amazing job with the environmental story telling and gimmicks (traps/gravity gun combat puzzles) in Ravenholm. One of the things that was really cool was how when you first see the fast zombies they’re jumping off in the distance so you don’t really know what they are at first. Then once you’ve been properly introduced to them Grigori gives you the shotgun so you can properly deal with them. It did a perfect job of introducing new threats and ways to deal with them. In a way it reminds me of the level 343 Guilty Spark from Halo 1 (luckily most are on Steam now so more people can enjoy these games) that introduces the Flood. The level begins with the Covenant absolutely terrified and are running from something. Normally the Covenant don’t do this kind of thing, and you see a crashed Spirit Dropship which up until that point in the game we’re invincible. You can see things jumping around in the distance and can’t quite make out what they are, and something is shooting at the Covenant with human weapons. After you make your way into the facility you see weird stuff like Covenant barricades where everything’s dead and green goo is dripping from the ceiling. More alien corpses, an empty room with a few Shade turrets (my icon), and a bunch of needler ammo (oddly enough that never appears in the rest of the game. No idea why). Plus, there’s more green goo from the ceiling and no Elites. There’s also a crazed marines who fires at you and talks about not wanting “to be turned into one of those things”. After that you find a room that was locked down with a dead marine, and watch his recording chip thing. Then you see what happened to the squad that went in. When you first fight the Flood they pace things properly by having you face Infection Forms at first who break down random doors in the room. Then Elite Combat Forms burst in through the door you came in. None of them have weapons until you reach this elevator where you think you’re going to escape, but it takes you down and the walls are just painted with blood. Once at the bottom you see what happened to the marines, and now Flood will occasionally have guns. This did a great job of breaking up how the game is played because the Flood just charge you, while the Covenant is more tactical and each species has a clearly defined role. Unfortunately this is followed by the Library which is the absolute worst level in Halo. Everyone accept for weirdos hates the Library. The thing you mentioned about the child Easter egg reminded me of a video saying that they were going to have zombie kids in the beta. Although, I’m pretty sure that same video had a red HL1 Bullsquid that could breath fire so I’m pretty confident it wasn’t true. That being said headcrabs infecting kids would definitely fit the dark oppressive tone of the beta. It’s really too bad that we never got Return to Ravenholm. Hopefully if it gets enough attention they’ll release it (since Microsoft owns Bethesda and by extension Arkane this means it could be a Shrexbox exclusive on Gamepass. I will not apologize for making a Shre Xbox pun. Although, it would be pretty interesting if that actually happened.). Although, I think a much better for would be for Barney to accompany Grigori rather than Adrian Shepherd. Shepherd just feels like he was there because they wanted to. Even though none of the stuff from Opposing Force like Race X, the new weapons, or the marines would be there. A much better fit for Shepherd would be that cancelled Opposing Force 2 mod. I first learned about that mod years ago as a kid, and was so excited for a fan game set partially in the 7 Hour War. Imagine my disappointment when basically nothing got done for however long that thing was worked on, and they just pulled it off Moddb for basically no reason. Do you think that you might talk about this mod, and other cancelled mods? That would be an interesting topic. Back on topic for Return to Ravenholm since Barney and a bunch of refugees escaped before the Citidel blew up they could have the explosion stop the train. They’d then make their way to the normal parts of Ravenholm, and most of the people would get infected with Grigori’s “cure” as a way to explain where all the headcrabless zombies came from (I thought it was truly bizarre just how many of them there were because the timeline of events doesn’t really add up for exactly when Grigori’s experiments would have taken place). Barney would be knocked out for several days so he didn’t know what happened. Grigori would have upgraded his Combine armor with the electricity resistance as a way to explain that gameplay mechanic. They’d then do their thing, and the game would play out as normal.

[@Skyrionn]

I do think that children being taken over by headcrabs would have been extremely dark, even for Half-Life. In terms of discussing mods, I could possibly look into that in the future. It's not on the list currently but I'm always open to adding new things to the channel

[@shreksnow1918]

That would definitely be interesting to see. I hope that you’re attempts to beach out to other content works out. Do you think that there would be a possibility of talking about anything from the Halo games now that most of them are on Steam, or maybe not? The upside is that it would be interesting, and you could talk about the environmental storytelling done in certain missions. The downside is that it’s already pretty saturated as far as Halo content goes. Plus, at this point the lore is very convoluted and would require reading a bunch of books that range in quality or to skim the wiki and binge watch a LOT of lore videos. Halo is probably one of my favorite franchises. When you critically analyze the story you find all kinds of holes and it’s pretty dumb at points. But, the presentation is truly amazing with really fun gameplay, great voice acting, and amazing music.

[@Viper-jr4sp]

Awesome video really brings me back I was about 5 when HL2 came out and when my dad and brother bought i got to the levels do I played through it and I was terrified especially when it was the original 1.0 engine idk felt a bit gritty than the current one but the level will always be one of my favs and my dads favourite as well

[@AustinDallasPictures]

You are a true G. Thanks for awesome videos on my favorite game!

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them! I do appreciate the constant support and watching of the videos.

[@patrickmuhwheeney6518]

The whole level scared the sh*t out of me...It was great! Thanks for the upload!

[@zaptainkuboom5520]

Greetings, my brother! It is truly remarkable what you have done!

[@Skyrionn]

I heard that in his voice. Thank you!

[@valvesofvalvino]

For myself, one of the parts that sticks with me the most is Alyx's comments before Gordon enters, along with the look of distress on her face. It just sells the foreboding presence of Ravenholm perfectly.

[@GriffinCorpOne]

Great video! Ravenholm was epic for the time.

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@yototor5218]

great man doing great videos

[@Soundwave_Superior.]

Just went through raveholm for the first time after watching this vid. I somewhat felt more emotional then scared

[@jacobpeterson4071]

I was very sad. It felt like a place that was alive but no more. Then the priest shows up and from time to time he addresses the zombies as people. It reinforces the idea that these things were victims. The whole town. Every zombie you (mercy) kill was a man or a woman who had a life, but now is reduced to screaming for gods forgiveness and begging for death. What an awful fate. HL2 was a masterpiece, hands down.

[@roflc0re]

The best Half-life related lore page. I love all of your videos. From a fellow Half-life OG i salute you ♥️

[@Skyrionn]

That is too kind. I really appreciate that. It can be hard work at times but the support really does help. The Lore is so deep and interesting. I'm happy to be able to make something that people enjoy

[@frasermitchell1517]

Not that it matters you probably have stuff in the pipeline for videos but I a have a few suggestions. You could do lore of the gonarch and how it relates to the headcrab and also mention the trap that was never put into half life 2. You could also do a overview of the black mesa facility as a whole and talk about its facilities such as the lambda core, rocket site, anti mass spectrometer, and the testing in questionable ethics. Could be a cool vid to discuss the morals of half life 1. Also a vid comparing the competition between apature science and black mesa with all the cut corners and differences in technology. Also comparing the theme of half life 1 and half life 2. I don't expect these to be used but were just some possible thoughts for new content. Your videos are great and I love the format. Also a video on just the lambda complex would be cool using both black mesa and hl1 footage. Keep up the great work. Can't wait for the next video

[@Skyrionn]

I've added all of these to my ever-growing list of topics 😂 😂 thanks for watching the videos again!

[@chris-ii9op]

What is the name of the background sound in the outro? I swear I have heard that somewhere before and it is so calming.

[@Alezzzito16]

This is fantastic, daytime/lively Ravenholm looks so cool... This reminds me of my first playthrough of HL2, it was nighttime and believe me when I say I was looking behind me every 10 seconds thinking a freakin' headcrab was there ready to jump at me! Good times...

[@danmang923]

Great level!

[@lol4zjake98]

Is this part 2 of ravenholm, also I like the transition I forgot what it’s called, you know the slow motions and people doing poses while moving. But I still watch you, I helps me understand half life 2 better and I want to feel how humans felt being controlled and being in their control

[@Skyrionn]

I did have another video on Ravenholm but with having changed my style over the last year, I felt I could recreate it much better ☺ thanks for the constant support!

[@ForTheFREEMAN]

Fantastic intro!

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks bud!

[@ES-qu8xw]

I'm new, really enjoying these Lore videos. Learning so much more. Any plans for Dishonored Lore too?

[@Skyrionn]

Possibly! I haven't played through the whole series yet but I've had a few people suggest it

[@ES-qu8xw]

@@Skyrionn Please do!

[@shiddy.]

cool to see this was sponsored by Ridge Wallets I've been using one as my main wallet for years - I love it

[@jaybazza248]

Ravenholm was specifically targeted with Combine Headcrab-Pods/Mortars, hence the higher concentration of zombies

[@user-po5xs8qw2x]

Ravenholm really haves this fantastic dark zombie apocalypse feeling to it. First time I played it, it brought back fond memories of HL 1 mod “They Hunger”, which it feels quite inspired by. As a kid playing that was so unnerving and scary. I was literally sitting on the each of my chair! Didn’t help that I had just installed the Cambridge sound surround system 😏

[@aveasatru9815]

I love how bindgeable your content is.

[@TwigTheThird]

The sound of kids is likely just the same haunting effect when you stand by the swingset in City 17. It highlights the absence.

[@eXX0n]

As a mechanic, the way the engines(for the traps) work in this game is making my eye twitch. Running on air alone, no fuel. Running directly from an alternator(if one is even fitted, then MAGIC), 100% completely balanced. I know it's a game. I'm just messing about.

[@Skyrionn]

There's 5% of real pain in that comment. I can feel it 😂 😂

[@Myuutsuu85]

Honestly, it is good to point things like this out. Even in a game, things should make somewhat sense. Only excuse I would accept here are engine limitation..

[@brianbrianbification]

Cool video. Ravenholm is a masterpiece

[@Skyrionn]

It truly is.

[@FightingMachineTripod]

Cool I dint know about most of this! And can you make hunter choppers?

[@Skyrionn]

It's still on the list - just not a lot of information to go on sadly

[@Mayeloski]

All half life series have a great history to tell, I'm my real opinion, it deserves a movie saga tbh

[@codymcgrath2.3bviews3secon7]

Came for the half life videos but love your fable ones too please do more

[@Skyrionn]

I will return to Fable soon when I have a bit more time to put them together ☺

[@l.s9457]

I would love to see a half life series! Done WELL

[@lispy0nline]

I’ll update this comment when I reach the resonance cascade part of the video Edit: it was referenced in the beginning but at 3:40 it really took off. Love to hear it. Congrats on the sponsorship btw! Hope you’re Makin bank.

[@Skyrionn]

😂 😂 It was fairly brief this episode, was just a small stepping stone for Ravenholm. Thanks for watching every week! I do appreciate it. Hopefully this is the first sponsorship of many

[@anidiot5153]

somehow playing this chapter actually made me LESS fearful in general because i was already scared of anything that jumped at me. i was getting scared again and again and eventually i just went "fuck this fear, shoot anything that moves and it'll be fine"

[@GreatFox42]

I'd say it was pretty unlikely Ravenholm was destroyed by the Citadel explosion, just based on the distance to City 17. The blast radius only barely reached the outlands in Episode 2 where it demolished the train Alyx and Gordon were on. However, not much more damage to the surrounding area could be seen past that. The ruins of the city and the Citadel itself were still clearly visible at this range. Meanwhile, at the location of Black Mesa East and Ravenholm, the city was just tiny specks in the distance, with the only distinguishable trait being the Citadel, but so, so much smaller than even its ruins in Ep2.