Snowdrop Escape, also known as
Half-Life 2: Snowdrop Escape, is a Russian made
Half-Life 2 mod taking place between the events of
Half-Life and
Half-Life 2. Several years before Gordon Freeman makes his appearance in City 17, the Combine are tightening their grip and the Resistance is barely gaining strength. James Hugo, serves as a mercenary for a third faction consisting of personnel from
Aperture Science and another company called Radiohim. They are at odds with both the Combine and the Resistance, the latter of whom have hijacked one of their laboratories studying parallel Earths. James must go to the lab and evict the Resistance forces, all the while avoiding the forces of the Combine.
This mod provides examples of:
- All for Nothing:
- The Resistance's attempt to use the anomaly as a gateway don't work, as the plaques and unknown masked individual from Radiohim explicitly point out that the anomaly only allows for observation and communication to other universes, not direct access.
- As revealed on the wanted poster in the epilogue, James' entire mission became this. After spending all the time and effort to fill the bunker with poison gas and retake the lab from the Rebels, the Combine found the bunker and forced Radiohim to detonate charges and destroy the place.
- Arc Number: The number 163020 appears all the time. It seems that the this number is the number of the universe.
- The Anti-Nihilist: The Aperture/Radiohim faction shows shades of this, accepting that regardless of the Combine occupation on their world, humanity is already saved, due to the many other Earths in the Multiverse that have avoided the Resonance Cascade and subsequent Combine invasion.
- Badass Normal: James Hugo shows shades of this. Despite lacking an HEV suit, he fights his way through both Resistance and Combine forces alike, culminating in him taking down a Combine Gunship. It's for this reason that the Combine become interested in him at the end of the game.
- Badass in Distress: An unarmed James is attacked by Rebels early in the game and is knocked unconscious. Later, he ends up captured by the Combine at the end of the story.
- Bag of Spilling: James loses access to his weapons several times throughout the story. The first is when he enters the lab and the security field takes his weapons. He gains a flare gun and a suppressed SMG during his time inside the dome, but those vanish as soon as he leaves due to the nature of the dome not allowing travel between dimensions. The final time is at the end of the story when the Combine ambush him with a Confiscation field.
- Black-and-Grey Morality: The Resistance is played as more morally questionable then normal, with James' notes suggesting that some of their members were once part of the Russian Mafia, as well as one woman hiding in some ceiling tiles and shooting James in the back when he enters the room. Despite this, their goal of contacting other universes for help against the Combine is noble, and the Combine themselves are still far worse.
- The Cameo: A Vortigaunt briefly appears on the side of the Resistance.
- Easter Egg:
- Shooting down one of the seagulls flying around the ship plays the Duck Hunt victory jingle.
- There also is a Polybius arcade machine minigame. In this world, it was made by Aperture Science and is a 2.5D Super Hexagon like game. After scoring 197 points, the game will give a jumpscare and then will not launch anymore.
- Elaborate Underground Base: As usual with both Half-Life and Portal, the laboratory complex containing the multiverse research is this.
- Extra-Dimensional Shortcut: Defied. The Resistance want to use the Snowdrop Anomaly as this, contacting other worlds for help against the Combine. However, the Radiohim scientists explicitly note that it doesn't work that way, and can only be used for observation and communication, not direct travel.
- Hope Spot: After escaping from his cell and meeting up with an agent from Radiohim during the standard ending, James seems like he may be able to sneak out of the Combine station... only for the unknown Combine official to kill the agent and recapture James anyway.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: The anomaly itself. While the dome that serves as an observation area for the parallel universes seems man made and scientific, the copper spheres and the runes that appear to summon it seem far more mystical in nature as opposed to Half-Life humanity's more scientifically grounded forms of teleportation.
- Multiple Endings: There are two endings, though the good one is incredibly easy to miss. The standard ending has James get captured by the Combine, while the good ending has him punch in a button sequence (that's found in your brief visit to the anomaly) in the final building to steal the clothes of a dead civilian and leave out the back door away from the normal trap so the Combine don't find him.
- The Multiverse: While the Half-Life and Portal series have both explored this concept in general, the mod acknowledges the existence of alternate Earths that would be safe from the Combine.
- Portal Crossroad World: The Rebels hope to use the Snowdrop anomaly as this. Subverted as it doesn't work like that, though it's downplayed in the sense that it can function as a mental version of one.
- Putting on the Reich: The Combine commander that captures James at the end wears a uniform not unlike that of a Nazi officer.
- Riddle for the Ages: Just what is the Snowdrop Anomaly and where did it come from? It's been said to have been on Earth for centuries, and several cults believed it was a divine artifact, but no one knows where it came from.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: The Aperture/Radiohim conglomerate intend that there own world is this. One of the reasons they want control of the lab back is to observe the quarantine of their own Earth and prevent the Combine from reaching any of the others.
- Ship Level: One level takes place on a cargo ship under the extradimensional dome.
- The Stinger: After the credits, James is able to escape the holding cell the Combine have placed him in and attempts to sneak out with the help of an inside man, only to be captured by the unknown Combine official again.
- The Unfought: A Vortigaunt can briefly be seen on the side of the Resistance as James makes his way through the Snowdrop complex. However, it doesn't try to attack directly, only seeking to delay his efforts to get through the complex.
- Unique Enemy: There is a single Rebel that is much more heavily armored than normal that can take a lot of punishment before going down. He only appears once in the game, and never shows up again.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Twice in quick succession at the end of the game. The first time happens when James finally defeats the Combine gunship hounding him and looks to be home free, only to get captured by an unknown Combine official as the credits roll. Then in The Stinger, it looks like James may be able to escape the Combine with the help of a contact in Radiohim, only for the contact to get gunned down and James recaptured once again.
