The now-infamous psychological horror demo returns as a HL:A Workshop mod.
Released in 2014 on the PlayStation 4 as a demo for a now-cancelled Silent Hill sequel being developed by Hideo Kojima (Metal Gear Solid series, Death Stranding) in collaboration with celebrated film director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Shape of Water, Pacific Rim), P.T. (“Playable Teaser”) made waves upon its release, offering PS4 players a refreshing take on the horror gaming genre with a one-of-a-kind psychological experience that was as terrifying as it was gorgeous.
After Silent Hills was officially cancelled in 2015, the demo was eventually removed from the PlayStation Store by Konami despite outspoken objections by the gaming community. Thanks to a new mod for Valve’s Half-Life: Alyx, however, players now have the chance to revisit the haunted suburban home and navigate its endless looping hallways in VR… sort of.
Last month Valve released Workshop support for their highly-anticipated VR FPS, Half-Life: Alyx, allowing independent creators to access the game’s asset library in order to create their own levels, textures, materials, models, and animations and share them with the SteamVR community. Despite having only been available for less than a month, the HL:A Workshop is already stuffed with an impressive number of custom maps and modifications. This includes a creation by modder AmbientDruth that recreates the original P.T. experience with incredible amount of detail.
Available for download now via the Half-Life: Alyx Workshop, “PT” appears to feature many of the elements that made the original PT so terrifying. Through some crafty development, AmbientDruth has managed to incorporate recognizable elements such as the looping hallways, the audio from the haunting female apparition, Lisa; and the news report about a gruesome family murder.
While the visuals aren’t quite as impressive as those featured in the original P.T.—which is understandable considering P.T. was essentially a tech demo consisting of a single suburban home—Valve’s Source 2 engine does an impressive job at creating an unsettling environment in which to explore. Moving forward, AmbientDruth will be making several updates in the form of additional audio cues and props, various lighting adjustments, and “more creepy triggers.”
Those interested can download the PT mod for free via the Half-Life: Alyx Workshop.
While you’re there you’ll definitely want to check out some of the other user-created projects currently available for download. Some of my favorites so far include Jedi Alyx – Lightsaber Training, Portal 2 – Speed Ramp, and Belomorskaya Station just to name a few.
Image Credit: Valve Corp.
