The Fisherman

"I, eh, hope you like leeches."

- The Fisherman

The Fisherman is a character who appears only in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, a technology demo used to show the Source engine's new HDR capabilities.

Half-Life 2: Lost Coast


The Fisherman is met when the player wakes up at the foot of a cliff and walks along a small beach to reach a small pier. He recognizes Gordon Freeman (though he does not remember his name and refers to him as the "scientist chap", "Fishman" and "Friedman") and asks him to destroy a Combine Headcrab Shell launcher attacking the nearby town of St. Olga, which is probably hiding Resistance members. He unlocks the gate for Freeman, and waits for his success on a bench for most of the remainder of the level.

When Freeman destroys the Hunter-Chopper before the end of the level, the Fisherman stands calmly as he watches it crash into the nearby ocean. He then congratulates Freeman on his return, and tells him that there will be a feast (made up of Leeches) in St. Olga. He then gets confused briefly as Freeman disappears, telling him that he is getting blurry around the edges, then bids him farewell as if it was not strange.

Personality and skills
The Fisherman appears to be a member of the Resistance and is very defensive of what remains of Earth's original species. His comments on these species gives the player more knowledge on the effects of Xen lifeforms and the Combine on Earth's natural environment: if the player grabs a crab pot (which can be grabbed only with the Gravity Gun) he says that most (but not all) crabs have been eaten by Leeches. If the player shoots a seagull, the Fisherman will tell him to stop, stating that "we have enough extinct species already". Finally, at the end of the level, he implies that Leeches are used as a food source.

Behind the scenes



 * The Fisherman represents a graphical breakthrough in the Half-Life series: he is the first character in the series to not have a real-world reference for his appearance. Additionally, his model has at least twice the detailing of any character in Half-Life 2.

Trivia

 * The Fisherman was originally intended to be similar to Father Grigori, a mentally unhinged man living alone in an abandoned village. However, he was eventually made much better adjusted and is not the only inhabitant of St. Olga. He is voiced by Jim French, who also voices Father Grigori.