Vortigaunt
Encyclopedia
Vortigaunts are a fictional extra-dimensional species
in the Half-Life series
by Valve Corporation
. In Half-Life and its three expansions, Vortigaunts are frequently encountered by the player as hostile non-player character
s. The Vortigaunts are depicted in Half-Life as being an enslaved race in an alternate dimension
called Xen, subservient to a large Xen God called the Nihilanth, which itself is a slave to undisclosed masters. In Half-Life 2
, the Vortigaunts have broken free of their slavery, and actively assist the player and other humans in resisting the Combine occupation of Earth
.
Vortigaunts are shown as a very communal and cultural race, believing in a force that binds the fabric of the universe and each Vortigaunt together, as well as producing a tradition of poetry and music. Vortigaunts also display the ability to summon and command electrical energy without the need for technology. This ability is used for various activities, such as a means of attack, powering electrical equipment, and healing.
The fictional creatures have received a range of critical responses from their various appearances. While critics hailed their graphical depiction in Half-Life and its expansions, the characters' artificial intelligence
was thought of as rudimentary in comparison to that of human enemies. Reviewers found the evolution of the Vortigaunts into allies for Half-Life 2 intriguing and that the aliens were fun for a player to fight alongside in Episode Two
, but felt their story elements in Episode One
disappointing. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, Vortigaunts have been adapted for machinima
productions and have been made into a plush toy by Valve.
provides the voice for the Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2, and was partially chosen due to his role as the alien in the film Enemy Mine
. In Episode Two, the Vortigaunts' voicing was done by Tony Todd
. Valve had to determine whether to feature new voice acting for the Vortigaunts in Episode Two, as it had the potential to ruin the atmosphere of the game when done wrong. However, they settled on the new voice acting for Vortigaunt dialogue to enhance the sections of the game in which the player is accompanied by a Vortigaunt. Graphically, the Vortigaunts in both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were designed by concept art
ists Dhabih Eng and Chuck Jones.
Initially, Vortigaunts were planned to begin Half-Life as enemy non-player characters, which the player has to win over as allies and lead in rebellion. This idea, however, proved impractical and was abandoned in favor of keeping the Vortigaunts as adversaries. The plan re-emerged for Half-Life 2, in which the species are active allies of the player. The Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 were originally going to be fully integrated in City 17 alongside the humans under Combine rule. This did not reach fruition; due to the focus on developing the city combat, the resources to accomplish this were not available. As there were so few resulting Vortigaunts in the city, the developers instead decided to involve the Vortigaunts far more substantially in the sections of the game taking place in the countryside surrounding the city. The few Vortigaunts placed inside the city were used to hint at the story arc for the Vortigaunts later in the game. Midway through Half-Life 2, the player witnesses a scene with a deceased Vortigaunt in a prison. Originally, the developers were intending to feature this Vortigaunt as an ally character who, if players rescue him, would fight enemy characters alongside the player. The developers liked this idea, but it was too late in the development to attempt this; instead, the idea was preserved for use in Episode Two. The concept was later showcased in an Episode Two trailer shown at the Games Convention
in 2006.
According to series writer Marc Laidlaw
, one of the most important goals with Episode Two was to expand on the Vortigaunts as characters, as opposed to just "purveyors of bugbait or Xen koans". As such, Valve added new behaviours, new animations, and new audio to the Vortigaunts. Multiple branching story paths were considered for Episode Two, including being able to choose between allowing a Vortigaunt to escape at the cost of trapping the player character or leaving the Vortigaunt behind, and a segment in which the player has to choose between rescuing a Vortigaunt or another friendly human character; however, these ideas were abandoned for the simplicity of sticking to a single supporting character. Other material cut from the games includes Combine technology called "Vorti-Cells", which were meant to siphon power from captive Vortigaunts in City 17. The player would then be able to free Vortigaunts from these devices to gain their assistance.
at the end of Half-Life frees the Vortigaunts from their slavery; consequently the Vortigaunts see Freeman as a messianic figure.
Vortigaunts possess their own method of vocal communication, "flux shifting", which they can be heard using in Half-Life 2. This method of communication involves both speakers vocalising at the same time and cannot be understood by other species who lack the auditory anatomy to interpret the sounds. In addition to standard conversation, flux shifting can be used by Vortigaunts to communicate over long distances. Vortigaunts use scattered English words in Half-Life to taunt the player, although by Half-Life 2 they have learned to speak at least the English language fluently, albeit using archaic words and grammatical structures. In addition, the Vortigaunts believe in a binding life-force referred to as the "Vortessence". The exact nature of the Vortessence is left unclear, although it is revealed that Vortigaunts believe the Vortessence is the fabric of the universe and connects everything.
figure with two legs and two arms, but has an additional arm protruding from its thorax. Vortigaunts have mottled green skin and digitigrade
legs, allowing them to move quickly. Typically, Vortigaunts have a slightly hunched posture. In addition, Vortigaunts have sharp teeth, clawed hands, strong senses, and their faces are dominated by a large red eye. In Half-Life, this eye is surrounded by five smaller eyes, although in Half-Life 2 this has been reduced to three smaller eyes. A key aspect of the Vortigaunts is their ability to summon energy to their command without the need for any equipment. In-game, this ability is most commonly used as a means of attack, with Vortigaunts hurling the energy towards foes in the form of green electrical bolts. In addition, Vortigaunts have been shown to be able to use the energy for other purposes, such as assisting in repair work, removing rubble and blockages, recharging the player's HEV suit or powering up electrical generators. Enslaved Vortigaunts are depicted with green collars and shackles, although the means by which these control Vortigaunts is not explored. Vortigaunts are not typically seen wearing clothing, although several Vortigaunts are observed wearing lab coats and chef's clothing in the course of Half-Life 2 and its expansions. Vortigaunts are depicted as meat eaters
; the player can observe Vortigaunts eating human corpses in Half-Life and cooking headcrab
s in Half-Life 2, although Half-Life 2 also shows Vortigaunts working in kitchens with chef hats, preparing soups and salads, suggesting that Vortigaunts are omnivores.
Vortigaunts are first introduced as one of the primary enemies in Half-Life. They are frequently encountered by players throughout Half-Life and its three expansions, Opposing Force
, Blue Shift
and Decay
. They are portrayed as one of the sentient races of Xen, often working in groups or with more heavily armored Xen troops. In the later stages of Half-Life, Vortigaunts are seen working in factory-like environments, constructing or maturing the more heavily armored Xen troops in cocoon-like capsules under the direction of other aliens in the Xen hierarchy.
In the cooperative multiplayer
expansion Decay, players have the opportunity to assume the role of two Vortigaunts if they score highly on all missions. In this bonus mission, entitled "Xen Attacks", two Vortigaunts, designated as Drone Subjects X-8973 and R-4913, are given a mission by the Nihilanth to retrieve a number of crystals stolen from Xen by human scientists from the Black Mesa Research Facility.
killing the Nihilanth at the end of Half-Life. Instead of acting with hostility towards humanity, the Vortigaunts are actively engaged in assisting the human resistance against the Combine, a multi-dimensional empire that has invaded and occupied Earth
in between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Vortigaunts are frequently seen at resistance compounds and stations, often performing maintenance work or providing help with experiments, and sometimes assist the player by using their energy abilities to recharge the player's HEV suit. However, a number of Vortigaunts are still in captivity, as at various points in the game, Vortigaunts are shown used as slave labor by the Combine; for example, one Vortigaunt is seen cleaning the floor of a Combine train station with a broom, wearing a similar collar to those worn in Half-Life.
Vortigaunts play a greater part in the story of the series in Half-Life 2s continuations, Episode One and Episode Two. In Episode One, Vortigaunts use unexplained powers to rescue Alyx Vance
, the series' main female character, from the top of the Combine Citadel in City 17, saving her from the explosion of the Citadel's reactor at the end of Half-Life 2. The Vortigaunts also free Gordon Freeman from the stasis
imposed on him at the end of Half-Life 2 by his enigmatic employer, the G-Man
, much to the G-Man's irritation. Episode Two dedicates much of the early part of the game to the Vortigaunts, with a group of four Vortigaunts working to heal Alyx Vance after she is mortally wounded by a Combine Hunter, while tracking and killing the Combine Advisors that fled the Citadel. One Vortigaunt accompanies the player and acts as combat support on an expedition into an antlion hive. In the latter stages of Episode Two, a number of Vortigaunts are observed in the White Forest missile silo, performing various tasks to facilitate the launch of a satellite to close a Combine super portal.
have allowed for the Vortigaunt to be used in a variety of webcomic
s and machinima
productions. For example, in the webcomic Concerned
, the inability for the players to harm allied non-player characters such as the Vortigaunt in Half-Life 2 forms a recurring joke, where the protagonist Gordon Frohman constantly tries to shoot Vortigaunts due to their role as enemies in Half-Life. This eventually backfires on him, as when Vortigaunts try to rescue Frohman from the destruction of the Citadel, his hostile nature leads them to simply abandon him to his fate. Vortigaunts are occasionally featured in machinima productions, often taking on the roles of minor characters, such as janitors under Combine jurisdiction. In addition, Vortigaunts are central to one Half-Life single-player modification
, POV – Point of View, in which the player assumes the role of a Vortigaunt slave attacking Black Mesa.
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The character of the Vortigaunt has been popular enough to inspire the creation of a Vortigaunt plush toy. The toy was designed by Dhabih Eng and was sold and distributed via Valve's online store. The toy was released in December 2006 and due to the proximity to Christmas, the Vortigaunt was accompanied by a to-scale Santa Claus
hat. Reviews of the plush toy were favorable, praising the toy as sturdy, as well as giving credit for its articulation and detail.
for alien non-player characters was considered significantly inferior to that of the human enemies of the game, who instead of merely following the player through a door would throw grenades to flush the player out, whereas according to IGN
the extent of teamwork amongst the aliens was simply a number of aliens being in the same room and attacking in the same direction. The change of the Vortigaunts from enemy characters to allied characters in Half-Life 2 was described as "intriguing" by reviewers, with PC Zone
stating that the Vortigaunts were one of the most interesting characters in the game, playing a role "somewhere between Yoda
and ET
".
The brief appearance of the Vortigaunts in Episode One was subject to a mixed reception from critics. A number of reviewers found the sequence in which the Vortigaunts rescue Alyx and Gordon from the top of the Citadel confusing—IGN stated that it was simply "weird", and did not help to clear up questions with the story. Other reviewers thought the Vortigaunts' involvement was disappointing, with GameSpot
describing the event as an "incredible cop-out" for rescuing Alyx and removing the G-Man from the rest of the game. The role of the Vortigaunts in Episode Two was met with more approval by critics, who described the Vortigaunt who accompanies the player in the early parts of the game as "a great joy to fight alongside", praising the improved artificial intelligence and noting that "the fact that they're not trying to intricately imitate real-life people" significantly aided the presentation of the Vortigaunts. In addition, the visual and character overhaul given to the Vortigaunt in Episode Two was praised by reviewers.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the Half-Life series
Half-Life (series)
The Half-Life series of video games share a science fiction alternate history. Nearly all of the games are first-person shooters on the GoldSource or Source engines, and most are linear, narrative, single-player titles....
by Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation
Valve Corporation is an American video game development and digital distribution company based in Bellevue, Washington, United States...
. In Half-Life and its three expansions, Vortigaunts are frequently encountered by the player as hostile non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s. The Vortigaunts are depicted in Half-Life as being an enslaved race in an alternate dimension
Multiverse
The multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise all of reality.Multiverse may also refer to:-In fiction:* Multiverse , the fictional multiverse used by DC Comics...
called Xen, subservient to a large Xen God called the Nihilanth, which itself is a slave to undisclosed masters. In Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
, the Vortigaunts have broken free of their slavery, and actively assist the player and other humans in resisting the Combine occupation of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Vortigaunts are shown as a very communal and cultural race, believing in a force that binds the fabric of the universe and each Vortigaunt together, as well as producing a tradition of poetry and music. Vortigaunts also display the ability to summon and command electrical energy without the need for technology. This ability is used for various activities, such as a means of attack, powering electrical equipment, and healing.
The fictional creatures have received a range of critical responses from their various appearances. While critics hailed their graphical depiction in Half-Life and its expansions, the characters' artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
was thought of as rudimentary in comparison to that of human enemies. Reviewers found the evolution of the Vortigaunts into allies for Half-Life 2 intriguing and that the aliens were fun for a player to fight alongside in Episode Two
Half-Life 2: Episode Two
Half-Life 2: Episode Two is the second episode in a series of sequels to the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation in tandem with Episode One, the first game in the series, and released in Q4 2007 via Valve's Steam content distribution platform...
, but felt their story elements in Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One
Half-Life 2: Episode One is the first in a series of episodes that serve as the sequel for the 2004 first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. It was developed by Valve Corporation and released on June 1, 2006. Originally called Half-Life 2: Aftermath, the game was later renamed to Episode One...
disappointing. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, Vortigaunts have been adapted for machinima
Machinima
Machinima is the use of real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation...
productions and have been made into a plush toy by Valve.
Character design
Louis Gossett, Jr.Louis Gossett, Jr.
Louis Cameron Gossett, Jr. is an American actor best known for his role as Gunnery Sergeant Emil Foley in the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman and Fiddler in the 1970s television miniseries Roots...
provides the voice for the Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2, and was partially chosen due to his role as the alien in the film Enemy Mine
Enemy Mine (film)
Enemy Mine is a 1985 science fiction film based on the story of the same title by Barry B. Longyear. It was produced by 20th Century Fox, directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and starred Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett, Jr...
. In Episode Two, the Vortigaunts' voicing was done by Tony Todd
Tony Todd
Anthony T. "Tony" Todd is an American actor and movie producer, known for his height of 6'5", and deep voice. He is well known for playing the Candyman in the horror movie franchise of the same name, William Bludworth in Final Destination and for guest starring roles on numerous television...
. Valve had to determine whether to feature new voice acting for the Vortigaunts in Episode Two, as it had the potential to ruin the atmosphere of the game when done wrong. However, they settled on the new voice acting for Vortigaunt dialogue to enhance the sections of the game in which the player is accompanied by a Vortigaunt. Graphically, the Vortigaunts in both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 were designed by concept art
Concept art
Concept art is a form of illustration where the main goal is to convey a visual representation of a design, idea, and/or mood for use in films, video games, animation, or comic books before it is put into the final product. Concept art is also referred to as visual development and/or concept design...
ists Dhabih Eng and Chuck Jones.
Initially, Vortigaunts were planned to begin Half-Life as enemy non-player characters, which the player has to win over as allies and lead in rebellion. This idea, however, proved impractical and was abandoned in favor of keeping the Vortigaunts as adversaries. The plan re-emerged for Half-Life 2, in which the species are active allies of the player. The Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 were originally going to be fully integrated in City 17 alongside the humans under Combine rule. This did not reach fruition; due to the focus on developing the city combat, the resources to accomplish this were not available. As there were so few resulting Vortigaunts in the city, the developers instead decided to involve the Vortigaunts far more substantially in the sections of the game taking place in the countryside surrounding the city. The few Vortigaunts placed inside the city were used to hint at the story arc for the Vortigaunts later in the game. Midway through Half-Life 2, the player witnesses a scene with a deceased Vortigaunt in a prison. Originally, the developers were intending to feature this Vortigaunt as an ally character who, if players rescue him, would fight enemy characters alongside the player. The developers liked this idea, but it was too late in the development to attempt this; instead, the idea was preserved for use in Episode Two. The concept was later showcased in an Episode Two trailer shown at the Games Convention
Games Convention
The Games Convention, sometimes called the Leipzig Games Convention and abbreviated as GC, was an annual video game event held in Leipzig, Germany, first held in 2002. Besides video games, the event also covers Infotainment, Hardware, and Edutainment...
in 2006.
According to series writer Marc Laidlaw
Marc Laidlaw
Marc Laidlaw is an American writer of science fiction and horror and also a computer game designer with Valve Software. He is perhaps most famous for writing Dad's Nuke and The 37th Mandala, and for working on the popular Half-Life series.-Biography:Laidlaw was born in 1960 and raised in Laguna...
, one of the most important goals with Episode Two was to expand on the Vortigaunts as characters, as opposed to just "purveyors of bugbait or Xen koans". As such, Valve added new behaviours, new animations, and new audio to the Vortigaunts. Multiple branching story paths were considered for Episode Two, including being able to choose between allowing a Vortigaunt to escape at the cost of trapping the player character or leaving the Vortigaunt behind, and a segment in which the player has to choose between rescuing a Vortigaunt or another friendly human character; however, these ideas were abandoned for the simplicity of sticking to a single supporting character. Other material cut from the games includes Combine technology called "Vorti-Cells", which were meant to siphon power from captive Vortigaunts in City 17. The player would then be able to free Vortigaunts from these devices to gain their assistance.
Society
Vortigaunts are very intelligent and social creatures. In Half-Life, they serve as basic ground units for the Xen forces, often supporting heavier troops fighting the player and the humans in the Black Mesa Research Facility. They are capable of developing intelligent strategies and tactics to take on their enemies. Initially, Vortigaunts are enslaved to the Nihilanth, a large creature on Xen, who, in turn, claims it is a slave to unknown superiors. On Xen, the Vortigaunts are used as factory workers and drones. In Half-Life 2, Vortigaunts indicate that this slavery has lasted for generations. Despite this, Vortigaunts are shown to have developed an intellectual culture, valuing poetry, music and philosophy. In addition, Vortigaunts practise the husbandry of antlions, large insectoids that live in underground hives, as an ancestral tradition. The death of the Nihilanth at the hands of Gordon FreemanGordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. He is a theoretical physicist who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite...
at the end of Half-Life frees the Vortigaunts from their slavery; consequently the Vortigaunts see Freeman as a messianic figure.
Vortigaunts possess their own method of vocal communication, "flux shifting", which they can be heard using in Half-Life 2. This method of communication involves both speakers vocalising at the same time and cannot be understood by other species who lack the auditory anatomy to interpret the sounds. In addition to standard conversation, flux shifting can be used by Vortigaunts to communicate over long distances. Vortigaunts use scattered English words in Half-Life to taunt the player, although by Half-Life 2 they have learned to speak at least the English language fluently, albeit using archaic words and grammatical structures. In addition, the Vortigaunts believe in a binding life-force referred to as the "Vortessence". The exact nature of the Vortessence is left unclear, although it is revealed that Vortigaunts believe the Vortessence is the fabric of the universe and connects everything.
Depiction
In general, a Vortigaunt is a somewhat humanoidHumanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
figure with two legs and two arms, but has an additional arm protruding from its thorax. Vortigaunts have mottled green skin and digitigrade
Digitigrade
A digitigrade is an animal that stands or walks on its digits, or toes. Digitigrades include walking birds , cats, dogs, and many other mammals, but not plantigrades or unguligrades...
legs, allowing them to move quickly. Typically, Vortigaunts have a slightly hunched posture. In addition, Vortigaunts have sharp teeth, clawed hands, strong senses, and their faces are dominated by a large red eye. In Half-Life, this eye is surrounded by five smaller eyes, although in Half-Life 2 this has been reduced to three smaller eyes. A key aspect of the Vortigaunts is their ability to summon energy to their command without the need for any equipment. In-game, this ability is most commonly used as a means of attack, with Vortigaunts hurling the energy towards foes in the form of green electrical bolts. In addition, Vortigaunts have been shown to be able to use the energy for other purposes, such as assisting in repair work, removing rubble and blockages, recharging the player's HEV suit or powering up electrical generators. Enslaved Vortigaunts are depicted with green collars and shackles, although the means by which these control Vortigaunts is not explored. Vortigaunts are not typically seen wearing clothing, although several Vortigaunts are observed wearing lab coats and chef's clothing in the course of Half-Life 2 and its expansions. Vortigaunts are depicted as meat eaters
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
; the player can observe Vortigaunts eating human corpses in Half-Life and cooking headcrab
Headcrab
A headcrab is a fictional alien parasitoid found in the Half-Life video game series created by Valve Software. They are the most numerous and arguably most iconic aliens in the series.- Overview :...
s in Half-Life 2, although Half-Life 2 also shows Vortigaunts working in kitchens with chef hats, preparing soups and salads, suggesting that Vortigaunts are omnivores.
Half-Life
Half-Life: Opposing Force
Half-Life: Opposing Force is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction first-person shooter video game Half-Life. The game was developed by Gearbox Software and Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Entertainment on November 1, 1999. Opposing Force is the first expansion for...
, Blue Shift
Half-Life: Blue Shift
Half-Life: Blue Shift is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction first-person shooter video game Half-Life. The game was developed by Gearbox Software with Valve Corporation and published by Sierra Entertainment on June 12, 2001...
and Decay
Half-Life: Decay
Half-Life: Decay is an expansion pack for Valve Software's science fiction, first-person shooter video game Half-Life. Developed by Gearbox Software and published by Sierra Entertainment, Decay was released as part of the PlayStation 2 version of Half-Life released on November 14, 2001...
. They are portrayed as one of the sentient races of Xen, often working in groups or with more heavily armored Xen troops. In the later stages of Half-Life, Vortigaunts are seen working in factory-like environments, constructing or maturing the more heavily armored Xen troops in cocoon-like capsules under the direction of other aliens in the Xen hierarchy.
In the cooperative multiplayer
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
expansion Decay, players have the opportunity to assume the role of two Vortigaunts if they score highly on all missions. In this bonus mission, entitled "Xen Attacks", two Vortigaunts, designated as Drone Subjects X-8973 and R-4913, are given a mission by the Nihilanth to retrieve a number of crystals stolen from Xen by human scientists from the Black Mesa Research Facility.
Half-Life 2
The role of the Vortigaunts is substantially changed in Half-Life 2. Now acting as allies to the player, Vortigaunts have been freed as a result of protagonist Gordon FreemanGordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. He is a theoretical physicist who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite...
killing the Nihilanth at the end of Half-Life. Instead of acting with hostility towards humanity, the Vortigaunts are actively engaged in assisting the human resistance against the Combine, a multi-dimensional empire that has invaded and occupied Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
in between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Vortigaunts are frequently seen at resistance compounds and stations, often performing maintenance work or providing help with experiments, and sometimes assist the player by using their energy abilities to recharge the player's HEV suit. However, a number of Vortigaunts are still in captivity, as at various points in the game, Vortigaunts are shown used as slave labor by the Combine; for example, one Vortigaunt is seen cleaning the floor of a Combine train station with a broom, wearing a similar collar to those worn in Half-Life.
Vortigaunts play a greater part in the story of the series in Half-Life 2s continuations, Episode One and Episode Two. In Episode One, Vortigaunts use unexplained powers to rescue Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
, the series' main female character, from the top of the Combine Citadel in City 17, saving her from the explosion of the Citadel's reactor at the end of Half-Life 2. The Vortigaunts also free Gordon Freeman from the stasis
Stasis (fiction)
Stasis , or hypersleep, is a science fiction concept akin to suspended animation. Whereas suspended animation usually refers to a greatly reduced state of life processes, stasis implies a complete cessation of these processes, which can be easily restarted or restart spontaneously when stasis is...
imposed on him at the end of Half-Life 2 by his enigmatic employer, the G-Man
G-Man (Half-Life)
The G-Man, voiced by Michael Shapiro, is a mysterious recurring character in the Half-Life series of first-person shooter video games. He is known to display peculiar behavior and capabilities beyond that of a normal human, and his identity and motives remain almost completely unexplained...
, much to the G-Man's irritation. Episode Two dedicates much of the early part of the game to the Vortigaunts, with a group of four Vortigaunts working to heal Alyx Vance after she is mortally wounded by a Combine Hunter, while tracking and killing the Combine Advisors that fled the Citadel. One Vortigaunt accompanies the player and acts as combat support on an expedition into an antlion hive. In the latter stages of Episode Two, a number of Vortigaunts are observed in the White Forest missile silo, performing various tasks to facilitate the launch of a satellite to close a Combine super portal.
Appearances in other media
The use of sandbox applications like Garry's ModGarry's Mod
Garry's Mod is a sandbox physics game using the Source engine. Garry's Mod has been available on Steam's content delivery service since November 29, 2006...
have allowed for the Vortigaunt to be used in a variety of webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
s and machinima
Machinima
Machinima is the use of real-time 3D computer graphics rendering engines to create a cinematic production. Most often, video games are used to generate the computer animation...
productions. For example, in the webcomic Concerned
Concerned
Concerned: The Half-Life and Death of Gordon Frohman is a webcomic created by Christopher C. Livingston, parodying the first-person shooter video game Half-Life 2. The comic consists of game screenshots, with characters posed using Garry's Mod, a tool which facilitates manipulation of the Source...
, the inability for the players to harm allied non-player characters such as the Vortigaunt in Half-Life 2 forms a recurring joke, where the protagonist Gordon Frohman constantly tries to shoot Vortigaunts due to their role as enemies in Half-Life. This eventually backfires on him, as when Vortigaunts try to rescue Frohman from the destruction of the Citadel, his hostile nature leads them to simply abandon him to his fate. Vortigaunts are occasionally featured in machinima productions, often taking on the roles of minor characters, such as janitors under Combine jurisdiction. In addition, Vortigaunts are central to one Half-Life single-player modification
Mod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
, POV – Point of View, in which the player assumes the role of a Vortigaunt slave attacking Black Mesa.
Merchandise
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
hat. Reviews of the plush toy were favorable, praising the toy as sturdy, as well as giving credit for its articulation and detail.
Reception
The Vortigaunts have received a varied reception from critics as both enemies and friendly non-player characters. Vortigaunts and their fellow alien enemies in Half-Life were praised as "memorable foes" that "truly look like organic beings" and were "scary" in nature. Audio work for the aliens was also praised. However, the artificial intelligenceGame artificial intelligence
Game artificial intelligence refers to techniques used in computer and video games to produce the illusion of intelligence in the behavior of non-player characters . The techniques used typically draw upon existing methods from the field of artificial intelligence...
for alien non-player characters was considered significantly inferior to that of the human enemies of the game, who instead of merely following the player through a door would throw grenades to flush the player out, whereas according to IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
the extent of teamwork amongst the aliens was simply a number of aliens being in the same room and attacking in the same direction. The change of the Vortigaunts from enemy characters to allied characters in Half-Life 2 was described as "intriguing" by reviewers, with PC Zone
PC Zone
PC Zone was the first magazine dedicated to games for IBM-compatible personal computers to be published in the United Kingdom. Earlier PC magazines such as PC Leisure, PC Format and PC Plus had covered games but only as part of a wider remit. PC Zone was founded in 1993.The magazine was published...
stating that the Vortigaunts were one of the most interesting characters in the game, playing a role "somewhere between Yoda
Yoda
Yoda is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe, appearing in the second and third original films, as well as all three prequel trilogy films. A renowned Jedi master, Yoda made his first on-screen appearance in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back where he is responsible for...
and ET
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
".
The brief appearance of the Vortigaunts in Episode One was subject to a mixed reception from critics. A number of reviewers found the sequence in which the Vortigaunts rescue Alyx and Gordon from the top of the Citadel confusing—IGN stated that it was simply "weird", and did not help to clear up questions with the story. Other reviewers thought the Vortigaunts' involvement was disappointing, with GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
describing the event as an "incredible cop-out" for rescuing Alyx and removing the G-Man from the rest of the game. The role of the Vortigaunts in Episode Two was met with more approval by critics, who described the Vortigaunt who accompanies the player in the early parts of the game as "a great joy to fight alongside", praising the improved artificial intelligence and noting that "the fact that they're not trying to intricately imitate real-life people" significantly aided the presentation of the Vortigaunts. In addition, the visual and character overhaul given to the Vortigaunt in Episode Two was praised by reviewers.
External links
- Vortigaunt at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life WikiaWikiaWikia is a free web hosting service for wikis . It is normally free of charge for readers and editors, deriving most of its income from advertising, and publishes all user-provided text under copyleft licenses. Wikia hosts several hundred thousand wikis using the open-source wiki software MediaWiki...