Return to Ravenholm

Return to Ravenholm is a canceled first-person shooter in the Half-Life series which was in development by Arkane Studios. After Junction Point Studios' Half-Life 2 spinoff was canceled by Valve, their work was sent to Arkane, who continued to develop the concept of a standalone episode set in the zombie-infested town of Ravenholm.

Set between the events of Half-Life 2: Episode One and Episode Two, the player would have returned to the role of Adrian Shephard (the protagonist of Half-Life: Opposing Force) as he is sent to an area outside Ravenholm for reasons unknown. There, Adrian would meet Father Grigori, who survived the battle in the graveyard in Half-Life 2 and has since taken up residence in an abandoned former asylum. Grigori enlists Adrian's help in restoring power to areas around the city as part of a plan to return to Ravenholm.

Shephard's arsenal would have consisted of the shotgun, SMG, and pistol from Half-Life 2, in addition to several new weapons including: a nail gun which could connect electrical arcs to power appliances to solve puzzles; a charge gun which could fire a large ball of energy to power appliances and damage enemies; a leaf blower that could propel Shephard off the ground; and a nail grenade which could create traps and electric currents. Shephard also had the ability to attack with the butt of his weapon. New enemies would have included headcrabless zombies (including a stronger variant that could spit acid), zombie monkeys which could swing and climb through vents, and eventually Grigori himself, who mutates into a monster as a result of trying to inoculate himself by injecting headcrab blood.

The game was eventually canceled by Valve. Although the reason why was not shared with its developers, series writer Marc Laidlaw (who also provided temporary voice work for Grigori in Return to Ravenholm) later commented that Valve had begun to think that a lot of the staples of Ravenholm (headcrabs and zombies) were "played out", and the fact that it would have to take place before the end of Episode Two so as to not advance beyond where Valve had left the story would hamper the project.