Gordon Freeman, 27-year-old theoretical physicist and research associate at the Black Mesa Military Research complex, begins his journey, late for work as he takes the tram from the dormitory wing to the Sector C Anomalous Materials lab, seeing much of the labyrinthine facility along the way.
This Chapter contains examples of:
- Early-Bird Cameo: Barney Calhoun (at least, according to the Gearbox games) is the first character you see in the game, pounding on a door to be let in. You don't see him again until Half-Life 2.
- Easing into the Adventure: A very slow, atmospheric opening to a rather action-packed saga.
- Establishing Series Moment: Up to this point, most first-person shooters had been very noisy, chaotic, story-light affairs. The Half-Life series opens by establishing itself as the antithesis of that: the opening chapter is slow, calm, atmospheric, and subtly expository.
- Morning Routine: Aside from being late (and it's unclear by how much), this appears to be how Gordon starts most days.
- Mysterious Watcher: A certain businesslike fellow is staring at you from a tram going in the opposite direction.
- Opening Scroll: A couple minutes into the ride, the player gets a bit of text telling them who their character is.
- Scenic-Tour Level: This chapter (along with Anomalous Materials) is a slow but eye-opening tram ride through the Black Mesa facility, giving the player a very good look at what goes on in the complex. It's why this trope was originally called Black Mesa Commute.
- Super-Powered Robot Meter Maids: We are introduced to Black Mesa's MTM-8 loader robot, which looks absurdly massive and advanced for a job that could be accomplished with a forklift.
