Garg Hunt - Dunkelschwamm

 

    As the title suggests we fight a gargantua in this map. The level is very small and consists of only one small arena dotted with some obstacles and a couple of supplies. The garg respawns when killed and there is no end.

SCMapDB page

Author: Socrates

Date of release: 1999

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Garg Hunt

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | May 18, 2023 | 2741 characters

    Garghunt is a classic map with a classic goal: hunt the garg.

    But it is a ruse, you see! To hunt the garg, you must first earn the hunt! To do so, you must first be hunted! Players spawn with a pistol which is ineffectual against the titular garg. So, instead, players are encouraged to roam the map with the garg in hot pursuit as they find weapons which can put a dent in the beast. This generally comes in the form of satchel charges, RPG rockets, and the odd explosive crossbow bolt. All of these can be found on the battlefield, though the RPG is found on a ledge where a bullsquid respawns to harass players. He's an unfriendly roommate, but it's worth dealing with his shit to get the RPG as it's the fastest way to sink a garg.

    There's a couple additional bits to the map, like a high-up spawn area which players can use to take the bullsquid out from afar or teleport down to players. There's a gauss gun which can help players get back up to that area, but for what purpose I cannot fathom. The fun of the map is matadoring around the garg and tossing explosives at his big blue face. There's also a stack of explosive crates you can blow up next to him for fun and profit.

    Overall, I don't like sparring with the garg in this way most of the time. It's fine when you can get him caught up on stuff, but in a mostly open area like this he gets lots of opportunities to shave health with his fire attack passively. Makes the deaths at their "hands" pretty annoying. I always felt like that's the point? Gargs in Half-Life were created the way they are to deter you from attempting any head-on battles. That you can blow them up with explosives is a weird concession more than anything. Defeating a garg is meant to be a puzzle, not a battle. Given how many garg-centric maps there are, I guess I'm in the minority with my take.

    Your reward for killing garg is more garg.

    The map looks fine for a very early map. It's a solid hull with natural-enough looking cliff faces. The details of the map are pretty haphazardly thrown around, but what do you expect? It's a map for bullying a garg. If that sounds like your bag, give it a go.

Pros:

• You hunt a garg
• The hunt feels earned, as early on the garg is hunting you
• Some fun oddities strewn around the arena for making the battle interesting

Cons:

• If you have anything better to play, why execute one of the more annoying monsters in Half-Life over and over and over without an accompanying scenario?
• Doesn't do much to earn the repetition

Score:

5 / 10