The Hidden Story Behind Half-Life: Alyx's Murals | The Mural | FULL Half-Life Lore

[@Skyrionn]

Did you examine the Mural when you walked past it?

[@Zeppelee]

I haven't been able to play Alyx, but I have taken the time to study the mural from photos taken of it.

[@unchaynd7266]

Hell yes 🔥

[@AverageComet250]

@Heisenberg the half life world would have been a much better place

[@CyanDumBell_MC]

Nope because I can't read mural

[@fathank1629]

@@feralprocessor9853 so did i

[@NorthEevee]

It's insane how much lore and references Valve was able to fit into a mural that most people won't look into too much. Kinda makes me wish they'd make more games. But since Source 2 is becoming more of a thing, things might change.

[@dwarfdigger135]

One can hope

[@biosupdate7449]

surely...

[@Skyrionn]

I'm hopeful. Even if it's not another continuation of the main story. Maybe a HL: Barney or HL: Adrian.

[@amoeb81]

@@Skyrionn I really hope they drop another bombshell like hl2.

[@hobosnake1]

​@@amoeb81 I doubt they have any kind of technology that's as mindbending as half life 2 for its time. Don't get me wrong, it will have some very cool stuff if it happens. I just don't think anything will ever be as much of a bombshell as hl2. Alyx came like 70% of the way, but I like VR and the idea of it to begin with so lower that figure a bit for most people.

[@bjollnirbjordsen9795]

The vorts are basically cavemen that had a perfect source of food and medicine so they could focus on developing psychic powers by tapping into some underlying principle of physics with their brains

[@Skyrionn]

Basically yeah!

[@De1337ed]

I love Half Life: Alyx, it made me so immersed and invested in this world... which kinda sucks because new Half Life games only release like once a decade

[@davidelectrictreadmillguy]

you're so lucky to have a vr headset

[@De1337ed]

@@davidelectrictreadmillguy Yeah, I saved up a while and then got a used HP Reverb G2 for 400€ last December. While I don't regret this purchase, no VR game has come close to the quality, polish and immersion of HL:A, which is kind of a bummer...

[@davidelectrictreadmillguy]

@@De1337ed yeah i guess, though i cant say anything

[@jaydeedoan5691]

​@Davidmadguy 600 I got a used quest 2 for like $180 just before the price increase. I'd suggest looking for one, there are some great games out there :)

[@ImaplanetJupiteeeerr]

@@jaydeedoan5691 yeah a used quest 2 and the cheapest vr capable pc works absolutely great! :)

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

I love how this mural keeps the HL way of exposure of the lore through the enviroment. Makes it more interesting, IMO

[@Skyrionn]

It's one of the reasons I really love HLA. There has to be more like this to explore too

[@CrabGamingTF2]

I am really liking the more obscure lore you have been doing of late. Covering some of the lore that is less known is such a good idea

[@Skyrionn]

I'm glad you've noticed. I'm happy to take other suggestions too!

[@Vekren]

I remember playing Half Life just recently and I got off the train, Dr. Breens giant head on the big screen, and I never ever walked to the right but saw a vortigaunt sweeping the floor and I was laughing saying "what? they're janitors here?" I always walked left to see that guy trying to take whats left of his luggage and never saw it before.

[@Skyrionn]

I can still play through the game and see something new. I just started playing the HL2 VR port and its a completely different experience.

[@Fenrize]

​@@Skyrionn For real. There are so many things I noticed when I played HL2VR, such as the Breen's private preserve can in Kleiner's lab and suddenly his forgetfulness made sense. Never noticed it before despite replaying the game numerous times since 2009 or so

[@BungieStudios]

One of my weakpoints as a gamer is ignoring environmental storytelling. I breezed through so much of Half-Life 2 as a kid and missed a lot of lore. I unfairly judged it as broken trash.

[@ezrabraman6437]

Love the imagery of the lamda made by freeman’s arm wielding a crowbar; also “the weapon will inslave us all” may refer to the gman, not the vault

[@Skyrionn]

That does make perfect sense

[@sourestcake]

My first thought is it could refer to the Borealis. It might create another disaster.

[@peacemaster8117]

Maybe it's a leftover from an earlier version of Alyx when the vault was a weapon instead of a prison.

[@Conceptual69a]

Maybe “the weapon” never refers to the vault, but the gman itself, after all when Alex asks who he is, it responds “maybe what I am is not as important as to what I can offer you”, the gman is a weapon.

[@oculartremors]

The hidden image of the G-man in the mural is really interesting to me, because otherwise I got the impression the Vorts weren't even aware of him at this point in the timeline (plus he wasn't in the main part of the mural despite his central role in everything that happened). Even though Gary's separated from his race's essence, he never tried to warn Alyx away from the vault and the "weapon" it contained. It's all even more mysterious after seeing that unused graffiti. Gary would know that Gordon was merely human, so surely he'd know that it wasn't Gordon being held there with that crazy amount of stolen power. I wonder if it took the events of HL2 to really put the G-man on their radar or if something happened in the years between the end of HLA and HL2. I love trying to figure all of this out. Great video, as usual!

[@helohel5915]

Well, in a way, with the Gman stuck in the vault - Gordan is stuck in that vault. To a vort maybe there is no difference? After all, with Gman captured, Gordan cannot save them

[@unchaynd7266]

Don't forget the Vort in Route Kanal watching the G-man on the TV, and then saying "We serve the same master" a few moments later.

[@zindrozaan8752]

Vorts Don’t See Time Like We Do, A But Like Dr Manhattan, So If The G-Man Ever Interacts With The Vorts They’ll Have Always Known The Context Of That Interaction

[@Fenrize]

​@@unchaynd7266 "We serve the same mystery" but still yeah. I feel like they were forced to work for Gman (considering the Vort uses the word "serve") until the uprising happened, they rebeled and saved Gordon from his grasp. Gman certainly looked pissed in that scene and probably not just because they took his precious "employee" from him but also because they betrayed him

[@unchaynd7266]

@@Fenrize Ah, yeah "mystery"... my bad. Still though yeah it really seems like an allusion to the G-man to me

[@owl8074]

I love how gordon freeman was visualized as The Messiah to the vortigaunts

[@ImaplanetJupiteeeerr]

I stayed in that small area for an hour or so, just looking around in awe. I sat down on the floor (wet, dirty ground in game) and went through the mural slowly a couple of times. Half life Alyx is the best game I've ever played.

[@Caldoric]

"The Weapon" could also be referring to The Borealis and its supposed contents (which we still don't know or understand the details of other than that it could be able to wholly get rid of the Combine).

[@BuraindoYurei]

Or as Laidlaw said, " nothing more then a burn from a match" something like that, essentially it would do absolutely nothing to the combine and give the gman and his employers the nudge they want. Hell they are changing it all up

[@mpcrauzer]

​@@BuraindoYurei that explain why Ely Vance, in the end of HL Alyx, he called GMan " That son of a bitch and his unforseing consequences", he knew about the Borealis and its tech and How GMan want It, and thats why he want to destroy it. He gonna use Alyx to get inside and unlock the machines, and we will need to stop it

[@Freelancer837]

"Your journey Azian Vance has begun and her sacrifice" That's a real "Don't dead open inside" moment

[@peacemaster8117]

I always got the impression that all Vorts can kinda-sorta see the future. The Singing Vort describes time as a "false veil" and talks about the events of Half-Life 1 in the present tense ("Clearly we see you in the Nihilanth's chamber"), so when Gary talks about the future I just saw that as a continuation of their existing prescience. The Citadel in the mural looks half-constructed to me, so I think the illustration of Alyx, Eli and the Vort standing by the Citadel is meant to represent the present moment, with the crowbar/lambda symbol above as the looming prediction of The Freeman's return. If the Vorts do have future sight, and do see Gordon's past and future as their present, then they're probably responsible for spreading his name and symbol around and elevating him as a messianic figure before he even appears in City 17. There's not really any logical reason for one of the Black Mesa survivors to think that Gordon is going to reappear and save the world 20 years later, yet everyone's expecting him...

[@JRgsy]

This game is the primary reason I’d like to own a VR setup. Brilliant video as always, many thanks.

[@Skyrionn]

Glad you enjoyed it. It is the best game I've played on VR and I'm gonna have to do an even deeper exploration playthrough to see if there's anything else interesting I can find.

[@Dovah2798]

I have always thought that Nihinlanth is from the same world as the vorts because he also has a third arm at the chest and also in my opinion he also has the powers that the vortessence brings like telepathy, teleportation, energy attacks and in this case mind control (but not on a direct way instead it is like keeping an eye at all the vorts so their actions are controlled all the tim, at leats that is my conclusion from what the singing vort tells at HL2).

[@zefft.f4010]

I agree, they certainly seem related somehow. Maybe its control was originally much more benign - like a louder, but non-intrusive, wise voice in the Vortessence, like a psychic shaman of sorts - but was corrupted by its experiences with the Combine.

[@Dovah2798]

@@zefft.f4010 more than corrupted i think he just want revenge against the cmb and just slave them as the more efficient way to do that

[@devoutrelic1228]

The third arm on the Nihilanth is stitched on, implying it didn't originally have it. Sadly, Black Mesa removed this feature of the model.

[@badideagenerator2315]

alien grunts also have 3 arms

[@227BlackAce]

@@devoutrelic1228 How'd they miss those giant staples?

[@djKIR]

Are you serious mate? I am glad you did this video!!!! I cannot imagine somebody else doing such a great documentation & we all here know that you are a walking encyclopedia in game lore.

[@Skyrionn]

It just comes from a passion of the series. I'll be exploring HLA more closely in the future too!

[@501stcloneboi2]

Nice one I would like to see a revised lore video about the Antlions as well as a lore video about the HEV suit.

[@Skyrionn]

Literally working on an Antlion video right now

[@501stcloneboi2]

Nice

[@zefft.f4010]

Yeah, I'm not a fan of VR. I just find it a very cumbersome format. Content creators like yourself and the occasional Let's Play are how I learn of the game's actual content and the lore of the Half-Life universe, which I love. So cheers for that!

[@Skyrionn]

I also feel quite sick after a couple of hours. I'm happy to help you explore the game though!

[@clord-fx991es]

The mural also confirms that the vortigaunts knew and understood organic chemistry

[@male07447]

I just realised something, if Eli lives, how will the Combine know the location of the Borealis?

[@danvilleduncan3783]

I have watched 3 different play through of this game but I love how you dessect and give us a better understanding of this game. The decision making was totally independent numbing at times. Love you work. Waiting on the mass effect series

[@KPdewstar]

Seems like those dots form a code of some kind. Love your channel so well made

[@deathmaster38]

What if the weapon that will enslave "us all" refers to the Gman ? Gman basically manipulated everything, enslaved gordon and now Alyx

[@Skyrionn]

That's very likely

[@dxfan18]

So, the third arm is for petting? That's adorable

[@Skyrionn]

100% canon :P

[@travisisgood]

I bet Gary makes a mean headcrab jambalaya.

[@nanu321]

I think the weapon might be either Gordon or Shepherd as both were watched by the Gman during the Black Mesa incident and both showed great potential with Gordon coming out on top as being the greater of the the two. I think its Gordon as his relationship with Alyx would be why she's the key and hes the weapon and thus the two can never have a happy ending with the other around (Going by what episode 3 was supposed to be about)

[@Skyrionn]

That's a great idea. I've seen two main ones so far. The weapon is either Gordon or the G-Man. It could be either tbh

[@MoonLightFML]

Great analyse, as usual ! Knowing that Antlions come from the same world than Vort's is interesting I was hoping that something on the wall would make Blueshift, Opposing Force or Decay cannon As i'm very invested in Half-Life Lore, that would help me to know

[@seancondon5572]

2:35 - may Tony Todd rest in peace.

[@jackrutledgegoembel5896]

7:00 You say here that the Combine never sent humanoid units to Earth, but look closer at that newspaper clipping at 1:25. In the bottom left corner, you can actually see 3 humanoid-looking Combine units during the 7-hour war! The combine DID possess and deploy humanoid troops to Earth before they enslaved humanity. We just don't know who they were or what they looked like, other than this blurry image.

[@VCRgameplay]

I really love how you talk and explain lore! I'm not a native speaker but thanks to your pronunciation and you clarity I can understand everything! Please continue

[@joedredd1168]

5:32 Indeed, as the Victory Mine Vortigaunt stated that Antlion husbandry was once their ancestral practice.

[@Skyrionn]

Pretty interesting. I love learning more about their history.

[@frasermitchell1517]

Could do a long form video about the entire quarantine zone. Great video

[@Skyrionn]

Quarantine Zone is on the list - one day

[@reidsimpson4213]

I think "the weapon" might be the Borealis. Perhaps Gman and his employers have plans for it.

[@umbreoncomplex]

NEW SKYRION VIDEO WOO!!! i love your videos so much and theyve been such a help as i recently have gotten into (and OBSESSED) with half life. when im bored or doing work or feeling down i love watching your half life videos :]

[@Skyrionn]

I'm happy to help. I'll be working on more content too.

[@Djheffeson]

I like your videos so much, that I replayed all half life/portal games that I can. I want so much to play Alyx, but is so expensiveee Please continue with those!

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them! I'll continue as long as I have lore to cover. There's so much too.

[@Djheffeson]

@@Skyrionn And I will be here watching!

[@kiernanmccleerey]

you know how long ive been waiting for this video!!! keep up the amazing work

[@Skyrionn]

I was a little worried that it wouldn't be considered an interesting topic. I was wrong haha

[@AngelofGrace96]

Wow, that was amazing! I don't know much about HL Alyx specifically, so I had no idea the mural existed!

[@Skyrionn]

I'm happy to do more deep dives like these then :) Thanks for always watching

[@brothers_of_nod]

I wait for a time where the mural can be added with images of the Freeman standing over the the corpses of advisors.

[@grasshopper-ln9us]

I'm doing my yearly playthrough of the half life series currently And watching these videos make me take a deeper look each time I play through

[@flare242]

Alyx is amazing (although i did hate the one electric animal, that was too gamified boss encounter and it completely kills the pace of the hotel exploration). I spent looong time just checking out the entire mural, even realizing that it shows some events that from the point of time when Alyx takes place didn't happen yet. I was sad that i couldn't eat a cooked headcrab with the poor Vort...

[@dev4159]

I'm surprised there isn't a single Aperture Science mention/easter egg in thar mural tbh

[@Skyrionn]

I'll be exploring the game more to see what I can find. I know there is at least one reference just before we enter The Quarantine Zone.

[@chisathot750]

17:10 the text "the weapon will enslave us all" is very interesting as we later in the game get to know that the vault is not actually a weapon, so by weapon could he be referencing whatever is in the borealis?

[@richmendelson8194]

I want to learn more about the affect of invasive species on Earth in the "present" and moving forward into the future- Even with the combine gone , does Xenian flora and fauna essentially mean the end of humanity?

[@Skyrionn]

I think so. Xenian Flora appears to be quite aggressive. With the Fauna, the Antlion likely will never go away. Constantly breeding, dangerous and territorial.

[@AzezelFallen]

i mean alyx isn't completely locked behind a headset, there is a solo mod version of the game it's not as good as playing in vr but at least lets you experience the game.

[@Volti-Vagra]

14:43 i mean there was that vorti in the hard to access tunnel when being chased by the heli (in the area it gets taken down im pretty sure) canals? not the area leading to the boats but he more river like area with L pipes sticking outta the walls

[@thesmilingman7576]

7:03 perhaps they come from the planet headcrabs come from (which is how they adapted the trait of zombifying humanoids)

[@mysterythekitsune2988]

For me Gordon Freeman is the key to humanity and the Vortigaunts and all alien species salvation and freedom from the universal union and possibly whatever plans Gman and his Employers have.

[@Skyrionn]

100%

[@charmyzard]

Half-Life worldbuilding only keeps getting better and better. Also, thumbs up for our Vort friends!

[@Skyrionn]

We won't win this war without them. I think the world building is what keeps bringing me back. It's so well done. I'm sure there are so many more little things in the game too.

[@rebeccathumb9584]

Most likely the weapon is referring to the original story of half-life alyx, which was found to be too depressing and rewritten towards the end of the game's development. This is also most likely why that reference was removed from the mural.

[@andrzej6286]

I'm insanely happy the half life series was updated. It's just unfortunate that it's on VR. I can't afford a VR and it blows to see a Half-Life game come out that I can't play.

[@Skyrionn]

Hopefully one day. It is a shame

[@cxlesstial2]

dude you need to do ASMR your videos always make me want to sleep. fantastic as always i always learn something new about the half life lore every video i watch from you (:

[@Skyrionn]

I've thought about it but I don't know if many would watch them!

[@jokelot5221]

Vorts are like Yithians from the H.P. Lovecraft universe.

[@unchaynd7266]

*Half-Life: Alyx spoiler warning* . . . I think that Gary's brain damage made it so he could see some events but not within the context of time. So he couldn't tell whether Eli was dead already, or that he would die in the future... hence his words: "is or will be". All he knew was that at some point in time, Eli dies........ "Unless..."

[@Skyrionn]

100% That makes it much clearer for me.

[@axonek8682]

Man i rly like ur video with the best narrating voice just keep post video about half life i hope it will not stop from posting i will be sad if ur videos stop

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks very much. There's so much more to cover too!

[@axonek8682]

@@Skyrionn I don't know why watching your videos makes me fall asleep fast at night with good narration sound and relaxing music

[@jakeg3733]

This is the most overlooked part of the game. I eas really impressed by the murals but no one is talking about them

[@Xav-77]

I love your videos man

[@Skyrionn]

Thanks for watching them!

[@clarabisson7299]

Thank you for the content, I love hearing any story about the games I love 💜 so you rock for sharing ❤ especially since I can't play half love Alyx

[@mastafoo886]

Fantastic video. One thought i have on the very end. Its not a 'shame' that this game needs VR anymore than it was a 'shame' that half life 2 needed a dedicated GPU.

[@bijanalvandi]

The weapon is the Gman

[@zefft.f4010]

I think you might be right.

[@Skyrionn]

A strong idea

[@messytexy]

Do you think you could do the lore about the Manhack?

[@zefft.f4010]

"Viscerators" in Combine terminology. Good idea.

[@messytexy]

@@zefft.f4010Thx

[@Skyrionn]

It's on the list - I'll probably link them into the Manhack Arcade video

[@onqr]

I don't understand how you make these weekly....

[@neimenovani7256]

7:00 Im very interested in this for some reason....Id like to know all, but Valve probably doesn't even know what they want rn

[@CrraVideos]

To be fair, i think the weapon may be also be the borealis. Idk

[@Skyrionn]

Good idea

[@Courier2077]

The weapon could be the borealis

[@obamacare_grucha]

Great video you gave so much lore i know that it took you so long to made this video, I enjoyed every second of it. I love Vortigaunt race they have more humanisty than humans, and they have a very tragic history. Love your videos waiting for more.

[@halloweencathat]

Early! Cool video man!

[@davidgonzalez2062]

I would like to play the game in a non VR mode, I don't care about the gameplay, I just want to go around city 17 one more time before I die. There's one modder making a good script to play that way I hope I can run it on a 1050ti

[@Skyrionn]

I'm excited for that mod too.

[@peacemaster8117]

imo the game would likely be pretty boring without the VR elements, there's not many enemies and lots of exploring.

[@BungieStudios]

I locked myself in that cage by the mural. I just about gave myself a panic attack. VR really messes with the brain. ❤😂

[@henrysarson7417]

"The weapon" has to be referring to the G-man.

[@mformacaroni1537]

This is why I love Half Life as a series, the environmental story telling is impeccable. Every scene however small has a story and a lived in feeling to it. I will never forget back when I was a small lad first booting up Half life 2, the opening chapter going from the station to Kleiner's lab was a journey. Every chapter after that was just incredible. Credit to the story writers and artists who made the mural, its amazing how something that is simply "cave paintings" gives out the Vortigaunt's interpretation of lore and future. A part of me wished we knew more about the Nihilanth since it was the ultimate bad guy in Half life 1, whether there is only one or more of them and the full lore of its existence. I really hope after the success of Half Life Alyx that there will be more Half Life stories in the future, it doesn't have to be Half Life 3 it could be other stories of the post Combine invasion or even pre resonance cascade with the scientists of Black Mesa visiting Xen.

[@alemonadogaming5401]

What music plays at 16:00?

[@JohnSmith-wv5km]

unforeseen consequences from black mesa

[@Jeuka93]

do we really know if the nihilanth was running from the combine? or was he their agent in xen?

[@p.budiel1170]

The weapon might be a reference to the borealis

[@Skyrionn]

Good idea. So far, I've seen the weapon could be Gordon, the G-Man or the Borealis. All could be viable.

[@UnkleDunklee]

Why aren't the grunts and controllers part of the vorts history? Did the Nihilanth create them? They all share the same 3 arms

[@TobyRossi]

It must be insane to be able to play Half-Life Alyx! Shame in my country a VR headset is worth 1 millon and 50 thousand argentinian pesos which it's incredibly ridiculous. Hopefully one day I'll be able to play it if they make a non-VR mod

[@bizmasterTheSlav]

I wish Valve released a remake of Half Life Alyx so that It can be played normally. Anyways it's a good game

[@Skyrionn]

If it was adapted in the correct way - absolutely

[@RyDog905]

Is it possible that “the Weapon” may be referring to the Gman?

[@gobokinje9183]

What is the Weapon is the Borealis

[@RileyJohnson4321]

Can you do a more in death lore of the ant lions and guardians like there planet and how they came to earth

[@Skyrionn]

Literally editing the video right now :P

[@RileyJohnson4321]

@@Skyrionn ooo I'm excited thanks for the leak lol

[@bemad7886]

13:30 Look closer at this (gman) painting. It resembles the Nihilanth! Open head, strange mouth! Idk how no one noticed it. Gman has to be related!

[@MRGCProductions20996]

I never understood how the combine could beat the whole of humanity in just 7 hours, yet they have trouble beating a sloppy rebellion?

[@meem6154]

Humanities resources were largely spent due to the days of Xen invasion. And fighting a force that specializes in being resourceful, that can use your technology, has vortigaunts , and has the crowbar wielding super soldier Gordon on your side, not to mention the fact that the strongest combine units are far, FAR away. Also the fact that most of the civilians in city 17 immediately joined forces with the resistance and now you are fighting a multi-front war against people with everything to gain and nothing to lose.

[@AlmostYearly]

"Oh, cool, they put in a potted history of the Half Life story as a mural. Right, about this puzzle..."

[@Skyrionn]

That puzzle confused me for a while

[@alika3651]

cool artstyle

[@CookieMAN200]

oh and also the crystal portal kinda reminds me of CERN so lets hope they dont do the same 😂

[@BHC_08]

Did anyone notice he said "bural" as if he was congested at 13:51?

[@Skyrionn]

I'm still recovering from a cold haha

[@init_yeah]

so many ups today!

[@OnyeNacho]

Why do I have a feeling you already made a video like this before? EDIT: Never mind. This is different. The Mural...

[@matthewnardin7304]

Seriously don't understand the decision to make this a VR only game. I guess they don't like money.

[@I_Am_Transcendentem]

Half life is playing with time itself in its storyline. This ain't HL3, but it's good enough.

[@lukasuntsov7175]

I completed Half life Alex before Half life 2, so I understood almost nothing what is on the mural

[@TobiG4mer]

I like how you explain everything like I'm an idiot who's never heard of anything half-life related.

[@Skyrionn]

Gotta keep that essential info in for the new guys

[@Shamman_komanch]

If you're a hardcore half life fan. The price of quest 2 isn't too much to pay.

[@darkhero77]

G-MAN is the future version of Gordon freeMAN who is not FREE anymore but a slave to a "greater cause" which is to work 9 to 5 interdimensionally 😉

[@Skyrionn]

I'd honestly believe that haha

[@Zumbah2]

Holy shit

[@flynneugene2675]

I wanna make the murals my desktop wallpaper. Can the half life community help me?

[@supiferous9739]

With all this information to this almighty and powerful force to tell the stories of *d a w n p o w e r w a s h*

[@ThatSmartYoutubeUser]

I didnt expect to be this early idk what to say uhhhh

[@KaijuRails54_Official]

poory gary

[@Skyrionn]

Poor poor Gary.

[@andee2126]

Garry - Garry’s mod

[@Skyrionn]

mindblown

[@Freelancer837]

Hurts seeing Black Mesa footage for Xen instead of Half-Life 1. It's pretty but looks absolutely nothing l ike how Xen is supposed to