| DATA | |
|---|---|
| Base game | Half-Life |
| Developer(s) | PQL Team |
| Release date | 2002-06-13 |
Welcome to Project: Quantum Leap, a Half-Life single player episode with a bit of a twist: each map is by a different mapper - 20 maps, 15 authors, one hell of an incoherent map pack!
Well guys, thank you so much for sparing me the effort to write an introduction.
A long time ago, in the forums of the Valve Editing Resource Collective (VERC, sadly defunct since 2006, though other websites like TWHL picked up the torch), a group of mappers joined together to create a new concept of mod project: a collection of standalone maps that would be played in succession, without a plot to speak of linking them. A super map pack, if you will. The venture was successful and six months later it was published for everyone to enjoy.
PQL is now considered a Half-Life classic mod that spawned two sequels. And, being the first installment of an eventual trilogy, one can forgive its rough edges. Or at least, try to. I'll be brief.
As mentioned, there is not story here. Not even an excuse. The maps are played one after another, and while some authors have included an intro or outro, or at least a simple explanatory text, most of the transitions are abrupt and you are teleported instantly to a new reality, where to begin from scratch. Eventually you get used to it, but it can be disorienting and the sequels did a better job using a hub system.
The quality is very irregular, and I find puzzling the decision to start the mod with some of the weakest maps, which might deter some players from seeing the rest. That would be a pity, as a few of them have interesting ideas and good architecture. Sadly, one mistake that is common to almost all of them is the difficulty. It's not well balanced and most of your playthrough you'll crawl bleeding from one gruntfest to the next, your health a single digit. A lot of quickloading even at the "easy" setting, with many frustrating sections.
Probably the best remembered maps are Caged (escaping a prison), Radix (a spaceship with an evil headcrab) and Someplace Else (a promising but overrated adventure in an alien setting). They were all subsequently released independently with improved versions, and in the case of the latter, its author (Adam Foster) continued the story in the MINERVA saga for Half-Life 2, and ended up being hired by Valve.
The mod will last about 3 hours and, despite the mentioned... issues (no pun intended), it's worth your time even if it's just out of curiosity to see the beginning of the saga. I'll review them too in time, but rest assured that they are way better.
Playing