Few people in the gaming industry, be it developers or consumers, haven't heard of Half-Life. Valve's first-person shooter franchise has achieved world-wide success, receiving critical acclaim for its graphics, realistic gameplay, and seamless narrative.
For Bulgarians, however, the games do not just tell the story of the rebel Mr. Freeman. They are a source of pride in a most unlikely way - City 17 looks like home.
Viktor Antonov, born in 1972 in Sofia, Bulgaria, has become well known for his work as Art Director on Half-Life 2 (2004). As such, he used real-life locations from Bulgaria's Sofia and Bourgas when creating City 17, where most of Half-Life 2: Episode One takes place.
And despite Viktor having left the Valve team (now working at Bethesda), the trend and visuals have persevered into Half-Life's newest installation, Alyx!
Redditor u/dwartbg1 has been busy digging up comparisons between Half-Life locations and their real-life inspirations, with some of them being straight up copies.
Check out some of our favorite examples between Half-Life (left) and real life (right) below:
