Half-Life: Alyx Recasts Alyx, Eli, And Others, And Features Rhys Darby

Half-Life: Alyx has been properly unveiled with a first-look trailer ahead of the VR game’s March 2020 release. We’ve learned a lot about the game so far, but more information continues to come in as we pore over the details. One thing that many fans were quick to spot was that some of the voices in the trailer sounded different, and one, coming out of the mouth of a new character, was instantly recognisable.

New Zealand actor Rhys Darby has confirmed on Twitter that, yes, that was him in the Half-Life: Alyx trailer. Darby, who is best known for his roles in Flight of the Conchords as the band’s inept manager and as the leader of the werewolves in Taika Waititi’s What We Do In The Shadows, tweeted what was clearly meant as a response to the question that was being asked across the Internet: “is that Rhys Darby?”

Darby’s character, who we do not have a name for, appears to be in league with Alyx in the upcoming full-length prequel. Speaking of Alyx, she’ll also be voiced by a new actor, with Ozioma Akagha stepping into the role originated by Merle Dandridge. Speaking to PC Gamer, designer Greg Coomer explained that the gap in time since Half-Life 2 released, and the fact that the game will portray a younger Alyx, a new voice actor was necessary. “When we heard Ozioma’s performance we knew we’d found the right Alyx,” he said. Akagha previously voiced Plastic in Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst and Barbara Casey in Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus. Dandridge has voiced her support for the project, despite no longer voicing the character.

Eli Vance has also been recast, as sadly the original voice actor Robert Guillaume passed away in 2017 at the age of 89. The character will be voiced in Half-Life: Alyx by James Moses Black (This Is Us, Black and Blue). Dr Wallace Breen voice actor Robert Culp has also passed away, which means that if the character reappears in Half-Life: Alyx, he will have a different voice actor too. As PC Gamer notes, though, Mike Shapiro (G-Man), Ellen McLain (Combine Overwatch broadcasts), and Tony Todd (the Vortigaunts) are returning.