Half*Dead is a survival horror-themed third-person shooter developed by ACS Production Studio Tokyo and published by ACS. Released in 2007 for the PlayStation 3, XBox 360 and PC.
Initially concieved as a fourth installment of the fade. series of survival horror games, Half*Dead immediately garnered several comparisons to Capcom's Resident Evil series upon release due to its similar setting and gameplay elements, though the game also has its share of other, unique gameplay elements that set itself apart from the rest.
In 2024, a remastered version of Half*Dead, titled Half*Dead: Re-Animated was released, developed by ACS Production Studio Tokyo (with assistance from HexaDrive) and released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. This version features improved HD graphics, gameplay improvements and re-recorded dialogue by a new English voice cast. This remaster runs on ACS' Iono Engine.
Gameplay[]
The game plays similar to most survival horror games. Players take control of either Kristoff Banks or Juno Hawkins, as they fight for survival inside the now-desolate and infested town of Ariel Hills and finding answers regarding the mysterious viral outbreak that destroyed the once-peaceful town in the first place, all the while fighting against the zombies (known in-game as "the Half-Dead", hence the name) that inhabit the town using guns and other weapons, hunting for key items, and solving puzzles to access certain parts of the game.
Much like Resident Evil 4 before it, the game uses an over-the-shoulder camera, with the camera zooming into a closer angle when aiming. Control-wise, the game takes more of a Western-style approach, with all attacks being relegated to each of the shoulder buttons. To attack, players must draw their weapon by holding down the LT/L2 trigger, and then shoot by pressing the RT/R2 button. Alternatively, the player can use their subweapon with a quick press of the LB/L1 bumper, or perform a quick melee attack using the RB/R1 bumper. Pressing the A/Cross button while aiming would reload the current weapon, while pressing the Back/Select button while aiming allows the player to switch between first and third-person aiming. When using sniper rifles, players can adjust their scope by pressing up and down on the D-pad.
General actions such as opening doors and picking up items are done with the A/Cross button, running is done by holding the X/Square button, the Y/Triangle button toggles the mini-map, and the B/Circle button accesses the PDA, which allows players to check their status and inventory, heal up their injuries, or save the game. The left analog stick controls the player's movement, while the right analog stick controls the camera. Meanwhile, the D-pad allows the player to switch weapons, swapping between three of their current weapons with a press of left, up, and right on the D-pad, respectively, while the down button allows players to switch between their current subweapons.
The game does not use a conventional health meter and instead, the game uses a "body damage" system in which damage sustained from enemies will be allocated to a certain body part. When the legs are badly damaged, the player would lose their ability to run. When the arms are badly damaged, the player's aim would be shakier and they would lose the ability to use heavy weapons. A badly damged head or body will always result in death. Furthermore, the player may "bleed out" after receiving certain attacks, which could also cause death when left untreated. Vitality is displayed via a body diagram, which gradually changes color from green, to yellow, to orange, and finally to red, to indicate which body part is currently damaged.
To heal sustained damage, players can pick up various healing items, then apply them to the damaged body parts in the Healing menu within the PDA. Herbal Medicine only allows players to heal a single body part, and does not prevent bleeding while First Aid Kits are capable of healing two to three body parts, and can also prevent bleeding. Both of these healing items come in Small, Medium and Large variants, all of which denoting their effectiveness. Styptic Paks do not heal damage on their own, but do prevent bleeding. Lastly, Painkillers are very rare healing items which are capable of restoring all of the player's vitality back to full health, and can also prevent bleeding.
Along the way, the player could also pick up key items, as well as weapons, ammunition and cash. The player can only carry three weapons at a time. Thus, when picking up a new weapon while all three slots are already occupied, the player is given a choice to either equip the weapon they picked up in exchange for one of their current weapons or instead stashing the weapon they picked up for later use. After stashing a weapon, they cannot be used until the start of another episode, or until the player encounters Lita (see below). While Kristoff and Juno are able to pick up most of the same weapons, both characters have separate loadouts each, meaning Kristoff cannot use weapons and ammo that Juno has picked up, or vice versa.
Cash earned from killing zombies can be used to buy and upgrade weapons from Lita, a tomobyish, yet chipper gunrunner who appears alongside her trusty RV at random places throughout Ariel Hills, her location often changing after each chapter. Besides buying and selling guns and ammo, Lita also allows players to access their loadout, where they could equip and unequip the weapons they had bought and/or obtained up until that point. Upon completing the game, weapons obtained throughout the main campaign are then carried over to both New Game+ and the bonus modes.
Every gun in the game, with the exception of Heavy Weapons, can be upgraded in Lita's van, allowing the player to improve their weapons' performance. The player can spend their earned cash to improve their weapons' firepower, firing rate, reload speed and maximum ammo capacity, as well as install "Modules": upgrades that give the gun a massive tactical advantage, such as installing a laser sight, extending the gun barrel or enabling alternate firing methods, such as burst fire, full auto or charge shot. While most of the weapons can be fitted with a laser sight, certain weapons have Modules that are exclusive to them, such as the M4's full auto, or the Super Redhawk's extended barrel, among others. Unlike stat upgrades, which are persistent, Modules can be removed at the player's behest.
The main campaign is separated between several "episodes", with each episode switching between both Kristoff and Juno's perspectives, before the final episode, which gives the player a choice to play as one or the other, yielding different endings depending on their choice. In terms of gameplay, both play largely the same, aside from their starting weapons: Kristoff comes equipped with a USP and a knife, while Juno comes equipped with a Jericho and a stun rod. Kristoff is also capable of pushing heavy objects that Juno can't, while Juno could access waterbound areas by swimming, which Kristoff can't do. Thus, part of the campaign involves solving puzzles and fetch quests to open pathways in order to make way for the other.
Before starting a new game, the player is given a choice between three difficulties: Easy, Normal, and Hard, with Normal difficulty, as its name suggests, serving as the game's normal difficulty setting, and Easy and Hard mode adjusting various aspects of the game to make it easier or harder for the player, respectively. Finishing the game in Hard difficulty would unlock the Violent difficulty mode, the hardest difficulty setting in the entire game, with more alert zombie AI. The player can save their progress at any point in the game with the use of the PDA. However, this is inaccessible when playing in Violent difficulty, which only allows players to save their progress at the end of each episode.
Weapons[]
Weapons in Half*Dead are classified into three separate classes: Light, Medium and Heavy, all of which are based on the gun's weight. Sub-weapons and melee weapons are classified as their own weapon type, and while the player can switch between their sub-weapons, melee weapons are tied to the character and cannot be swapped out.
Weapon Type: Light (exclusive to Kristoff)
A semi-automatic pistol, serves as the standard issue handgun for the Special Operations and Rescue team. Uses 9mm parabellum rounds.
Weapon Type: Light (exclusive to Juno)
A semi-automatic pistol, serves as the standard issue handgun for the Ariel Hills County Police Department. Uses 9mm parabellum rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A burst-fire pistol, features a one-of-a-kind three-round burst mechanism that allows it to fire three bullets at a time. Uses 9mm parabellum rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A fully automatic machine pistol, features the sleek form factor of a handgun and the functionality of a submachine gun. Uses 9mm parabellum rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A carbine-style submachine gun, sports a rather ergonomic design and solid firepower with its full-auto rapid fire mode. Uses .45 ACP rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A vintage submachine gun from the early 20th century, comes with a drum magazine for vastly increased ammo capcity. Uses .45 ACP rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A compact submachine gun that can be held one-handed, its ergonomic frame allows it to be dual-wielded with relative ease. Uses .45 ACP rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A double-action revolver, a classic weapon that packs a solid punch thanks to its specialized magnum cartidge. Uses .44 Magnum rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A recoil-operated semi-automatic revolver, its one-of-a-kind self-cocking mechanism absorbs recoil making shooting easier. Uses .44 Magnum rounds.
Weapon Type: Light
A gas-operated semi-automatic pistol, one of a select few in the current market to support high-power magnum loads. Uses .44 Magnum rounds.
Weapon Type: Medium
A pump-action combat shotgun, capable of blasting through the half-dead with its powerful buckshot ammunition. Uses 12-gauge shells.
Weapon Type: Medium
A sawed-off double-barrel shotgun, shoots two shells at the same time for added damage and greater destructive power. Uses 12-gauge shells.
Weapon Type: Medium
A combat shotgun with a unique revolving cylinder mechanism, can hold an obscene amount of shells for maximum damage. Uses 12-gauge shells.
Weapon Type: Medium
A short-barelled carbine assault rifle, a standard issue military weapon that typically fires in short three-round bursts. Uses 5.56 NATO rounds.
Weapon Type: Medium
An assault rifle patterened from the famous AK-47, a reliable workhorse of a weapon that is capable of fully automatic rapid fire. Uses 5.56 NATO rounds.
Weapon Type: Medium
A bullpup assault rifle with a mounted sight, the 1× scope allows the user to deliver much more precise shots at a certain distance. Uses 5.56 NATO rounds.
Weapon Type: Medium
A bolt-action sniper rifle equipped with a 3× telescopic sight, best used for shooting targets from long distances. Uses 7.62 NATO rounds.
Weapon Type: Medium
A bolt-action sniper rifle equipped with a 5× telescopic sight, its adjustable scope allows for more efficient aiming. Uses 7.62 NATO rounds.
Weapon Type: Medium
A semi-automatic sniper rifle equipped with a fully telescopic sight, utlizes a semi-automatic feed system for less hassle. Uses 7.62 NATO rounds.
- Flamethrower
Weapon Type: Heavy
A gas-operated flamethrower designed for military use, can ignite enemies on fire as well as burn materials made out of wood. Uses kerosene.
Weapon Type: Heavy
A belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, its fully automatic rapid fire makes it ideal against large clusters of half-dead. Uses 7.62 NATO rounds.
Weapon Type: Heavy
A shoulder-launched portable rocket launcher, and a very powerful and highly damaging weapon of mass destruction. Uses PG-7V 85mm warheads.
Sub-Weapons[]
- Grenade
Weapon Type: Sub
A basic fragmentation hand grenade, simple enough to use. Explodes upon deployment.
- WP Grenade
Weapon Type: Sub
A white phosphorus incendiary grenade, highly flammable. Ignites into flames upon deployment.
- Shock Grenade
Weapon Type: Sub
A shock grenade, carries a high voltage payload. Releases an electric charge upon deployment.
Melee Weapons[]
- Combat Knife
Weapon Type: Melee (exclusive to Kristoff)
A combat knife, distributed amongst all Special Operations and Rescue team members.
- Stun Rod
Weapon Type: Melee (exclusive to Juno)
An electric stun rod, distributed amongst all officers of the Ariel Hills County Police Department.
Story[]
Ariel Hills, a small, quiet and rather peaceful town located somewhere within the New England region, in the United States of America, with a population of over 15,340 people. Its suburban complex serves as home to almost tens of thousands of residents from all walks of life, from young, fledgling families, to retirees who seek to spend the rest of their days in peace. However, one major incident would change the course of the town's history forever.
One day in August, a sudden infestation of parasitic worms known as "necroworms", sent Ariel Hills in a panic. Patients inflicted with the parasite exhibited a variety of symptoms, including loss of cognitive thinking, followed by rabid aggression, cannibalistic urges, rapid decay of skin and muscle tissue and in certain extreme cases, grotesque bodily mutations. It was also discovered that the necroworms could infect others through entering bodily orifices, such as the eyes, nose, mouth, ears, belly button and even open wounds, among others, before travelling onto the brain, taking over the host while slowly eating through their brain matter in the process.
However, by the time this was discovered, it was far too late, as Ariel Hills would soon enter a state of calamity, as a wide-scale outbreak would soon follow. In a small amount of time, Ariel Hills would be taken over by the necroworms, with the looming risk of the parasitic infection seeping through other towns. By this point, almost the entirety of Ariel Hills have succumbed to the necroworms, their distinct corpse-like appearance giving rise to the term "half-dead". Eventually, the United States government took notice of these bizarre events, leading to them sending the United States Special Operations and Rescue (S.O.A.R.) team down to Ariel Hills in order to gather information regarding the necroworms, as well as to rescue any survivors.
However, mere minutes after the mission had started, the whole S.O.A.R. team was wiped out by a particularly ravenous swarm of half-dead, leaving only Lieutenant Kristoff Banks and his subordinate, Sergeant Brice Barry, as the sole survivors of the attack. And with Barry having been ravaged by the half-dead and left with a badly injured left arm, debilitating his combat ability, Kristoff is left with no choice but to progress through the mission on his own. Eventually, he meets up with an officer of the Ariel Hills Police Department, Juno Hawkins, as well as one of the survivors of the incident, who was also conducting an investigation on the infestaion. The two of them eventually formed an alliance and began to search for useful information together.
Along the way, Kristoff and Juno stumble upon a mysterious little girl by the name of "Amy", who claims to know various secrets regarding the Mortis virus. Eventually, it would be revealed that Amy was the daughter of Dr. Jonathon Maddox, a highly-talented biologist who used to work for the notorious company Q Biotechnologies, which was once thought to be shut down following several investigations revealing some of the inhumane experiments thay have conducted through the years. Kristoff and Juno then set out to the only place in town that they haven't searched around yet: the Q Biotechnologies' abandoned laboratory.
Inside the Q Biotechnologies labs, they eventually encounter Dr. Maddox himself, who reveals to them that while it was indeed him who created and bred the necroworms, it was only because he was coerced by an entity known as "the man behind the shadows", a mysterious individual working for the government, who demanded that he create the most powerful bio-weapon ever: a weapon that could infect entire populaces in days. His mind in shambles, Dr. Maddox, unwilling to surrender his creation and hurt more people, ingests the mutated necroworm strain in an attempt to kill himself, but instead, it mutates him into a grotesque monster. The perfect bio-weapon: Type-M¹: Abomination.
Characters[]
Protagonists[]
- Kristoff Banks
Age: 30
Voice Actors: Junichi Suwabe (JP), Nolan North (EN; original), Yong Yea (EN; Re-Animated)
Lieutenant Kristoff Banks is a member of the US Special Operations and Rescue (S.O.A.R.) team, who, alongside his comrades, were tasked to gather info about the necroworm infestation and to rescue any survivors. Eventually, following the reveal that he and his team were used by their superior to retrieve the necroworms, he chooses to disobey his superior's orders and leaves the S.O.A.R. team right there and then, with his new goal being to ensure that the parasite doesn't fall into the wrong hands.
Kristoff is a straightforward man with a strong sense of justice and is dedicated to his job as a member S.O.A.R., which causes his entire worldview to crumble once it's revealed that he and his team were duped by the US government. Gameplay-wise, he starts off with a Heckler & Koch USP9 handgun and a combat knife, and is also capable of pushing away large and heavy objects that Juno can't.
- Juno Hawkins
Age: 28
Voice Actresses: Ayako Kawasumi (JP), Jennifer Hale (EN; original), Amber Lee Connors (EN; Re-Animated)
Juno Hawkins is a police officer of the Ariel Hills Police Department, and one of the few survivors left, who was conducting her own investigation on the virus, before she eventually meets up with Kristoff. It was revealed later on in the game that, as a kid, she was once part of the many living human test subjects who were used by Q Biotechnologies, including being injected with an experimental vaccine for an earlier strain of the necroworms, causing her to become immune to the infection.
Juno is a serious woman who may appear stoic on the outside, but inside, she is actually kind and warm-hearted, with a soft spot for children, as shown by the motherly bond that she forms with Amy as the game progresses. Gameplay-wise, she starts off with an IWI Jericho 941 handgun and a stun rod, and could access waterbound areas by way of swimming into them, which Kristoff can't.
Supporting Cast[]
- Amy
Age: 10
Voice Actresses: Rie Kugimiya (JP), Sandy Fox (EN; original), Faye Mata (EN; Re-Animated)
Amy is a mysterious young girl and a survivor of the necroworm infestation, who runs into Juno by complete chance during her investigations, asking if she could help her find her father, to which Juno agrees to do so. Later on, it was revealed that she is, in fact, the daughter of Dr. Jonathon Maddox, the man behind the necroworms, but by the time she reunites with him, it's too late, as she bears witness to his painful and gruelling transformation.
For a child of her age, Amy possesses a sharp intellect, which may be a result of her growing with her father, himself a genius biologist, for most of her childhood. Despite this, however, she is unable to fend for herself, and thus, most of her scenarios revolve around escorting and protecting her.
- Brice Barry
Age: 24
Voice Actors: Bin Shimada (JP), Khary Payton (EN; original), Zeno Robinson (EN; Re-Animated)
Sergeant Brice Barry is one of the youngest members of the US Special Operations and Rescue (S.O.A.R.) team, and the only other survivor of Kristoff's squad, assisting him to accomplish their mission despite his injury. He and Kristoff are great friends despite their different backgrounds and their age gap, and, upon realizing the true nature of the mission, chooses to leave the S.O.A.R. behind along with Kristoff, assisting him with his new goal.
Compared to his squadmates, Brice is a lot more laid-back and humorous, with his witty quips and jokes providing levity in some otherwise serious situations. While he is more combative compared to Amy, his ability is still limited due to his injury, and thus may require assistance at certain points.
- Adelita "Lita" Rascon
Age: 19
Voice Actresses: Romi Park (JP), Cree Summer (EN; original), Laura Stahl (EN; Re-Animated)
Adelita Rascon, more known by her nickname "Lita", is an illicit gunrunner who visits various cities all around the county, offers a multitude of guns and other weapons to people at marked down prices, while riding across the in her souped-up mini-RV. During one of her long trips, she stumbles upon Ariel Hills, only to realize that the entire town had been devastated by the necroworm infestation, but instead of leaving the town behind, she decides to stay around for a bit, seeing as a good business opportunity, while offering her services to anyone.
Lita is a tomboyish, carefree and happy-go-lucky young woman who remains cheerful and talkative in spite of being stuck in the middle of a dangerous outbreak. Throughout the game, she provides a way for both Kristoff and Juno to obtain more powerful weapons, as well as upgrade their existing firearms through her extensive gun knowledge.
Antagonists[]
- Dr. Jonathon Maddox
Age: 36
Voice Actors: Mitsuru Miyamoto (JP), Cam Clarke (EN; original), Keith Silverstein (EN; Re-Animated)
Dr. Jonathon Maddox is a renowned biologist and the man behind the creation of the necroworms, who was coerced into producing it by a mysterious figure who dubs himself "the man behind the shadows". Near the end, as he is close to his breaking point, rather than hand over the advance mutation of the necroworms that he possesses, he decides to swallow it, morphing him into the monster known as "Type-M¹: Abomination".
Dr. Maddox, originally a rather well-meaning, if pessimistic, young biologist, was driven into utter madness by a combination of having to cope with the damage his creation had caused, as well as threats from "the man in the shadows". As "Type-M¹: Abomination", he sheds any and all traces of his humanity, mutating into a mindless, feral monster.
- "The Man in the Shadows"
Age: ??
Voice Actors: Shozo Iizuka (JP; original), Yosuke Akimoto (JP; Re-Animated), Stephen Stanton (EN; original), Kirk Thornton (EN; Re-Animated)
A mysterious and elusive man who shrouds himself in shadow, and is responsible for almost half of the events that transpired, he appears only in passing before eventually revealing himself in the ending. Not much is known about him other than his ties to the US government, and that he may have been the one who gave orders to the S.O.A.R. team to go to Ariel Hills and retrieve the parasite in the first place.
Sequel[]
A sequel to the game, Half*Dead II, was released in 2010 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC.
Trivia[]
- The song featured in both the game's intro and end credits is "Doomsday" by American metalcore band Atreyu. It was included as the first track, as well as the second single off their 2007 album Lead Sails Paper Anchor.
- As mentioned above, the game was initially slated as a fourth installment of the fade. series. However, the mixed reviews and dismal sales of fade.III: Left Behind, combined with the project itself straying further away from its original vision, lead to it being retooled into a new IP.
- The original PC port of the game, besides suffering from various peformance issues, has received infamy amongst fans for its use of the copy protection software SecuROM. The game was eventually made available in Steam in 2016, with any and all traces of SecuROM removed.
- Almost all of the original Japanese voice cast from the original game reprises their previous roles for Re-Animated, with the exception of Shozo Iizuka, who unfortunately passed away in 2023. Instead, his previous role as the Man in the Shadows was succeeded by Yosuke Akimoto.
- Despite the recasting and re-recorded dialogue, ACS made a point to not change anything else in the game's remaster. Accoriding to the game's director, this was in response to several modern remakes and remasters altering various aspects compared to the original, much to the ire of fans.