Half-Life 3 will feature the Kraken Base from Half-life 2. It was cut from the original game. The Kraken base was originally intended to be in the beginning of the game instead of the train sequence. Gordon Freeman would hear bell tolls in the distance and would follow the sound through the fog to arrive at Borealis, the ice-locked secret Resistance base in the Arctic.
Half-Life 3 Kraken base
The Borealis wasn’t always an Aperture science ship stranded in the Arctic. It was going to appear in Half-Life 2 in various different formats. This brings us to the infamous 2003 leak of the Half-life 2 source code asset which helps shine some light on Ravenholm. Many different versions of the Borealis exist in the leaked files. They are designed by Aaron Barber, Dario Casalli, and Randy Lundeen (all Valve employees even now).
Furthermore, original version of the Borealis dates back to May 1999. As a result, it was supposed to be the starting point of Gordon Freeman’s adventure. Consequently, this version is titled Hyper_001 in the game files. It’s said to be similar to the Tanker opening sequence in Konami’s Metal Gear Solid 2. The tanker was controlled by the Combine while en route to City 17.
The 2003 leak doesn’t feature any maps earlier than January 2001. Not a whole lot is known about this sequence, except that the vessel most likely was for research purposes. This version is also rumored to not have the HEV suit.
In one version of the game, the player would enter a submarine and go to Kraken Base. Here he would meet Doctor Helena Mossman who would turn out to be a betrayer and double-cross the protagonist, putting Gordon and the rest of the research team in harm’s way. Gordon would emerge from the destruction of the Kraken base unscathed.
Of course, it’s still rumors and none of it is actually confirmed. But, we are hopeful that Valve introduces the Kraken base and the under-water sequences to the sequel after cutting them from Half-Life 2. Stay tuned to MobiPicker for more Half-Life 3 news and update.