Half-Life 2

Half-Life 2

First Person Shooter

Valve Software, 2004

After being placed in stasis (somewhat involuntarily) at the end of Half-Life, Gordon Freeman is awakened by the mysterious G-Man, on a train bound for ‘City 17’ and told that his ‘services’ are required once more.

Almost two decades after the events of the first game transpired, the human race is on the brink of survival, with the sole remaining peoples living in prison-like cities under the watchful, alien eye of the mysterious ‘Combine’. Gordon, the hero of the Half-Life universe, must battle against the powerful Combine forces to free the human race.

The reason that the human race is under the boot of this alien empire is that Breen, the former administrator of the Black Mesa science facility, negotiated a peace agreement with the Combine at the end of the 7 Hour War between human and alien forces. The reward was that he was installed as leader of earth, as a Combine puppet.

Notable Literary Parallels

Jack the Giant Killer

The last chapter of Half-Life 2 consists of Gordon climbing the colossal Combine citadel in order to face the Combine’s personification: Dr. Breen. Breen in this case represents the Combine, who in turn represent a seemingly unconquerable enemy. The similarity to Jack climbing the beanstalk into the clouds and killing a giant is strong. When in the citadel, the illusion of great height is emphasised by allowing the player to look out of the many windows, seeing City 17 from a great vertical distance.

David vs. Goliath

From the start of the game, Gordon is in the shadow (often quite literally) of the giant Combine citadel at the heart of City 17. This giant symbol of alien power is in stark contrast to the spontaneous and rather unorganised citizen rebels below, using improvised tactics and stolen or otherwise commandeered weapons. Gordon and Breen parallel this conflict on a personal rather than global scale. This conflict between Combine and Human; Breen and Gordon, is the embodiment of the conflict between submission and defiance, military might and strength of will; Gordon characterises the human yearning of freedom, facing Breen’s surrender to power (and the surrender of human freedom by proxy). Aristotle said that the object imitated in drama is ‘men in action’, with action meaning the ‘movement of spirit’, directed by thought (Tomaszewski and Binsted, 2006). The events in Half-Life 2 are the physical manifestations of the battle between freedom and bondage.

Notable Archetypes

The Hero - Gordon Freeman

Gordon appears as the projection of the citizens’ will to be free of their Combine occupation. Although at first having no grounding in City 17, as Gordon fights the Combine dragon forces he attains almost messianic appreciation and vehement support from the inhabitants of City 17, at numerous points in the game being referred to as the ‘One Free Man’.

The Father - G-Man

Unlike most father figures, Gordon’s is sly, cold and manipulative. He never explicitly tells Gordon what to do, he just places him in situations in which the G-Man knows how Gordon will react.

The Shadow - Breen

“The thing which a person has no wish to be” - Jung, 1945. This clear-cut definition of the Jungian Shadow fits Breen like a glove. Everything that Breen is, Gordon wouldn’t want to be: conniving, manipulative, power-hungry, amoral. “The ego stands to the Shadow like light stands to shade” - Jung, 1945. In other words, Gordon and Breen (analogously) can not exist without each other. Breen is the darkness that Gordon’s flashlight searches for.

Breen sporadically interrupts the player via ‘Breencasts’, using huge television monitors situated around City 17. This is the subconscious Shadow trying to engulf the self (Hero) and subvert it (him) to its own agenda.

The Herald and Trickster - G-Man

The first character seen in the game is the G-Man, who has pulled Gordon out of stasis, and placed him on a train bound for City 17. He informs Gordon that the Earth lost a war (the ‘7 Hour War’) and what remains of the human race has been enslaved by the alien Combine forces. He informs Gordon that his ‘services’ are required again. Although not explicitly ordered to assist the human race in overthrowing their oppressors, Gordon’s duty to do so is apparent to the player. He displays elements of the Trickster archetype, inserting and removing Gordon from dangerous situations on a whim.

The Wise Old Man - Dr. Kleiner

Dr. Kleiner’s old age is apparent visually, whereas the ‘wise’ aspect of his character is shown through his genius creations, including the teleportation device in his lab. Jung describes the ‘Wise Old Man’ as a ‘mana personality’. Mana is an ancient Melanesian term, whose closest modern translation is ‘charisma’ (Dr. Terry Brown, 1949). A ‘mana personality’ is someone who has achieved a higher state of consciousness, and in whose presence, one can make the same transition (Jung, 1991). In the case of Half-Life 2, Gordon’s wearing of the HEV suit facilitates this transition.

The Dragon Forces - Combine

Typically, the malevolent Chinese dragon forces are buried beneath the (often metaphorical) surface, with a symbolic projection. In this case, the Combine’s projection into the world of HL2 is the Citadel, a huge tower in the centre of ‘City 17’, the game’s setting, while their real power lies ‘buried’ on another planet or in another dimension.

The Trickster - Lamarr

Named after the 1930s actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, Dr. Kleiner’s pet headcrab scurries around the lab, antagonising Barney and generally acting like a nuisance. Ultimately, Lamarr damages sensitive equipment causing the teleportation of Gordon to fail, and forcing him to proceed on foot to Black Mesa East. Lamarr is a harmless ‘de-beaked’ (effectively neutered) headcrab, appearing as the classical Jungian Trickster: half animal, indicating a feral, dangerous nature (Xen origins), but with a light, harmless side (shown through her playfulness and lack of a ‘beak’).

The Departure

The Call to Adventure - 5

After Gordon gets off the train, he is stopped at a Combine security checkpoint in the train station. It seems that the Combine have the upper hand as Gordon is ushered into a blood splattered interrogation room by a Civil Protection (CP) officer. However, the CP officer takes off his mask and is revealed to be Barney Calhoun, a security guard from Black Mesa and friend of Gordon. He explains the situation in City 17 and that he has infiltrated the CP before sending Gordon to Dr. Kleiner’s lab via a back window. Due to Barney’s surprising entrance (from under a Combine mask) and providing much needed assistance, he has undertones of the Supernatural Aid role.

Refusal of the Call - 2 (Out of sequence)

Although Gordon himself doesn’t refuse the call, the player himself may feel reluctant to continue after Dr. Kleiner’s teleportation device malfunctions. This reluctance would be from the magnitude of Gordon’s travel to Black Mesa East being increased exponentially, along with its danger.

Supernatural Aid - 10

Dr. Kleiner appears as the classic ‘spider-woman’, in a subterranean chamber (secret underground science lab), providing the player with a protective amulet (the HEV armoured suit) and providing direction for the hero (via his teleportation device). This teleportation device emphasises Dr. Kleiner’s intelligence, which reinforces the ‘wise old man’ Jungian archetype.

Dr. Kleiner takes the role of the ‘Spider-Woman’ Supernatural Aid, residing in a subterranean chamber (underground science lab). The Navaho American Indians tell of twin Navaho war gods, who happen across a Spider-Woman in a subterranean chamber as they are traveling to their father’s house. On hearing that they are searching for their father’s house, the spider-woman warns them of the dangers (Road of Trials), and provides them with a charm: “naye'atsos” or ‘feather of the alien gods’ before sending them on their way (Matthews, 2002). Correspondingly, Dr. Kleiner bestows Gordon with a HEV suit before teleporting (or attempting to teleport) him on his way.

The Crossing of the First Threshold - 9

After Kleiner’s teleporter mishap, Gordon travels on foot through City 17’s old canal system to reach Eli and Alyx Vance’s Lab at Black Mesa East. He uses an air-boat to navigate large bodies of shallow water, before killing a Combine hunter-chopper (Threshold Guardian) to arrive at the lab. This Combine helicopter gunship poses a serious threat to Gordon, who has to use the improvised boat-mounted machine gun to defeat it.

The Belly of the Whale - 8

Due to a surprise Combine assault on Black Mesa East, Gordon must travel through the adjacent old mining town called Ravenholme. Alyx previously spoke of this place with Gordon, saying that “we don’t go to Ravenholme anymore…”. This part of the game makes the gameplay slower, darker and altogether scarier; more akin to that of survival horror than FPS. The only human inhabitant of this town is the local pastor, Father Grigori. He informs Gordon that everyone else has fallen victim to the heavy Combine headcrab shelling, and roam the town as zombies. The pervading darkness (both physical and symbolic) engulfs Gordon and the player. Gordon is ‘born again’ at the end of this chapter, climbing out of Ravenholme into the light above.

Initiation

The Road of Trials - 9 (Out of sequence)

Rather than the Road of Trials being a single element of a structure, almost the entire game could be considered a Road of Trials, with the other Hero’s Journey elements existing within this road. However, some levels of the game conform to the Campbellian Road of Trials: Route Kanal, Water Hazard, and Sandtraps, for example, all lend themselves to the Road of Trials episode. Of particular note is the level ‘Highway 17’, which simply consists of a coastal road, along which Gordon comes across many difficulties (Combine road blocks, antlion attacks etc). Quite simply, a collection of trials set on a road.

The Meeting with the Goddess - 7

Gordon meets up with some figures from his past (as well as new characters) in ‘Black Mesa East’, a makeshift facility created by Black Mesa personnel (Dr. Eli Vance and Dr. Kleiner), and manned by members of the human resistance. These characters propel the narrative forwards by filling in details for Gordon, highlighting events in the past years which lead to the Combine’s occupation of Earth. A literal ‘goddess’ character is Alyx Vance, Eli’s daughter. Halfway between the scientific, civilised generation of the previous game, and the freedom-fighting, resourceful citizens of Earth in its current state; she is the embodiment of the first generation of post-Combine Earth, the future of mankind.

Woman as the Temptress - N/A

Atonement with the Father - 8

Although Gordon destroys the dark matter reactor for altruistic reasons (to release the Combine’s grip on humanity), it clearly fits with the G-Man’s plans. The G-Man releases Gordon into City 17 and presumably tracks his progress (he knows as soon as Gordon has destroyed the reactor, and he can be seen in the background at various points in the game), so he could stop Gordon’s progress at any time. Since he doesn’t, it shows that it was the G-Man’s intentions all along for Gordon to take down the Combine.

Apotheosis - 1 (Out of sequence)

It is hard to identify Apotheosis in Gordon, since he never speaks or is seen by the player. Apotheosis in the player could be due to them learning their (and Gordon’s) place in the Half-Life universe after being placed back in stasis. If so, then this section is weak, and out of sequence.

The Ultimate Boon - 3

The lack of a clear Call to Adventure is the reason why there is no clear boon. At a push, the emasculation of the citadel could be said to be the boon; representing a human victory against the Combine, and against the odds. Against the odds is the important aspect of this ‘Boon’, fitting the hero status of Gordon. As in many games, the hero is not a ‘born king’, so his trials and tribulations are harsh and sacrifice is rife.

Return

Refusal of the Return - 1 (Out of sequence)

Half-Life 2’s extremely weak Return Refusal comes from the players’ response to the G-Man after the dark matter reactor begins to explode. The purpose of the G-Man’s interjection is two-fold. While providing relief (Gordon now has a chance of survival), the player instinctively distrusts the G-Man, and is wary of his removing Gordon from danger: even though the alternative to Gordon’s incarceration is death, the player still doesn’t want the G-Man to take Gordon’s freedom again.

The magic Flight - N/A

Rescue from Without - 10

Milliseconds before Gordon and Alyx’s certain demise, the G-Man shifts into their plane of existence (from another time or dimension) and slows time to a crawl. He casually walks around the two characters, unconcerned about the huge fireball just metres from them all. According to the G-Man, Gordon was removed from the explosion and placed into the safety until he receives further “employment offers”.

The Crossing of the Return Threshold - 10

This stasis that Gordon is placed into is (presumably) the same as he inhabited for the years between Half-Life 1 and 2, so Gordon’s being sent back there is a very literal crossing of the Return Threshold.

Master of the Two Worlds - 6

At the end of the game, Gordon has dominated the Combine forces (both in and out of the citadel), and as he is put back in his stasis box, he is as much a master of his ‘original’ (pre-Combine) world as he was at the conclusion of Half-Life.

Freedom to Live - 7

At the end of Half-Life 2, Gordon is rewarded for his hard work by being trapped in stasis, turning the Freedom to Live stage on its head. This upturned narrative stage achieves two things:

1. It paints the G-Man as an even more untrustworthy, controlling character.

2. It creates a cyclical journey. Both Half-Life games begin on a train and end in Gordon’s imprisonment at the hands of the G-Man.

Conclusion

Half-Life 2 follows the Campbellian Hero’s Journey fairly closely, more-so than most videogames. This is likely due to its being in development for so long, and for having a rather intricate narrative. The Aristotelian notion of ‘Men in Action’ fits very closely with the character archetypes of Gordon and Breen, as well as with the human/Combine conflict. The transformation of the G-Man from Shadow to Father between Half-Life and Half-Life 2 is notable, indicative of their ‘Mystical Marriage’.

References

Tomaszewski, Z, and Binsted, K, 2006, “A Reconstructed Theory of Interactive Narrative”, Unpublished.

Matthews, 2002 ‘Navaho Legends’, University of Utah Press; Utah.

Dr. Terry Brown, 1949, ‘Religion and Customs in Melanesia, The Solomon Islands and The New Hebrides’

available at: http://anglicanhistory.org/oceania/sx_booklet2.html. Accessed 18/10/07

StoneE Producktions. 1997, `The Twin Brothers: Native American Indian Lore’ Available at: http://www.ilhawaii.net/~stony/lore119.html. Accessed 18/10/07

‘English Fairy Tales: Jack the Giant Killer’.

Available at: http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/eft/eft20.htm

Accessed 17/11/07