Half-Life 2 mod The Temple combines submarine horror with airship and space exploration

The Temple is an upcoming Half-Life 2 total conversion that adapts submarine horror into multiple forms of transportation. Set on an aquatic planet dotted with concrete megastructures, the mod tasks players with exploration using three separate vehicles: a submarine for ocean depths, an airship for skies and abandoned towers, and a space shuttle for travel to asteroidal moons.

The mod originated as a pair of maps submitted to MapLabs, a collection of Source engine modding competition entries. The initial version ran approximately 20 minutes, but the total conversion will revamp and expand those two maps while adding a third for over two hours of exploration-based sci-fi horror.

Creator Klems has incorporated creatures inspired by Amnesia: The Dark Descent's invisible water monsters alongside a talking crow that guides players through the experience. A trailer demonstrates the three vehicles in action, showcasing colossal alien structures and scale throughout the design.

Klems stated the mod will launch "very soon, possibly next month," though no specific release date has been confirmed. The Temple draws inspiration from David Szymanski's 2022 horror title Iron Lung while expanding its submarine premise into a broader exploration experience across multiple environments and transportation types.