Though the prospects of a new Half-Life game once seemed like a distant memory, Valve surprised nearly every one with the reveal that it will, in fact, return to the series with the upcoming VR title, Half-Life: Alyx. Of course, with there being over a 12-year-long gap since we last saw the franchise in Half-Life 2: Episode 2, some changes are coming to familiar faces from the series.In an interview with PC Gamer, a few more details were revealed about the upcoming Half-Life: Alyx, which has been revealed as a prequel that takes place in-between the events of the first two games. Specifically, the interview provided some key information about the voice cast of the game and who players can expect to hear voicing its iconic characters.For the main role of Alyx Vance, actress Ozioma Akagha will be taking on the part in Half-Life: Alyx. Previously, Alyx was voiced in Half-Life 2 and its two episodes by actress Merle Dandridge, but given that the upcoming VR title will be showing us a younger Alyx, presumably it made sense for Valve to use a younger actress for her voice, though Dandridge shared a tweet congratulating the team on the reveal and the long-awaited return of Alyx Vance.

Specifically, designer Greg Coomer said that "casting choices are incredibly hard, especially considering the time gap," but added that "when we heard Ozioma's performance we knew we've found the right Alyx."

In addition to the reveal of Ozioma as Alyx, the interview with PC Gamer also detailed that James Moses Black will be taking on the role of Alyx's father, Eli Vance, from previous voice actor Robert Guillaume. Unfortunately, Guillaume passed away in 2017, with Coomer stating that "one of the real regrets we have about so much time passing between games is that we lost Robert Guillaume." In regard to Black taking on the role, Coomer said that he would have "big shoes to fill," but added that "we're all excited about his performance and we can't wait for players to hear it."

Alongside the new actors that will be taking on these familiar parts in Half-Life: Alyx, it was also revealed that several previous voice actors from the Half-Life universe will be lending their talents to the VR game, such as Mike Shapiro as the G-Man, Ellen McLain for various roles within the Combine Overwatch, and Tony Todd as the series' lovable aliens, the Vortigaunts. Additionally, Firewatch voice actress Cissy Jones also revealed that she will have a role in the upcoming game, while it has been rumored that actor and comedian Rhys Darby may also have a role in the game.

Given that so much time has passed between installments in the series, it's only natural to expect that there would be some major casting changes for the iconic characters of Half-Life 2 with Alyx on the horizon. While some of the voice changes for characters like Alyx and Eli I imagine may be hard to hear at first, personally-speaking I am excited to see how Valve returns to this world and these characters, especially by introducing the series to virtual reality.

Half-Life: Alyx will be releasing in March 2020, and will be available for Valve Index, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and other assorted VR platforms when it arrives.