“From dawn till now, I have been playing Half-Life: Alyx. Here is my experience. Four words: Eyes brimming with tears,” Yan posed. “We have been waiting for a game which can put the potential of VR on full display. Now it has arrived.”

He added that the game reminded him of being in awe the first time he played Contra on the Nintendo Famicom.

“This is the future of video games. Or it may be the future of mankind,” Yan said. 

But the new Half-Life isn’t like anything else Valve has put out before. That appears to be part of the recipe of its success so far. 

One thing that’s stood out to many gamers is just how interactive the game is. 

Being able to interact with other everyday items also makes the VR environment feel more natural, according to Jiang.

“In the beginning of the game, there is a pen on the desk,” Jiang wrote. “You can pick it up and immediately start doodling on the glass panel. Also, when it comes to the switching of scenes like when you have to slide open a door, those moments all feel very natural.”

Half-Life: Alyx also strives to mimic real-life gestures in other ways. To reload your weapon, for example, you have to use both hands to take out the magazine and put it back in. 

Some of the game’s sci-fi elements make the gesture controls even more engaging. One neat addition is a pair of electromagnetic gloves that let you fetch objects from a distance as if you were a Jedi Master.

“This game is likely the best VR game in the next few years,” Jiang said. “Valve really used its marquee Half-Life franchise to show how a VR game should be done.”

As a result, many Weibo users lament that they can only watch live streams of the new Half-Life game and try to imagine the experience.