Back in August, scriptwriter Marc Laidlaw published a letter called Epistle 3 that seemed to be an ending to the Half-Life series, giving fans just a little bit of closure. For many, this was proof that there would really never be a Half-Life 3, if an ex-series writer was writing his own fanfiction about it anyways.

That’s when game developer Laura Michet decided this was a perfect opportunity to let the Half-Life community get creative by launching Epistle 3 Jam. This 2-month long project asked fans to make a game that is based on Half-Life 3’s leaked plot. The fanmade games started flowing out and although some are not entirely functional, a lot are really cool interpretations of what could’ve been. There were 32 entries in all that can be found on itch.io for free, but here are some of the most interesting of the group.

Epistle 3

Although Heather Robertson, the mind behind the simply named Epistle 3, says she has never actually played the Half-Life series, this interpretation is still pretty cool and really silly. The game is literally just wandering through the world, which only contains boxes that apparently represent things, which are explained in text boxes up top. Add that to the awkward rectangle gun and you got a surreal and very different take on Half-Life 3.

Expo Decay

Everyone knows Half-Life as a revolutionary story-driven first-person shooter, but one contributor decided to make Half-Life 3 into a top-down shooter instead. Expo Decay has been described as a mix of Hotline Miami and Lego Star Wars. Control a little Gordon Freeman while he battles headcrabs and tries to break into a compound containing Combine soldiers.

The Third One

This version turns Half-Life 3 into a first-person slasher that plays like a visual novel. The developer behind The Third One did a great job on this and even brought the Halloween spirit with an edition that changes all the headcrabs into Jack-o-lanterns which explode with candy.

Aboard the Borealis

Now, we can’t talk about the Half-Life series without mentioning Garry’s Mod! The multiplayer sandbox sim has been responsible for some of the strangest things ever seen on the internet and all of that creepy goodness is running rampant in Aboard the Borealis.

Lambda Wars

This entry was surprisingly already being developed prior to Epistle 3 Jam, which means they had more time to make it great. Lambda Wars is a Source Engine mod for Alien Swarm and it turns the Half-Life 2 world into a real-time strategy game. Command either the Resistance or Combine armies and even play multiplayer up to 8 humans or AI players.

What do you think of these entries to Epistle 3 Jam? Let us know your favorites in the comment section below and then make sure to follow DFTG on Twitter to stay updated on all the hottest gaming and entertainment news 24/7!