Barnacle (Half-Life)



A barnacle is a fictional alien species found in the Half-Life and Half-Life 2 computer game series created by Valve Software.

Barnacles are relatively simple creatures, consisting primarily of a mouth full of sharp teeth, and a long, retractable tongue. Named by Black Mesa scientist: Dr. Louis Donaldson, the Barnacles discoverer and first victim They attach themselves to ceilings or the undersides of overhangs, from which they lower their sticky tongues to near floor level. Although barnacles can be found in a wide array of environments, they seem to prefer damp areas. When an object, living or otherwise, comes into contact with the tongue, it "grabs" the object (the exact mechanism behind the tongue's stickiness is unknown). The barnacle then retracts its tongue, drawing the object towards its mouth. Upon reaching the mouth, the object is quickly evaluated by the barnacle: objects considered edible by the barnacle are crushed and consumed; inedible objects are released.

Barnacles are relatively weak; a few shots from a 9mm pistol will kill them. They are best dispatched from a distance, although players unlucky enough to become ensnared have a few seconds in which to desperately attack the barnacle as they are drawn towards its mouth. In this situation, the best way to survive is to hit the Barnacle with the crowbar; the Barnacle will be in reach of the crowbar long enough before the player will be in reach of the mouth, and a single blow will dispatch the beast. When killed, barnacles typically disgorge bones and other remains of recently-consumed victims.

In the expansion pack Opposing Force, Black Mesa scientists have been able to successfully detach barnacles, albeit with a high failure rate. The player can use a detached barnacle as either a weapon or as a "grappling hook". Both functions take advantage of the affinity of their tongues for organic matter.

In Half-Life 2, barnacles cannot differentiate between edible and inedible material, and will attempt to eat anything that comes into contact with its tongue. Consequently, objects such as tires, barrels or pieces of wood can be used to "distract" a barnacle and allow a player to easily slip past it. In a similar fashion, by setting alight an explosive barrel at the right moment, a player can kill a barnacle attempting to eat it (or even several closely-placed barnacles). It also seems that the Barnacle tries to wrap its tongue around the target tight enough to break bones and kill it. This is based on the observation that birds as well as Resistance or Combine troops die before they even reach the main body, merely by virtue of being caught. Gordon Freeman is unaffected by the tongue's crushing attempts, probably due to his H.E.V. suit.