The Mystery Behind the Recast (Half-Life: Alyx Comparison/Analysis)

I explore the recast of the voice actress for Alyx Vance and give facts and comparisons along with my own opinions on the subject.
Sources:
HLA announcement tweet:
x.com/valvesof...
HLA announcement trailer:
• Half-Life: Alyx Announ...
Alyx Vance Recast:
www.ign.com/ar...
HalfLifeAlyxTeam Reddit AMA:
/ were_developers_from_t...
Half-Life: Alyx - Final Hours
store.steampow...
Background footage at 6:12 :
vimeo.com/4340...
Half-Life 2 beta: pre-release storyline scenes:
• Half-Life 2 beta: pre-...
Beta Alyx Voice:
• VNN HLA Beta Stream - ...
Gman Animation ref with Merle's voice:
x.com/JamaalBr...
An Interview with Alyx Vance - Merle Dandridge:
• An Interview with Alyx...
Why'd Alyx Get Recast? - Exclusive Half-Life Interview:
• Why'd Alyx Get Recast?...
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[@Foxtrop13]

the way Merle says the "the combine gone I want the combine gone" is so episode 3 alyx

[@sebas1111_]

It gave me the chills

[@AlphaGarg]

It's a great performance, but doesn't fit a naïve version of Alyx that grew up under the Combine. Ep3 Alyx has seen literally everything she ever knew taken away from her. Her dad, the city she grew up in, likely all of her friends..

[@pman56789]

I really hope that the original voice actress for Alyx will make a return in the next game. It would be a shame if she doesn't.

[@MaieTM]

I hope Gordon's does too, astounding work!

[@cyber_stealth]

I heard Claude from GTA 3 was making a cameo too​@@MaieTM

[@duccc]

@@MaieTM Same, my favorite voice line of gordon is:

[@erikpng]

If they're gonna have two Alyx's or whatever, they should have both VAs.

[@SilverGeFer]

@@duccc**HEV death sound plays**

[@BobThe500]

25:30 I think its because Alyx grew up in a world where being around zombies and corpses was normalised, but the stalker being possibly conscious, screaming, and right up next to her makes it far more traumatising

[@usernamehhhs4540]

Nah that was definitely something out of left field, very out of character. Seems like the newly-hired devs wanted dialogue to be more marvel-like in it's endless quipiness and unfunny totally awkward Rick and Morty moments, compared to the griddy, serious tone of the original games where NPCs didn't joke about dead innocents turned into walking corpses.

[@BobThe500]

@@usernamehhhs4540 it’s like a… a zombine right???

[@Feasco]

​@@usernamehhhs4540the hell is with you and marvel everywhere

[@FlamingLily]

@@usernamehhhs4540 aw hell nah alyx hitting the griddy 💀💀 (it's "gritty," fyi)

[@hodispilled]

@@usernamehhhs4540 this is just straight up incorrect 😭

[@ReverendPuffin]

I saw once on Tylers streams, that someone popped in and said that the recasting was also partially due to Merle being a bit dismissive of some other Valve related role she had (something from Dota 2), to the point that they recast that character too after a year of using Merle's lines. The general impression I get is that the culture at Valve has changed where improv was more encourged by the likes of Laidlaw, but now its a 'say whats on the script' arrangement and the new staff don't like Merle's improv back and forth. Compare her to new valve's reaction regarding Mike Shapiro, they were quietly excited hearing him recording his Gman lines, he belted it out in one take and the staff were practically celebrating in the booth. Sadly, I remember reading that at a TLoU panel Merle was at a year ago, she said that she's let go of the Alyx character (rather forlornly) when someone asked about it 😢 We want Merle back!

[@doublecrafters23]

The improv ideal changes is something I think has a lot of merit. Especially where she specifically calls out the great improv experience with Laidlaw. The read I got from the Gman comparison is that Merle wanted to play a character more in line with her later HL2 counterpart. while new Alyx, and likely Valve, played her naive and inquisitive. I can see it being Valve and Merles ideals for the character didn't line up, and so valve felt like they couldn't get what they wanted out of her, for better and for worse. It does seem that there was also some more internal drama around the actress such as the Dota thing you mentioned, given how late in the game she was seemed to have been cut.

[@umarak0137]

I like both performances but I agree that Merle Dandridge is the soul of the character. It's a bit sus they decided to get another actor and redo every voice line instead of just re-recording some scenes... They wanted to go in another direction but isn't it their job as voice directors to communicate that to the actors?

[@Merknilash]

Yeah everything you're saying is correct It makes me wonder what went on behind the scenes - because it sounds like some kind of drama. There's no other explanation that makes sense. If your relationship with Merle is great, you'd just re-record the lines you weren't happy with. This reminds me of how they recast Kerrigan too.

[@saoirsecdoherty]

I'm reminded of the many commentary nodes Merle recorded for Episode Two, and specifically at the ending when she talked about how much Alyx meant to her, and was, at least as of 2007, her favourite role she had ever done... god I really hope she gets to come back if these leaks amount to a final game.

[@Spartan_Tanner]

16:18 Bradley's performance as GMan is so funny in a good way

[@majapaja_]

The eyebrows man its so funny 😭

[@nerd_5615]

It's very expressive and animated. Not quite the best fit for G-Man, but still entertaining to watch regardless

[@Spartan_Tanner]

Bro was having fun no doubt.

[@migmi]

Hes such a good actor loll!

[@boneheadedfellow]

and at the end it looks like he was snapped out of it. like he was possessed by the spirit of the gman for a quick second

[@hfghhgfhfghfg]

for some reason i thought the title said the mystery behind the racist

[@Komegatze]

A mystery as unsolved as D.B. Cooper

[@NickDroid_]

Sounds more intriguing than 98% of crime dramas

[@hfghhgfhfghfg]

@@NickDroid_ lmao yeah

[@tlddruidkilla]

He could be anyone of us!

[@Magma780]

@@tlddruidkilla He could be you, he could be ME, HE COULD EVEN BE-

[@EL1TEHD1]

Hopefully they use the og voice actress for the next game IF alyx is in the next game

[@darzeon]

if they don't rehire the old VA it will be unplayable, I still remember her saying after getting healed by vortiguants: "Come on Gordon, next to me" in a cute and clingy way

[@ProdCashhier]

​@@darzeonI looked it up because I wanted to hear it and I can't find a voice line like that for her anywhere

[@youbaouahdi4358]

​@@ProdCashhier its in the end if "Vortal Coil" chapter in Half Life 2 Episode 2after the G-Man speech. She gets healed by the vorts and both her and one of the vortigaunts get on the lift when she says that line. Look for it on youtube

[@darzeon]

@@ProdCashhier Half Life 2 Episode 2 Healing Extract is the video 7:35 is the time stamp

[@ProdCashhier]

@@darzeon what the hell I've played the game multiple times and don't remember that at all.

[@shincore610]

Merle being replaced breaks my heart so much because this character is like her child 😭 I swear I've heard her say that in an interview or in a commentary node

[@foggyinc724]

My theory is they recast her to separate that version of alyx from modern day alyx and they're gonna co-exist at some point in the future, merle would continue voicing present alyx while ozioma would be HLA alyx.

[@Humancatpost]

This makes the most sense to me and definitely explains why they changed after having Merle record her lines. Can’t wait for Half-Life 2: Episode 3 Multiverse of Alyx

[@elidatkitty1694]

wait valve please alyxverse

[@elidatkitty1694]

half life alyx across the alyxverse

[@halfer2011]

That's a very cool idea, I was thinking about that as well! But I really doubt they're gonna do that, they clearly showed at the end of HLA that Alyx from Episode Two just dissappeared, so there's only one Alyx and she's in stasis

[@coffeetext]

Merle is the “definition” of Alyx as she’s been up until HLA, but as her characterization’s laid out in the video, Ozioma does feel more fitting for a less experienced, blanker slate Alyx to play as. I still feel like Merle was the better choice and should’ve been asked to at least try sounding younger, but I do feel as if the change did fit what Valve was going for in the end.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

My problem with Ozioma was that she was _too much_ of a blank slate and _too naive_ for Alyx. If we go by the slightly retconned timeline set by the _The Orange Box_ then "nearly 20 years" have passed between HL1 and HL2. (Previously all the marketing material for HL2 stated only "ten years" had passed between Gordon taking the G-Man's job and waking up in City 17.) Since HLA is set five years before HL2, and Alyx is stated to be 19 years old in HLA, that means that Alyx was at least 4-5 years old during the Black Mesa Incident. At that age she'd be talking, walking, and eating sandwiches, and retaining memories. (And if we get more generous with the time and say that "almost 20 years" doesn't mean 19 years between HL1 and HL2 but instead a number that's 15 and above due to rounding then she was even older.) But the game treats it like she never grew up in the Pre-Resonance Cascade Earth and was born afterward. Russell had to explain what a sandwich and turkey are for her! Yet she's building complex hacking devices and robots. And we're also led to believe that she's been serving as a recon scout and prominent member of the Resistance but somehow has barely any knowledge of the Quarantine Zone. And it's not explainable at all with Marc Laidlaw's original 10 year gap which would have put Alyx roughly around 14 years old when the events started.

[@TheMasterUnity]

@@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive She lived in the Black Mesa dormitories instead of a regular house. Not exactly a normal environment. And I doubt many 4 year olds were learning about the world and it's creatures instead of the alphabet. She has no knowledge of the Quarantine zone because the Combine were keeping it heavily locked down, and most of the resistance at the time were monitoring the Citadel.

[@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive]

​@@TheMasterUnityShe's depicted as a child prodigy. And she grew up in a isolated town built around a high tech secret lab and raised by geniuses. She's wasn't raised in some luddite cult. What 4 year old doesn't know about or love sandwiches? Even if all she had were PB&J and Lunchables, she should know what they are. We also see bread in HL: Alyx meaning it's still being made. We also see fruit in apartments. People eat meats like leeches, bullsquid, and headcrabs, but you're telling me no one is putting it between bread and calling it a sandwich?

[@TheMasterUnity]

@@MildMisanthropeMaybeMassive Russel talks to her about club sandwiches. Not just regular sandwiches.

[@gtamike_TSGK]

Probably wouldn't be too hard too tweak the pitch etc of the orginal voice actor audio files to sound younger.

[@t.104]

19:53 I'd like to disagree with you here, as none of the characters know that Gordon was in stasis. No one would expect young Gordon to suddenly reappear wearing HEV after twenty years since the incident. Alyx may expect to see older Gordon with goatee and glasses, but it's still natural for her to wonder if a dark-haired man in his forties is the man she expected to see and who she has never met personally upd: when she says in HL2 that Gordon may not remember her, she doesn't say she remembers him. She just knows that she was in Black Mesa as a kid, and Gordon may have seen her. She probably was 1-5 years old and may not remember much herself.

[@gimpscam9976]

Yes 100%.

[@Dimasterim]

You’re 100% right. Alyx is confused because she doesn’t really know what to expect, she doesn’t know how Gordon looks in the present, only what he looked like a long time ago. Besides, the line delivery kinda implies that she can tell it’s not Gordon, she sounds afraid, confused, and senses that something about the man standing before her is off, but she asks anyway to confirm.

[@Lucas60195]

For me, Merle's delivery is a lot more bleak and "experienced", like she is tired of all the tragedies that have happened. Ozioma sounds more naive and optimistic. Both are really good though, I liked the new VA for Alyx. Merle will always be iconic, and I hope she comes back for Half-Life.

[@averageartist10]

7:03 alyx : WOOOOOOOOOOOHOO- *freaking explodes* kleiner : splendid

[@AlphaGarg]

dark and gritty

[@gildedlivvin7877]

i enjoyed ozioma’s performance, she did a great job, very convincing for a younger version of alyx. that being said, if merle doesn’t return in the future i’m personally fighting every Valve employee idc. merle IS alyx

[@elidatkitty1694]

WAIT I NEVER NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE IN VOICES I FEEL BAD NOW

[@luckyboy5nu]

i would be upset if they don't have Merle Dandridge for HL3, but for Half-Life Alyx i really don't mind the other actor that stepped in, i've played through HL:A countless times and it's definitely felt like its Alyx speaking

[@halfer2011]

She probably won't be in Half-Life 3 after HLA's ending tho

[@luckyboy5nu]

@@halfer2011 I'm sure we're gonna rescue her or something, i wouldn't be surprised if the HL3 plot is very generic and flat like HLA where you have to save Alyx multiple times throughout the game (like we did with Eli in HLA and HL2) I'm really not expecting some crazy storytelling masterpiece from Valve lmao, i think most people are waiting for interesting gameplay i guess

[@samuelantoniocastillomeza5034]

I love both voices for Alyx. I find each very cool in their own way.

[@lizardizzle]

I stand by my suspicion that Valve expressly changed VAs during the rewrite to prep for what the story was going towards. The new direction doesn't have to just be her performance. They have two voice actors for Alyx now. One is 19 and the other is 24. One is working for the Gman and doesn't know Gordon Freeman. The other is 24, imprisoned or otherwise missing, and never talked to the Gman at the end of hla. They can now direct the younger Alyx as a separate person giving their performance as an antagonist, while Merle can be the original Alyx who loves Gordon. I know it's strictly theory territory, but it's really just the best reason they would have recast her.

[@halfer2011]

Yeah, but the 24 year old Alyx dissappeared. It's like she was taken out instead of Eli and those were the "unforseen consequences". So there's only one Alyx now and she is in stasis. At least, that's how I interpret it. I hope that's not true tho, your theory sounds a lot better 😄

[@denizplays1307]

I did not expect auch a high quality and serious video with incredible editing, that shows how much you care about Half Life/Valve

[@BobThe500]

I don't think that it makes sense for Alyx to remember what Gordon freeman looks like, I think her interaction with the gman thinking he was Gordon was akin to meeting a relative who only new you when you where a baby and not remembering them at all. Gordon was just a co-worker that Eli had and saw a few times, so i think it works.

[@BobThe500]

Not*

[@elidatkitty1694]

well in the beta plot (the one merle voice acts) they were looking for a superweapon and not gordon freeman

[@BobThe500]

@@elidatkitty1694 I think hinting that’s it’s freeman and not just a big gun or something is far cooler

[@newdawnsets7076]

@@BobThe500 It's really only for fan service, nothing more.

[@elidatkitty1694]

@@BobThe500 oh wait srry i didnt finish watching the video when i commented that 😭😭

[@Hugobros3]

In my opinion, from the clips you showed here, Ozioma Akagha kills it with her performance IMO and the combative attitude of older alyx feels out of place for someone the age she is in HL:A. She's supposed to be younger but she does not sound or act like it, and maybe it's just simpler to recast to build a new version of the character ? In any case, it seems clear it's not some sort of conflict or money interest and I'm also happy to defer to Valve's creative judgement. But I still think we might still see Merle Dandridge return to her role as the older, more confident sassy Alyx in HL3 or whatever the next game is

[@chpsilva]

Here's the point tho: she's not that younger. We are talking of events happening probably 5 years before Half Life 2. It wouldn't make sense to her to change that much in so little time.

[@locho41]

​@@chpsilvahalf a decade its a lot of time my dude, specially for young adults

[@youbaouahdi4358]

​@@locho41i'd put more money on a younger person being more angry and provocative than someone older

[@youbaouahdi4358]

Keep in mind that Dandridge Alyx is looking for a "weapon" in that context so the odds of the whole thing going down a bit differently during that stage of development is pretty high, maybe it was originally intended to be a frustrating experience for Alyx to reach that weapon, all that just to find a man in a suit (who might remind her of Wallace Breen seeing as only people allied with the combine are dressed sharp in fresh clothes) and there you have it, a justification as to why she is hostile during that encounter.

[@duccc]

@@youbaouahdi4358 have you played the game? at some point in late game, they started to suspect that the weapon is Gordon Freeman. So after seeing a man in the vault, it's natural reaction to ask if he is really gordon or not

[@thiagovidal6137]

Yeah... to be honest I have to agree that she doesn't sound like a 19 years old girl at all on those recordings. But is she really to blame? Was she given a proper direction and feedback and a chance to try to sound younger.. maybe.

[@Jame-pp8zm]

my stupid theory: everyone's voice sounds different in their head vs what is recorded/what other people hears. valve intentionally wanted a difference between voice in the player's head protagonist Alyx and speaking face to face deuteragonist Alyx

[@zye.]

Possible crack theory

[@FishyBoi1337]

Wait, that's actually genius. I don't think it is the case, personally, but it's an awful nice thought.

[@SuperCityscan]

I don't have problem with this recast if it's only for young versions of Alyx. Ozioma Akagha did a fantastic job. But if this is some sign that Merle Dandridge has been let off the role of Alyx forever (and sadly it does look like that) then I will be mad. There is really no reason she shouldn't be keep voicing Alyx. Not even if she's far more expensive to hire than she used to be, for money-printing Valve.

[@gagenott]

I don't know, I feel like the way Alyx reacted to GMan in the leaked files was too much. The in-game response is very cautious, I got the vibe of "oh shit, I don't know what this ...person?... is at all" so the polite and wary response makes sense. The angry, interrupting response, "where is the weapon? Is it in the briefcase?" just makes me feel like the character is stupid. You've literally found the person/eldrich entity that demonstratably strikes a huge amount of fear into even the multidimensional interstellar empire, and you're going to interrupt him and dismiss him as unimportant? No offense to either actress of course, both did a great job delivering the lines, and the "I want the combine gone" from Merle is super impactful. But I definitely feel the more cautious response was the one to go with in this scene.

[@locho41]

To be completely fair, comparing HL:A Alyx to EP2 Alyx is comparing 2 different characters, and it makes sense, because Alyx in EP2 is Alyx after a whole lot of character development, so it makes sense that 5 years before that, she would be a naive young girl, more akin to Alyx from the first chapters of HL2. Which I think it fits the characterization on point most of the time. It's a matter of writing and directing actors rather than anything the VAs could have done

[@joshjmilli]

I’m glad people are talking about this again. Ozioma did a fantastic job in HLA, but I think Alyx wouldn’t be the same without Merle in a potential Half Life 3. I really hope they bring her back, for the sake of the character and her legacy.

[@greenth-mac2550]

You know what's funny? The first ever trailer for HL Alyx opens up with a Alyx line, and who's voice was that for Alyx's first line? Merle. I remember back in 2020 how Tyler did not believe the response of the devs and he suspected that some bad stuff probably happened leading for her to re-cast, I was REALLY hoping for the community to get their hands on the 90% Alyx lines done by Merle and turn it into a mod, now that rumors and leaks suggest Valve is making a HL game, I wonder if Merle will return or not this time.

[@youbaouahdi4358]

The dialogue and writing in Half Life Alyx in general have a big Portal 2 feeling to them, try comparing the interactions between the characters in the HL2 episodes (which is arguably the best Valve has done for the HL series) with the ones we see in HL Alyx ans it becomes obvious, it just doesn't really fit in my opinion, and im not trying be a hater.

[@usernamehhhs4540]

Noticing patterns and putting 2 and 2 together doesn't make a hater dude. Knowing that everyone who worked on the original HL2 were entirely replaced by much younger, inexperienced devs that prefer the current Marvel/Rick and Morty humour it makes perfect sense.

[@grelgn4287]

Alyx was 4 years old when the Black Mesa incident occurred. She wouldn't remember what Gordon looked like. Also, 15 years have passed and they have no reason to assume Gordon would look exactly the same. They don't know he's in stasis. As for why she recognizes you in HL2, it's heavily implied that Gordon's arrival in City 17 wasn't a coincidence, but actually a deal between Eli and G-Man. Remember this quote by Dr. Breen: "Did you realize your contract was open to the highest bidder?" So she was looking for Gordon as they knew he was coming, and probably followed the Overwatch announcements and stumbled upon a man getting beaten by metro cops. "Dr. Freeman I presume?"

[@MissCrepis]

Kleiner has an old group photo shot of his fellow employees, including Gordon Freeman, in his lab next to the eye scanner. It wouldn't be too crazy for Alyx to recognize him from that photo with that distinctive goatee, and being seemingly the only *other* citizen to still have glasses.

[@cellophanezebra4663]

Hearing Merle's original conformation with Gman sounds more realistic to the situation and sounds more in Alyx's nature to react that way

[@KeeperOTG]

The voice actress for Alyx is 20 years older than she was when HL2 was being made, and it probably reflected a bit in the voice acting for Alyx. Keep in mind they wanted the voice to go in the opposite direction. I think the new voice actress is very nice to listen to and honors the source material given to work towards

[@Imkiritai]

Yep, a cast change that sadly happened. Always good seeing the character you knew from the beginning. Then once Alyx finally hit after all those years, it wasn't the same.

[@chewy99.]

20:14 Actually Eli must have reunited with Kleiner by the time of half life alyx as he is missing a leg, which we know he lost when helping Isaac over a fence and getting it bitten off by a bullsquid.

[@truec0re193]

An incredibly unexpected, but very much welcomed 'deep dive' into something i had wondered quite a few years ago!

[@mzergcampos1684]

This video deserves more views and I totally agree Merle delivery is way better

[@Vipus2501]

I think it was just Valve wanting Alyx to sound younger in the prequel.

[@sharp14x]

You've articulated by own feelings on this quite well, great video, and I wouldn't mind seeing such analysis in the future.

[@gimpscam9976]

In a way this is similar to the recast of snake in mgs V. The reasoning for that is, kojima was tired of David hayter and he wanted a higher budget actor. Not saying those the same reasons valve did but they were both similar in their “shady” voice changed without telling much about how or why.

[@setzig98]

If Half-Life 3 comes out and we can see Alyx again, I will be pissed if her va is not Merle.

[@chewy99.]

Idk maybe they wanted a “younger” sounding voice. When hl3 comes, it could be Merle’s return to voice acting Alyx.

[@wladdragwlya]

they wanted a black ghetto girl; even non native english speaking people can understand the dubious accent. fire the person responsible with the change immediately. Valve is going slowly towards the same dangerous path of go woke go broke trend

[@Flamme-Sanabi]

I will always remember the sandwich talk.

[@duccc]

The small talks in the game are so well written, I love them

[@usernamehhhs4540]

@@duccc Do you happen to like Marvel movies as well?

[@ASqdrnDA]

It was a nice way of calming her down.

[@doodleEeto]

No way they'll pull "different universe - different Alyx" twist. This would be such a gold.

[@halfer2011]

It seems to me, that Valve saying they want a "different direction" is their "respectful" way of saing, that Merle Dandridge is too old to play Alyx

[@chalkymalky]

good video! alot of your points about how alyx was written in hla was rlly interesting and i never thought about that before (tbf i havent beaten hla since i dont have vr)

[@candidate12]

I think the new va, represents the rookie alyx was at one point. Shes not phased by headcrab zombies because at this point, their "normal" like a houndeye would be that of a deer. Stalkers could be told to her for a while via word of mouth, what happenes when you resist or what happens in the wrong place at the wrong time

[@MrSnaztastic]

Considering the timing of the recast, it'd be tragically hilarious if this was an instance of Valve doing something to actually hit a deadline no matter what. You could imagine that Merle might have been busy filming The Last of Us TV show or something, and the scheduling maybe didn't work out for her to record a whole game's worth of VO with likely a lot of rapid revisions over a couple of months out of the blue. So maybe they got someone who would be more readily available to record a load of dialogue at the drop of a hat without committments to other shows in order to hit a release date for once.

[@migmi]

I hope that if they ever make another game with alyx in it they'll deliver on that working with Merle promise!

[@ZeFlyingFurry]

You know a video is serious when Komegatze start talking in it instead of making his regular SFM videos with Gman acting sussy.

[@stormhought]

Gman acting sus Corryladdos thing

[@elidatkitty1694]

interesting fact in the final hours- valve planned to only give her a few voicelines in the entire game before the hard reset

[@sharemation5339]

Might be just nostalgia, but wile i dont really hear a "huge" difference, i still would prefer the OG Alyx. Dont care if "should" Have sound younger.

[@NervesiT]

thats just valve to yall, people go to work on there and eventually just gets thrown out of the company from the out of nowhere

[@Dimasterim]

I love Merle but I have to admit that Ozioma’s take on the character is better for this game. I hear Merle’s delivery and it always sounds a little bit off, and in the G Man scene she sounds too combative and dismissive, robbing the G Man of his menacing aura. I don’t understand why they couldn’t have told her to say her lines in a different tone, if they wanted to go in a different direction I don’t think it was necessary to also recast the actress.

[@drunkonsuccess779]

I'm pretty sure for Alyx they just wanted a younger sounding voice, I think it's really as simple as that. In Alyx she's 19, that's still a teenager and they wanted the voice to accompany it.

[@eljestLiv]

24:22 Yes, because Alyx was young, neutral, and had no character development at that point. She was a skilled hacker for the resistance, her mission being simply “reconnaissance”, but she hadn’t gone through what made her into the Alyx we know in HL2.

[@WDC_OSA]

I find it easy to believe now that Valve recast Alyx for someone who sounded younger. The only real contradiction I see is that Merle Dandridge herself claims that she can alter her voice, and, at least in this video, that's without an example to back it up. You bring up the examples of other animated young characters voiced by adult actresses, but two things are worth noting. The first is that none of these are Merle Dandridge; she does not appear to have credits for VA as significantly younger characters. The second is that the characters you mention mostly or entirely sound like they belong in cartoons; if a modern Half-Life game had child characters voiced by e.g. Cree Summer or Tara Strong in their typical child voices, it would be entirely immersion breaking. I agree with you somewhat about the overreliance on quips in the dialog, but Alyx has that problem in HL2 as well, and the Episodes especially. I don't think it's particularly believable that she shouts "Zom-B-Q!" when you set shambling former humans on fire as she attempts to flee through the rubble of the city she grew up in, as an example. However, I don't think that her character is as flat in HLA as you do. I'm not sure what the best route was for developing her as a playable character in this situation. I think that as someone who was raised by mad scientists in a resistance movement against an alien force that is essentially a giant computer, there are a lot of wildcards when it comes to how she should realistically act. Maybe a little less action hero, sure, but the way she is desensitized to some atrocities and not others could make sense to me. I think the performance that Ozioma Akhaga gives is much better at selling the personality and mannerisms of a 19-year-old. As another commenter suggests, Dandridge's delivery of "I want the Combine gone" has all the weight and experience of an Episode 3 Alyx behind it. Dandridge is such a good actress, and such a good fit for an older Alyx, but I suspect that production would have been harder at the time if they had made her redo all her lines with a different tone. This is very speculative of me. But keep in mind that, for the first time in 13 years, a Half-Life game was basically ready for release. Playtesters were apparently claiming that Merle Dandridge's delivery for this teenage character was not very believable, and the devs had a few months to go before they could release the game to a super hyped public. Between having Dandridge tweak her voice to sound like a young lady and getting a new actress who sounded similar but distinctly younger, I'm betting that the latter seemed like a much better idea to some people. Like the character of a younger Alyx herself, Akhaga presented more of a blank slate, and that may have been easier to work with when they had only a few months left. There was likely internal controversy about this decision, however, especially given Valve's lack of distinct hierarchy.

[@fever309]

if the rumors that HLA Alyx and HL2 Alyx are from different universes, could this be the real reason they changed voice actors? Is it possible they knew this was the direction they were going to go, and wanted an easy to recognize difference between them, so that if they ever showed up in the same scene in future works, we could tell the difference from just voice alone.

[@eljestLiv]

19:29 I disagree with this entire assertion. Why would Eli go around with a picture of Gordon or discuss his appearance with his daughter? Gordon does not wear a HEV suit around Eli regularly (not until HL2 at least) so it makes complete sense for Alyx to believe G-Man is Gordon at first. Kleiner mentions in HL2 (five years later in the story) that the HEV suit was redesigned for “comfort and utility” and to be a viable suit of armour rather than just protection against hazardous waste in a test environment, and Barney refers to his “civves” (civilian clothing) in the same conversation. Alyx doesn’t have a clue what Gordon looks like, and even if she did, it’s not like Gordon and G-Man wouldn’t look somewhat alike if Gordon took off his glasses, shaved, and wore a suit.

[@misterk7_-]

24:24 I think Half Life Alyx takes place in a parallel universe before HL2, so she may think differently to HL2 Alyx. And like you said she is written to imply this way too being a blank slate.

[@Korobochka_Konfet]

I don't understand why Valve wanted Alyx to sound younger. At the age of 19 her voice should already be mature and the fact that it has changed this much in 5 years doesn't make much sense, unless she damaged her vocal cords somehow. With the more lighthearted tone of the writing and the direction they took with Alyx, she doesn't feel like the original character to me, not even a younger version of herself. I really hope they bring back Merle for the next game.

[@user-xsn5ozskwg]

Eh, plenty of people go through that kind of development later in life, but more than anything she's a character, so the goal is feeling, not realism. A younger voice sells the idea that this version of Alyx is less mature and world-weary.

[@usernamehhhs4540]

The new devs wanted a different character, that is literally it. Why would they have any attachment to character they never knew? It'd be easier to just rewrite Alex to be more like them. I imagine the old va would have issues with voicing the Rick and Mort type dialogue they wrote for her.

[@flynneugene2675]

Gordon

[@av3nger3]

I love how Merle's Alyx just knows... "Who the hell are you?" hahaha...obviously not Gordon

[@Cpt_H00K911]

Well that is a topic

[@FishyBoi1337]

Alyx was a strong-willed and very opinionated character. Her personality took up entire rooms in Half Life 2. (Looking at you, ZomBine joke) It seems like a hell of a thing to throw her away for the sake of MAYBE keeping a few players hooked on the series for the sake of immersion in a VR experience. I think it could have been amazing to the community to have people in the shoes of a strong, female lead that doesn't take shit the way most do.

[@amazingnoo9935]

I know this isn’t canon, but in one of Eli’s lines in Black Mesa, he says “Guess I’ll have to cancel lunch with Azian and Alyx”. I thought this was noteworthy.

[@AlphaGarg]

it's not noteworthy

[@amazingnoo9935]

@@AlphaGarg -_-

[@MidanMagistrate]

Look, I love Merle as Alyx as much as everyone else, being the original Voice Actress and all. She's the Alyx I grew up with. She really did such an amazing job. But I don't mind Ozioma. She similarly does such an amazing job; both feel like how Alyx would sound if she were a real person. So, to me, neither one is "correct" or "Superior", and I feel it's a little dismissive of how well Ozioma was able to portray Alyx. People just brushing her off as "Good but we want Merle" back feels so... Disrespectful.

[@PullaWheel]

Ain't it so odd that Gordon could've seen baby Alyx a number of times before the Black Mesa incident and now he's jumped 20 years in the future, and that same baby is all grown up and his love interest? Always felt icky to me But the Combine did fuck up the human population so whatever I guess

[@NiiRubra]

Really enjoyed the video and the format, would be intrigued by further videos like this one, if you find anything that interests you. I guess you pretty much got it when you said that Ozioma is not Merle, and so she is more of a blank slate when it comes to the character itself, it may sound weird, but maybe there was too much Alyx in Half-life: Alyx, and they wanted more blank slate Gordon Freeman. Or maybe they just liked how Ozioma sounded for young Alyx so much that they picked her instantly, I don't know.

[@rx-0gundam393]

I just thought it makes sense that HLA Alyx's VA sounded more younger since it was a couple years BEFORE Half-Life 2. Look at the world around you even, a lot can change and a lot DID change.

[@MrWhchrd]

How did I not know Marlene from The Last of Us is Alyx in Half-Life 2!! 😳

[@elidatkitty1694]

10:14 when u gotta let the neighbours know you and your dad is in the resistance

[@Tweekism86]

I was very against the recast when i first heard about it, but recast aside, I think going the blank slate / naive route makes sense for the player character in this case, and having Alyx be a silent protagonist I don't think would work in the context of HLA for a variety of reasons. There is no reason Alyx needs to be the fully developed confident person we know from HL2 at the age of 19 or whatever she is at the time of HLA. I fully expect Merle to be back for any continuation of the story set in the HL2/EP2 timeframe where you are not playing as Alyx.

[@ArmyofOneandaHalf]

I've been a Half-Life fan since 2007, and personally, I think Ozioma's performance is a little more 3-dimensional and interesting. Obviously Merle is more familiar with Alyx as a character, but for a younger version of the character, I think the switch made sense.

[@TheDezedez]

I think it was a stupid decision and they should’ve kept the original actress. The new one sounds like a generic black woman, while the original voice actress sounds like Alyx

[@Kmarksman]

I agree with your opinion that Merle was a better fit. On HLA replays I just turn character voice lines off for the solo part of the game.

[@VitorHunter12]

Do you think it maybe had something to do with Sweet Baby Inc?

[@deltavi6335]

The goats time has come once again...

[@David_the_man2]

Yummers

[@3312.]

i love them both

[@zeg197]

This a very well made video! I've always wondered why Merle's voice wasn't used in HL:A. Her voice will always be Alyx in my mind. No offense to Ozioma, she is also a talented VA.

[@BrianMeatball1]

zhey made the right decision. the new voice is fitting for a 19 y o

[@Mr.LeoNov]

Damn I've read the "Recast" sign in the thumbnail as "Racist" and was like "WTF what did she do?"

[@Merknilash]

I don't understand why they did this. Merle IS Alyx. That said, the final version with G-Man was much better with Ozioma.

[@aurimasm]

I see why they recasted to a younger voice actor

[@snipingtacos12]

I disagree with the voice direction issues I hear Merle and she doesn't sound like Alyx to me anymore, almost like she forgot how to play her since its been so long. Age could be a factor but I believe this change was for the better. Now I do think Merle should return for HL3 or whatever since I belive Meryle sounded much more intense in her Alyx lines and I think that really fits Alyx in a post Eli world although I guess from her perspective that has never happened now. I could see Alyx maybe having memories of her dads death. It really depends on what they do with her as Gmans new pawn. Either way I can't say I have played Alyx past like day one of release and have ever felt "Damn, I miss Merle"

[@FlymanMS]

*weird Eli noise*

[@chpsilva]

I see the recast was _at least_ not really necessary. I prefer to believe there were no further reasons behind this.

[@AlphaGarg]

Same.

[@usernamehhhs4540]

I wouldn't mind hearing more of your speculation.

[@Randarrradara]

Merle’s voice, man..

[@thecanadianfood]

What mystery? Let's be real, we all know why they changed voice actresses. It's the same reason why they got rid of Apu from the Simpsons.

[@AlphaGarg]

The fuck do you mean

[@Pinoisreadingabook]

i always hate when they change the voice actors for beloved characters

[@Feasco]

you mean like how they changed the voice actor for Eli because Robert Guillaume died?

[@Pinoisreadingabook]

@@Feasco no, when the voice actor still alive

[@XSphynxForEvilX]

Been saying this from day one, the awkward reality that a lot of people wont say out loud is that most of the new va's work here is average at best, with the supposedly main "merit" being that she sounds younger, most of her lines don't sound anything like the character's former personality while Dandridge absolutely nails it. the new va just sounds like typical careless gen zer with the annoying pronounced vocal fry and the generic yass queen attitude. Call it "weird" to avoid the modern political discourse but chances are we all know deep inside what is going on here. But hey we gotta pretend everything is fine, right?

[@Feasco]

this is complete nonsense

[@AlphaGarg]

Nice dogwhistle at the end there lol, why don't you just say what you're thinking?

[@XSphynxForEvilX]

@@AlphaGarg I'll let you find out that yourself, this aint twitter, people get their channels deleted for posting just comments now. I ain't risking it fam. I know what you're prob thinking tho and it aint that, I'll tell you that much.

[@AlphaGarg]

@@XSphynxForEvilX If it ain't that, then surely there's no issue saying it, no? KZbin rarely deletes channels outright like that, at most it shadowbans their comments for seemingly random, or otherwise obvious, reasons.

[@ASqdrnDA]

No. It makes sense here. Merle works for older Alyx and Ozioma works for younger Alyx. It's that simple. The things you say are simply the actress's interpretation and output for a younger woman, it is not "yassification" at all. For goodness sake, Merle's 49 this year while Ozioma was 33 when they released the game. Add to that, they worked on Alyx since 2016, so Ozioma would've been 29 when development began. It's not complicated.

[@Tyretes]

let valve cook.

[@wo262]

In case you ever continue with videos of this format, I really liked the informational aspects of the video, the opinionated part is not my cup of tea.

[@Feasco]

tbh i never noticed a difference between Alyx in the episodes and hla

[@MrSHURIKENCHO]

I just hope time travel isnt a HUGE part of the story going forward, since its a crutch for bad writing, a huge plot hole trap and just annoying to keep up with

[@Feasco]

it's kinda been part of the story since hl2, you're frozen in time and you teleport skipping an entire week

[@MrSHURIKENCHO]

@@Feasco Yeah, theres a big difference between a slow teleport (going forward through time like you were asleep or something) and traveling back in time to change the ending of the entire saga up till now.

[@lukeforce123]

To be fair, the plot inconsistencies can be handwaved away by considering that this is an alternate timeline.

[@acebecks6288]

Probably not an alternate timeline though. Just changed events in the same timeline.

[@sharp14x]

@@acebecks6288 But then, Alyx wouldn't have been around for HL2, EP1 or EP2. It's confusing as fuck. This is why time travel never works.

[@acebecks6288]

@@sharp14x Well think about this, the G-Man put her back on Earth without any recollection of what happened in the vault, same way she didn't remember the G-Man influencing her in Episode 2. Then the events of Half Life 2, Ep1, and Ep2 play out, up until Eli's death, which is then reversed and Episode 2's Alyx is taken. Simple as that

[@grelgn4287]

@@acebecks6288 Exactly. I've been saying this since the game released, but people are hell-bent on the idea of 2 alternate timelines. - I just want to go home. Send me home! - I'm afraid you misunderstand the situation, Ms. Vance. He DOES send her home. At the cost of taking her back when the time comes.

[@av3nger3]

@@sharp14x Thank you guys! I'm glad other people are questioning the dang ending which I wasn't a fan of. Multi-verse retcon at worst, inconsistent at best.

[@dmtdeadman]

Some people believe that hla doesn't take place in the hl2 universe and is sort of a multiverse situation ending with hla alyx replacing the hl2 alyx, that may be an explanation for the voice change if they want to have them thought of as separate characters or potentially having them both in a future game (young and old alyx) but hey that's just a theory, a game theory