You can finally rescue Half-Life's guards and scientists thanks to this mod inspired by Lemmings

Half-Life scientists crawl thorugh a vent in Half-Life: Lemmings — (Image credit: Valve, TeamClown)

It always bugged me that you couldn't save the scientists in Half-Life. You'd be trundling through some grey corridor in the bowels of Black Mesa, with one or two or maybe even three lab coat wearing boffins behind you, when they'd suddenly stop for no obvious reason, announcing: "This is as far as I go!" You may not have noticed, Poindexter, but there's an alien invasion happening, and sticking around because those legs you don't use much are getting tired is probably not a good idea.

No matter how careful you were, or how often you resisted the temptation to drop a grenade by their feet and leg it, there always came a point where you had to leave them behind. But a new mod has finally resolved this mechanical loop, letting you definitively rescue the scientists (and guards) trapped in Black Mesa's concrete warrens.

Created by modder TeamClown, Half-Life: Lemmings reworks Valve's shooter to let you save 45 NPCs scattered across the Black Mesa facility. When you find a scientist in trouble, you can send them to designated rescue points located in various areas of Black Mesa. Alternatively, you can lead the NPCs deeper into the facility, picking up more as you go to create a merry conga line of Kleiners and Barneys.

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Half‑Life: But You Can Rescue Every Scientist — TRAILER - YouTube

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It sounds like a simple mod, but a lot of work has clearly gone into making it function. The trailer shows bespoke animations for rescuing scientists otherwise doomed to a grisly, scripted death. While NPCs also have enhanced navigation abilities, able to climb ladders, crawl through vents, and jump across gaps. In addition, guards are much more capable fighters, able to wield shotguns, MP5s, and throw hand grenades. Even the scientists can fight back too by picking up discarded pistols.

The mod has been released in a slightly confusing manner, with TeamClown simultaneously describing it as a 1.0 launch and a demo. Specifically, the mod works from the start of Unforeseen Consequences—where Half-Life kicks off in earnest—up until the Apprehension chapter. That represents about half the game, and the bulk of the running time where you can rescue NPCs.

You can download Half-Life: Lemmings from ModDB. It's important to note that the mod is built for Half-Life: Source rather than the original version. Half-Life: Source is no longer listed on the Steam store, so doesn't appear when you search for it. But it is still available to buy for $10 (£8.50).

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Rick has been fascinated by PC gaming since he was seven years old, when he used to sneak into his dad's home office for covert sessions of Doom. He grew up on a diet of similarly unsuitable games, with favourites including Quake, Thief, Half-Life and Deus Ex. Between 2013 and 2022, Rick was games editor of Custom PC magazine and associated website bit-tech.net. But he's always kept one foot in freelance games journalism, writing for publications like Edge, Eurogamer, the Guardian and, naturally, PC Gamer. While he'll play anything that can be controlled with a keyboard and mouse, he has a particular passion for first-person shooters and immersive sims.

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