black mesa: definitive edition first impressions

Black Mesa: Definitive Edition is, as I understand it, a faithful fan-made remake of the original Half Life 1 that has gotten a lot of positive reception. I'm a sucker for single-player first person shooter games with a good campaign, so I was hopeful I would enjoy this as well. I completed this game over three streams. ^{1 2 3}

Unfortunately, I found myself feeling lost and confused throughout the entire game. Most of the time, it's not clear why progressing through a level would get you closer to your supposed goals. I didn't know how my actions were connected to the overarching story and, as a result, I didn't feel like I had any direction or motivation either.

Not to mention how some weapons seem to just be plainly better than others, ladders being hard to use, getting out of water being difficult, the apparent expectation that the player should be using quick saves to avoid repeating annoying or difficult parts of the game, and inconsistent rules about what can or cannot be destroyed or interacted with.

Maybe these dated design decisions read better in the past when Half Life 1 was first released or for people who have a nostalgia for or previous experience with the original game. However, as I don't have this appreciation, it made for an experience that, as it overstayed its welcome due to length and pacing issues, I found myself not enjoying very much.