Swelter is a free Source Mod released in 2023.

The story takes place several years before the events of Half-Life 2 in City 545,
a town in Central Asia inspired by Kazakhstan under Combine domination.
Local Rebels are about to start large-scale riots throughout the surrounding area,
but relations between the different factions are tense.
It'is up to you, an anonymous Rebel,
to unify the Resistance groups by trying to reconcile rival groups,
while causing maximum damage and losses to the Combine.

The artistic direction is very original for a mod from the Half-Life 2 universe.
Great attention to detail has been paid to the game.
Although the oppressive aesthetic of the Cartel is present, especially at the beginning,
The atmosphere of City 545 is warmer than the events taking place there suggest.
Indeed, The buildings are nicely colored and decorated,
it's easy to imagine that life was good there in the past.
The summer heat seems stifling,
especially in this region where rocky deserts and steppes coexist.
The walls of City 545 are covered with propaganda images,
posters and graffiti of all kinds, many of which are new.
It's all a change from the brutalist,
industrial style and coldness emanating from City 17 that we're so accustomed to.

New variants of Citizens and Rebels populate City 545,
and fight reskinned Combine Soldiers, Headcrabs and Zombies of all kinds,
Antlions, some of which here are dark orange like in Half-Life 2 Beta, and even Bullsquids!

The Rebel we play does not have Gordon Freeman's iconic crowbar,
but the Metrocops' Stunstick from Half-Life 2 Deathmatch.
Several weapons from Half-Life 2 are present, such as the Pistol or the Revolver,
and some have been redesigned for the occasion like the AR2, the MP7 or the SPAS-12.
As for new features,
you'll find a scoped Mosin Nagant (which logically replaces the Crossbow),
an M79 Grenade Launcher perfect for taking down the Hunter-Choppers,
and a "Magnetic Pusher" strongly inspired by the Gravity Gun from 2002,
but which only allows you to push objects…
All guns have more recoil,
and it's now possible to aim with each of them (Iron Sight or Scope).
In addition to the weapons, you have a document case in which your objectives are noted,
and a syringe to heal you when the situation becomes critical.

The puzzles are based on the basic understanding of physics and electric current.
Otherwise the gameplay mechanics remain quite classic,
and inspired or taken from Half-Life 2 and Episodes, and even Black Mesa.

The Rebels will lend you one of their military Jeeps to explore the steppes near the city,
this gives more freedom to the player despite the linearity of the maps.
Later in the game, a mission aboard a plane is reminiscent of some Call Of Duty games.

The game has decent English dubbing, and the characters have a slight Russian accent.
The translation of the subtitles and texts into French is completely lame,
full of spelling and conjugation errors.

The music composed for the game is very "halflifesque" if I can say so,
very ambient rock & mysterious, and many tracks have Middle Eastern sounds,
a bit like "Nepal Monastery" from Half-Life.
Moreover, this track is itself in the Mod, alongside a few others also from Valve's first game.

Once the adventure is over, three very different bonus maps are offered to you.

Swelter is a very nice Mod full of great ideas.
It is truly original and atypical,
a change from the vast majority of mods where we play Gordon Freeman in City 17.
I recommend it to all Half-Life 2 fans looking for something new.

Swelter is a free Source Mod released in 2023. The story takes place several years before the events of Half-Life 2 in City 545, a town in Central Asia inspired by Kazakhstan under Combine domination. Local Rebels are about to start large-scale riots throughout the surrounding area, but relations between the different factions are tense. It'is up to you, an anonymous Rebel, to unify the Resistance groups by trying to reconcile rival groups, while causing maximum damage and losses to the Combine. The artistic direction is very original for a mod from the Half-Life 2 universe. Great attention to detail has been paid to the game. Although the oppressive aesthetic of the Cartel is present, especially at the beginning, The atmosphere of City 545 is warmer than the events taking place there suggest. Indeed, The buildings are nicely colored and decorated, it's easy to imagine that life was good there in the past. The summer heat seems stifling, especially in this region where rocky deserts and steppes coexist. The walls of City 545 are covered with propaganda images, posters and graffiti of all kinds, many of which are new. It's all a change from the brutalist, industrial style and coldness emanating from City 17 that we're so accustomed to. New variants of Citizens and Rebels populate City 545, and fight reskinned Combine Soldiers, Headcrabs and Zombies of all kinds, Antlions, some of which here are dark orange like in Half-Life 2 Beta, and even Bullsquids! The Rebel we play does not have Gordon Freeman's iconic crowbar, but the Metrocops' Stunstick from Half-Life 2 Deathmatch. Several weapons from Half-Life 2 are present, such as the Pistol or the Revolver, and some have been redesigned for the occasion like the AR2, the MP7 or the SPAS-12. As for new features, you'll find a scoped Mosin Nagant (which logically replaces the Crossbow), an M79 Grenade Launcher perfect for taking down the Hunter-Choppers, and a "Magnetic Pusher" strongly inspired by the Gravity Gun from 2002, but which only allows you to push objects… All guns have more recoil, and it's now possible to aim with each of them (Iron Sight or Scope). In addition to the weapons, you have a document case in which your objectives are noted, and a syringe to heal you when the situation becomes critical. The puzzles are based on the basic understanding of physics and electric current. Otherwise the gameplay mechanics remain quite classic, and inspired or taken from Half-Life 2 and Episodes, and even Black Mesa. The Rebels will lend you one of their military Jeeps to explore the steppes near the city, this gives more freedom to the player despite the linearity of the maps. Later in the game, a mission aboard a plane is reminiscent of some Call Of Duty games. The game has decent English dubbing, and the characters have a slight Russian accent. The translation of the subtitles and texts into French is completely lame, full of spelling and conjugation errors. The music composed for the game is very "halflifesque" if I can say so, very ambient rock & mysterious, and many tracks have Middle Eastern sounds, a bit like "Nepal Monastery" from Half-Life. Moreover, this track is itself in the Mod, alongside a few others also from Valve's first game. Once the adventure is over, three very different bonus maps are offered to you. Swelter is a very nice Mod full of great ideas. It is truly original and atypical, a change from the vast majority of mods where we play Gordon Freeman in City 17. I recommend it to all Half-Life 2 fans looking for something new.