Episode One follows scientist Gordon Freeman and his companion Alyx Vance in humanity's continuing struggle against the alien civilization known as the Combine.
The game's events take place immediately after those in Half-Life 2, in and around war-torn City 17. The game debuted new lighting and animation technologies, as well as AI sidekick enhancements. Episode One uses the same game engine, Source, as Half-Life 2. Initially called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was renamed Episode One after Valve became confident in using an episodic structure for the game. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Half-Life 2: Episode One (stylized as HλLF-LIFE2: EPISODE ONE) is a first-person shooter video game, the first in an intended series of episodes that would serve as the sequels to Half-Life 2 (2004).
