Gargantua

The Gargantua is a large and powerful Xen alien encountered in Half-Life and its expansions.

Overview



 * It is approximately six meters (20 feet) tall, mostly blue in color, and has one yellow eye that glows red when it perceives a hostile unit. In place of hands, it sports two pincer-like appendages resembling mussels that can be opened to emit jets of intense heat, as well as secondary "de-evolving" legs below the trunk, a common trait in most Xen creatures.


 * The Gargantua has a thick carapace that renders it completely bulletproof, and requires a large amount of explosive, electrical, or energy damage before being destroyed. Each time it is met, it cannot be defeated with the traditional ways.


 * It is unknown if the Gargantua is a natural species or if it is manufactured like the Alien Grunt.


 * It is first introduced in Sector E Track Control during the Half-Life chapter Power Up. There it is fighting against two HECU soldiers while the G-Man is watching from the control room, and soon turns to Gordon Freeman upon noticing him. To defeat it, Freeman has to bring back power to the tracks leading to the Sector E Materials Transport network and the small power station located nearby, where the creature will be destroyed by electric discharges.


 * It is seen again in the chapter Surface Tension, where it throws Black Mesa SUVs at HECU soldiers in an underground parking lot of the Topside Motorpool, leading to the Waste Processing Area 3. Upon noticing Freeman, it chases him in a tunnel leading to Waste Processing Area 3, where Freeman has to use a Tactical Map set up by the HECU to call airstrikes on the creature.


 * A Gargantua also appears during the final sequence of the Uplink, where it kills several Black Mesa employees while the G-Man watches, before slowly heading towards the cornered player, at which point the demo ends.


 * In Opposing Force, a Gargantua can be seen tied up on top of the Hydro-Electric Dam (though it can break loose after a certain amount of time), in the chapter Foxtrot Uniform, while HECU soldiers and Shock Troopers fight around and against it and the G-Man uses a cellphone in the dam's intake tower. Dynamite has been installed around it, and Adrian Shephard quickly detonates it, killing the creature and partially destroying the middle of the dam.

Behavior and skills

 * The Gargantua can emit jets of intense heat from its pincer-like hands, that easily kill foes.


 * It can hit with its arms and feet and also send a shock wave towards its opponents by powerfully stomping the ground, represented by a speeding red dot.


 * The Gargantua moves quickly (slightly faster than the player) and is very strong: it can smash or toss large obstacles in its path with ease, and is invulnerable to most small arms fire.


 * Another ability that this creature possesses is a "supersonic roar". It is never seen in action, only heard when being out of range. Still, the roar is shown to be incredibly powerful and dangerous, as can destroy constructions such as the ceiling of a hallway leading to Sector E Track Control's power generator.


 * Gargantuas are very determined pursuers, and have been known to wait patiently for their target to come out of an area they cannot reach for a considerable amount of time before moving on to something else.


 * When idle, the Gargantua stretches its neck, shakes its head, seems to look for something on the ground for a few seconds, or seem to yawn.

Tactics

 * While it is difficult to do, a Gargantua can be destroyed with the player's personal weaponry if they have enough of the right kind of ordinance. Explosive weapons such as the RPG and energy weapons such as the Tau Cannon or the Gluon Gun are effective against it. Satchel Charges or grenades are also effective, as well as the MP5 / M4's grenade launcher.


 * It is possible for the Gargantua encountered on Xen to become stuck next to or against a Xen Tree, at which point the tree can be coaxed into attacking via the secondary fire of the Hivehand, eventually destroying the Gargantua with no loss of ammunition.

Behind the scenes

 * Several colors suggested for the Gargantua range from orange to mauve or pink, and always feature colored lines on the back.


 * Several suggested behavior and skills and physical traits were not included into the final creature. They include telescoping jaws for ranged attacks (similar to that of the Xenomorph in the Alien film series), no visible eyes, or an acidic tongue for gibbing prey. It was also originally to usually stand on its four feet, and stand up like a grizzly bear to attack.


 * During the original train ride at the start of Half-Life 2, the player was to see from their train "something that resembles the old Gargantua" lunging at a nearby train from a crevasse, and be completely destroyed by the locomotive steel plow designed to shear through herds of whatever creature might stray across the tracks or try to take the train head-on.

List of appearances

 * Half-Life
 * Half-Life: Uplink
 * Half-Life: Opposing Force
 * Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar