Black Mesa is a fan remake of Half-Life 1. The project has a very long history; the efforts began as early as 2004, following Valve’s own lackluster re-release, Half-Life: Source. Although Crowbar Collective, the team behind this project, have planned to release it as early as 2009, they soon realised that the scope of the project simply did not allow for this. Black Mesa finally released in 2020, showing just how hopelessly optimistic that estimate was.
Story and gameplay wise, the remake stays faithful to its source material. But merely recreating the game with improved graphics was not enough for this determined team of fans; they have greatly expanded on the content as well. Everything in the campaign was looked at, adjusted, and reimagined. The last chapter of the game, Xen, received even more attention, as the developers found the original version lacking, when compared with the rest of Half-Life.
As a result of all these efforts, Black Mesa is easily the best way to play Half-Life nowadays. Unfortunately, it was released only on Windows and SteamOS/Linux. It is still possible to play Black Mesa on Mac, though; read the guide below for instructions.
