Vortigaunt | |
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Half-Life series character | |
A Vortigaunt in Episode Two | |
First game | Half-Life (1998) |
Vortigaunts are a fictional alien race in the Half-Life series by the Valve Corporation. In Half-Life and its three expansions, Vortigaunts are frequently encountered by the player as hostile non-player characters. The Vortigaunts are depicted in Half-Life as being an enslaved race native to an alternate dimension called Xen, subserviant a large Xen creature 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 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 energy with no technology. In the video games, this ability is used for various activities, including as an attack method or simply to power up electrical equipment. In addition to their role within the Half-Life series, Vortigaunts have been made into a plush toy by the Valve Corporation.
Character design
In Half-Life 2, the Vortigaunts are voiced by Louis Gossett, Jr. It is mentioned in Raising the Bar that Gossett was chosen partially due to his role as the alien in the film Enemy Mine. In Episode Two, he is replaced by Tony Todd.
Attributes
Society
Vortigaunts are intelligent and social creatures. Throughout the entire Half-Life series they are capable of developing intelligent strategies.
Brief glimpses into Vortigaunt culture can be gained by occasional speeches given by them in Half-Life 2, and in scenes in the original Half-Life. In the original game, Vortigaunts were an enslaved species to the Nihilanth, used as factory workers and drone soldiers. According to comments, Vortigaunts have suffered enforced servitude for generations up to the events of the first Half-Life. Vortigaunts have many traditions, including an apparent oral tradition of passing down poetry and songs from generation to generation. One particular comment made by a Vortigaunt — "We have lost all dear to us" — suggests that they lost their original civilization. Vortigaunts also have a collective consciousness - each moment (Gordon killing the Nihilanth, Gordon's arrival at Black Mesa East, etc.) through time appears to them as one.
Vortigaunts possess their own method of vocal communication, which, in Half-Life 2, they can be heard using and referring to as "flux shifting". This method of communication involves both speakers vocalising at the same time and cannot be understood by "those whose Vortal inputs are impaired" i.e. humans.
In the first part of Half-Life, the Vortigaunts use scattered English words they heard from the humans to taunt them in combat ("Die!"). By the beginning of Half-Life 2, however, Vortigaunts have learned to speak at least the English language fluently. The Vortigaunts use archaic, even Shakespearian, words and grammatical structures. It is not known whether this is a lack of understanding or a deliberate choice on their part.
The Vortigaunts believe in a binding life-force which they call the "Vortessence", which could be a religion or a popular belief. They believe the Vortessence is the fabric of the universe, made of "vortal cords", of which everything is woven (and therefore everything is connected). Due to their use of this force, which remains untapped by the human species, the Vortigaunt species is capable of a form of telepathy, at least amongst their own kind. The Vortigaunts are able to read and control this force for their electrical powers, nearly hive-mind telepathy and, likely, their ability to take power from objects. The Nihilanth's powers and enslavement of the Vortigaunts were also gained through control of the Vortessence.
Depiction
In appearance, a Vortigaunt is somewhat humanoid with two legs and two arms, but has an additional arm protruding from its thorax. This extra limb is a feature also found in the other bipedal, sapient species from Xen, including the Alien Grunt and Nihilanth. This similarity, along with other shared features such as red eyes and digitigrade legs, suggests a common ancestry with other intelligent Xen lifeforms. Vortigaunts have a mottled green-brown skin, sharp teeth, and clawed hands. Vortigaunts have a slightly hunched posture, and their faces are dominated by a large, single red eye, surrounded by five smaller eyes. It should be noted that the purple Vortigaunts in Episode One have blue eyes, while the eyes of the ones in Episode Two stay red.
In Half-Life and its expansion packs, Vortigaunts are common enemies in both Black Mesa and Xen. While they usually attack aggressively, they often become timid when injured, preferring to run away rather than risk further combat and possible death. They have two modes of attack: an energy attack in which they fire fairly powerful green lightning-like energy beams that require a vulnerable period of "charging-up" before being unleashed, and when close to opponents, they attack with their claws; in Half-Life 2, when faced with Headcrabs, they will attempt to kick them. Significantly, all of the Vortigaunts in Half-Life wear green collars and wrist bands. In Half-Life: Decay, it is shown that the green collars and bands can be "activated" to fire a burst of energy identical to normal attack used by the Vortigaunts. Vortigaunts often act as support for the tougher Alien Grunts in Half-Life, as the player will be concentrating on killing the tougher Grunts while the Vortigaunts can attack freely.
In Half-Life 2, their electrical attack is far more devastating, tending to kill whatever it hits immediately, and quite often knock back its target at considerable distance. Only objects with significant mass can resist being knocked back, such as the Strider (which can only be damaged by explosives) and Antlion Guards. These attacks occur only twice during the singleplayer game both when Gordon's view is restricted by rubble or other blockages, and the only way to see a Vortigaunt in combat is to spawn it with enemies using the console. It is also suggested that Vortigaunts can siphon an opponent's lifeforce with their energy beam attack, as they are heard saying phrases such as "Give over your essence!" or "Empower us!" during some of their attacks in Half-Life 2.
Appearances
Half-Life
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.[1] 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.[2]
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, given the designations Drone Subjects X-8973 and R-4913, are given a mission by the Nihilanth, the highest creature in the Xen hierarchy, to retrieve a number of crystals stolen from Xen by human scientists from the Black Mesa Research Facility.[3]
Half-Life 2
The role of the Vortigaunts is substantially changed in Half-Life 2. Now acting as allies to the player, Vortigaunts are shown to have been freed as a result of Gordon Freeman 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.[4] Vortigaunts are frequently shown at resistance compounds and stations,[5] 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.[4] However, a number of Vortigaunts are still shown to be in captivity, as at various points in the game, Vortigaunts are shown to be used as slave labor by the Combine.[4]
Vortigaunts play a greater part in the story of the series in Half-Life 2's 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.[6] 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 injured by a Combine hunter.[6] 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 the Combine's super portal.
Cultural impact
Merchandise
The character of the Vortigaunt has been popular enough to inspire the creation of a Vortigaunt plush toy. Designed by one of Valve's own artists, Dhabih Eng,[7] the toy was released in December 2006. Due to the proximity to Christmas, the Vortigaunt was accompanied by a to-scale Santa Claus hat.[7]
Reception
References
- ^ "Life Forms". Planet Half-Life. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ "Half-Life—Walkthrough: Interloper". Planet Half-Life. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ "Half-Life: Decay". Planet Half-Life. IGN. 2006-11-12. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ a b c "Half-Life 2 Allies". Planet Half-Life. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ "Half-Life 2 Walkthrough—Chapter 4: Water Hazard". Planet Half-Life. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ a b "Half-Life 2: Episode Two Allies". Planet Half-Life. IGN. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
- ^ a b "HL2 Vortigaunt Collectible". Valve Corporation. 2006-12-05. Retrieved 2008-05-23.
External links
- Vortigaunt at Combine OverWiki, a Half-Life Wikia