Half-Life's Weirdest Weapon: Snarks! | Cascade

[@HLRaven]

"This one has somehow survived years for not exploding" My headcannon is that Snarks blow up only when they are angry

[@mikeyvangelism]

So... they need to be held and/or kept in a closed confinement? 😅 If you let one go in HL1 and there’s nothing for it to attack, I guess the more it wanders around the lonelier and angrier it gets until it can’t handle it anymore. But if it’s kept mostly still, it doesn’t get angry! I like this theory! I also feel kinda sorry for them now 😕

[@Crow_Rising]

My headcanon is more that they blow up as a defense mechanism when they feel provoked, instinctually sacrificing themselves for the survival of their species. When Gordon is keeping them in his pocket, they don't feel threatened, but then when he suddenly lobs them at a soldier or something, suddenly they're in danger.

[@IndieLambda]

I see them like, hardcore version of bees or puffer fish.

[@CoolSs]

alien bug too angry to stay alive

[@Occycat]

@@Crow_Rising but doesn’t Gordon take them from their nests? And they get to live another 5 seconds each bite

[@commenter_HIMIK-MAN]

"Guys, i left the snark jar on a radiator.."

[@antoninus2678]

"basically the Snark has been boiled in Randy juices. it's brown now"

[@trashtrash756]

@Scratchy Snark 2 now with cumsplosion powers

[@optiTHOMAS]

Oh god! I thought about that with the jar! That poor snark! 😅😆

[@hatsumi_rou_]

Reported for misinformation

[@Hughjanus0-0]

​@@hatsumi_rou_ why

[@dracmeister]

Snarks are interesting in that their supposed to be the bottom of the alien food chain which was ultimately relegated to the headcrab. The Snarks explode after awhile after overdosing themselves with natural adrenaline in their tiny fragile innards. The idea was that Gordon was to squeeze(threatening to crush the creature) the Snark in order to provoke a defensive response sending it in a blinding rage to defend itself or a nest. Their glands would produce their own kind of adrenaline until the creature is "overloaded" and explodes in a splash of acid.

[@alexlokanin3312]

interesting! Now I like to think that the player does squeeze them when they throw them, it's just a game convention to have the throw be instantaneous.

[@El-Burrito]

That makes the Half Life Alyx link even more interesting with the Xen grenades that have to be squeezed to activate them!

[@literallyglados]

@@El-Burrito I like to imagine the plant you steal those grenades from can throw grenades if threatened

[@kingbubbles9461]

Absolutely love the theoretical biology that half life has going on behind the scenes in their games

[@quint3ssent1a]

Wow, i always thought they were genetically engineered bioweapons, alien equivalent to grenades.

[@swedishswede]

Snarks are the cutest Enemy in half-life and you cant change my mind.

[@onometre]

why would anyone argue fact?

[@nickwooden5661]

its a tie between snarks and the spore launcher. personally the spore launcher wins for me because you can pet and feed it.

[@Crow_Rising]

Houndeyes. Sometimes they lay down and take naps and it makes them look like good boys.

[@PurpleColonel]

They're all gross and must die

[@flarfo348]

@@PurpleColonel unsubbed.

[@Eyeling]

The HD snark nest is a mutilated corpse. you can see the red blood, ribs, veins, and the snark container is a blown-up organ. I think its some sort of test-pig but it could also be a human.

[@zipperozicvideodump]

THAT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE HOLY FUCK Little bit of a weird Lore-Rewrite, but makes for a cool idea Also explains the whole corpse in the pool thing. Dude just died because he was full of parasitic snarks. huh.

[@Eyeling]

@@zipperozicvideodump thats from decay right?

[@zipperozicvideodump]

@@Eyeling yeah! Still uses the HD pack, though, I’m pretty sure

[@JGT-yd2wx]

gnarly

[@prosto_a_user]

jesus, so that's why it looks so gross

[@ded4700]

Snarks. They may be small But don't be decieved by their size and looks. They might help you fight the opposing force. Or join them and turn the tables. Alone,they're fragile and weak. Together,they're menacing and deadly. Snarks. Small. Cute. And deadly. -Alternate Universe Ahoy.

[@WK-47]

The Shu'ulathoi? Merely a distraction. The Snarks are the real masterminds. The G-Man? Hired by the lil squeakers. The Vortessence? Snark internet. (The reason you don't see Race X nowadays is because the Vorts changed the Wi-Fi password after the Nihilanth was defeated. Also, BreenGrub is a Snark comedy bit.) The one weird old trick doctors don't want you to know about is that tickling a Snark boosts your immune response. (Gordon was never sick a day in his life. Coincidence?) The iceberg is actually a Xen portal to a pocket dimension containing the Borealis, Titanic, all cut content and 'jokes' about Valve and the number three. The truth? You can't handle the truth!

[@criticalfox1568]

I love this comment

[@CobaltTS]

This is a great comment

[@harrisonfackrell]

It makes so much sense that Houndeyes were supposed to be friendly. They just look too cute.

[@Wawa_cat123]

chihuahuas that go boom

[@robertkilbourne323]

There are snarks a-plenty in Black Mesa. And they make a cuter sound when you pick them up.

[@bigpappa4041]

Gordon also tosses them in Black Mesa instead of sliding them on the ground for them to attack Gordon afterwards

[@someasiandude4797]

"Thank god Randy isn't here anymore or the jar would be a bit more... gooey" *that can be taken in two ways*

[@kieranmilner4208]

Coom jar

[@nutdealer5042]

@@kieranmilner4208 rainbow dash jar

[@Shadowpastcool]

Inform someone late to the party, please: who’s Randy?

[@skinskinner]

@@Shadowpastcool gearbox ceo

[@gudmansal3468]

@@Shadowpastcoolgrease demonic creature

[@LostElsen]

It's ironic how the best weapon against snark is another Xen organism - Hivehand

[@PurpleColonel]

That interception of weapons I never use is so intense that I've never even considered trying that.

[@oyeh8908]

Too bad it doesn’t work anymore in Black Mesa.

[@BEkov-kd8cf]

@@oyeh8908 why not?

[@tennisthelegend]

@@oyeh8908 it does

[@fun-epersonnproductions4002]

I guess it's good to fight bugs with bees.

[@The1Wolfcast]

I like how in sven coop the chumtoad have their original purpose and can be easter eggs in certain maps

[@jesusitobeley2999]

Also in sven co op, they are friendly to probably reduce griefing and with an alt attack, turning them into an actual chumtoad.

[@louisbrice1466]

in one of the community maps bm_sts, there an upgraded version of the houndeye for rarity's legendary and godlike,

[@albertotosi2821]

1:30 that Alien joke made me laugh quite a lot.

[@LUIGIMAN309]

The snarks were planned to be usable as a weapon in Half-life Alyx but they were cut because they were too awkward and clunky to use

[@mrspiffy8587]

I can see that. I played (and beat) HL1 in vr, and the grenades and remote detnation packs were fairly awkward. They never seemed to be thrown the right distance.

[@lambda-npc]

Ye they have a finished animation of being held by the player

[@shellsheridan8056]

Yeah, thats useful... probably.

[@caoistico669]

But i want a cute snark in my hand !

[@Green24152]

tossing in vr has always been a bit problematic tbh

[@rolph5967]

The Snarks might not be the best weapon in the game, but they sure are fun. For me at least.

[@KajiCarson]

Worth mentioning is that the snark is probably a reference to Lewis Carroll's long poem, "The Hunting of the Snark," about the search for a fantasy creature that is never captured, or (IIRC) even seen.

[@quint3ssent1a]

Snarks are an excellent trolling tool in multiplayer. In one of the maps snark pickup is located at the elevated position which overlooks a big yard where all the fighting is usually done. Just hide in a conveniently placed niche and throw snarks down. It will probably not kill anyone, but will annoy people to no end.

[@CoolSs]

I remember playing Half life on ps2 . where you can do split screen deathmatch . there is this map where if you drop in a hole and someone on top press a button. all doors will close . and a pipe will pour an army of Snarks . it is one of the most funny way to kill someone in DM and you can't change my mind .

[@isekaiexpress9450]

snark_pit.bsp

[@ElephantsDoingCrack]

0:28 after so many years of playing Blue Shift, I didn't know that. That is just so awesome to me!

[@ElephantsDoingCrack]

@Dragonwing 190000 Sorry who?

[@ElephantsDoingCrack]

​@Dragonwing 190000 Me no know what that is EDIT 2021: You spelled "Former RadHaz subscriber" wrong.

[@inflatedego9418]

I'm having trouble even figuring out where it is from the footage, do you know?

[@ElephantsDoingCrack]

@@inflatedego9418 It's on the chapter "Power Struggle." When you climb up a ladder and see a HECU near a radio, there is a grate on the wall that you can climb and into the ceiling. Hope that helps!

[@inflatedego9418]

@@ElephantsDoingCrack aah yeah I see why I missed this. I always do a jump up to the ledge at the start and just skip power struggle entirely :P

[@Maxjk0]

0:36 I just actually played through decay lol That mission has snarks hidden away in an airvent right afterwards, clearly meant to be dropped on some soldiers below, but they're kind of hard to use here because its too easy to accidentally fall down and start the fight with the soldiers lol

[@RobsonLanaNarvy]

the penguins was the scariest things I have ever seen in a Half-life game

[@Scourgething]

Snarks are one of my favorite quirky little things about Half-Life. They're so unique to the game that i can't help but love them despite their situational usage.

[@rs6000_]

I love all the shade you're throwing at Gearbox & Randy "unload a 9 in the welfare line" Pitchford.

[@aleda257]

3:49 Hey DooM called they want their demons back.

[@CodyDBuni]

FYI In the retail version of Half-Life (unpatched) as well Half-Life: Source, you can trigger the resonance cascade by throwing one snark into the anti-mass spectrometer even before it's activated.

[@kylefinn5301]

I really liked the snarks most in BM and Alyx. There’s an idle animation in BM where Gordon plays around like the snark is a horse toy and it is absolutely adorable

[@christianrissotto.gordohom3478]

1:10 sven coop 1 hp trauma memories ( i remember that the damage of the snarks was so high , that when they exploded , they had a radious of a grenade. )

[@Luemm3l]

penguins with grenades on their backs? Should HL-3 set in Antarctica ever be a thing and get a multiplayer, this ABSOLUTELY has to resurface

[@magyar_1949]

well, if half life 3 becomes a thing, and it continues the story from half life 2, then Gordon will be going to the arctic.

[@caoistico669]

I believe borealis is in antartica, so possible, yes

[@Wawa_cat123]

hl3 ain't becoming real cause you got richochet 2 cs 2 tf2 hl2 srsly where tf is the number 3

[@XxjazzperxX]

They really shine in multiplayer when you hear your brothers swear and scream after you through a whole bucket at them

[@TheOneAndAlways]

Snarks are adorable and i wish they would come back in a game or at least as a marketable plushie.

[@henryfleischer404]

I mean... they are also in garry's mod, if you mount half-life source.

[@valkaerie8715]

Which means they were in half life source, and thus were in a source game

[@AnimationJ]

Source mounting

[@poggers9654]

ok and?

[@dontoverthink4766]

..... we dont talk about the source remake

[@tavish1658]

There should've been an achievement in Half-Life Alyx, to bring the Snark in a jar with you for the entire game.

[@akis_0264]

this is kinda funny, i sat down to watch your entire playlist of the cascade and one hour later you upload this, nice!

[@filiaknight8514]

5:05 i love this concept art so much, "stupid look" "fat explosive booty!!"

[@winzigerflashendeckel6894]

And he is thinking about a female squeak grenade. I wonder what the designer drank while making this

[@badusername9903]

i love the snark obscurity graph so much no units just data

[@PurpleColonel]

it's measured in "obscurity", it's in the metric system but only in canada and seattle

[@badusername9903]

@@PurpleColonel does seattle use the metric system?

[@PurpleColonel]

@@badusername9903 Probably not lol

[@nakfoor1846]

I find them very useful in certain situations. They were really good in Half Life Echoes where the marines typically have advantageous positions against the players and the snarks are very effective at getting behind their covers and drawing their fire.

[@xj770HUN]

I can bring one redeeming quality to snarks. They are cute!

[@Vycter_Real]

The comedy in this vid was great. Good vid.

[@monolithsoldier3427]

Snarks were awesome in deathmatch. Throwing 5 of these bugs at friend and watching him run away from them was so much fun

[@HolyKhaaaaan]

One of my favorite things about Half Life most definitely was playing with the snarks. One of the few moments of redeeming humanity in such a bloody and seemingly futile game.

[@Helpertin]

Black Mesa really should have leaned heavily into the use of snarks and the organic weaponry of the aliens during their foray into Xen, bit of a missed opportunity there if you ask me.

[@davidnewhart2533]

I personally found them extremely helpful against Gonarch. The last section in the Gonarch boss fight was aids. The baby headcrabs were so annoying. I used the Snarks to eat the babies.

[@PlatinumNath]

Snarks in normal HL campaign: useless, weak, annoying Snarks in hardcore HL/SC servers: pocket mobile nukes that kills in just 2 scratches before exploding and killing your entire team

[@shellsheridan8056]

Glad in Black Mesa snarks attack aliens too

[@AlbertoDsign]

Finally I see footage of someone trying to break the glass container of the snark in Alyx, I was curious since I first saw the game, and I don't own VR to try it myself.

[@LamWarp]

The worst feeling is when you use up all your ammo on a snark you accidentally threw. Happens to me way to often than I'd like to admit. :/

[@mattmedrala1947]

As a little kid, i used to be terrified of these guys - big roaches with ear splitting shrieks. Remember my brother messing with me in multiplayer by intentionally hoarding them and siccing them on me.

[@poposterous236]

This would be one of my favourite weapons of all time if only they didn't prioritize attacking the player over other npcs. I swear to god those things will cross the atlantic to attack gordon rather than nip at at any grunt in their immediate vicinity.

[@orionbarnes1733]

I love how the most replayed part of this video is people pausing and going back at the "here's a graph to illustrate it" moment so they can get a second glimpse at the data. Truly a bizarre fanbase that I'm proud to be a part of

[@andresa.ruizv.7413]

Wow great video! At least I learmed something new about that old squeak grenade and the cut content of other games :) I like to use them when they are as effective as they can be, just to test luck. Thanks for the video!

[@dabidmydarling5398]

Fun fact: 4 snarks can take down a tank in Black Mesa.

[@mariokid1040]

lovely creature

[@DanielBreadly]

Really good video. Really good. The quality is up the top. And your speech skill is becoming stronger and stronger every video. Thank you for your content.

[@PurpleColonel]

Thank you!

[@Nate-BreakingPoint-Interactive]

My friend and I use to play that map throwing penguins at each other, good times

[@Ismail-tb4st]

Half life’s cutest weapon:

[@vizthex]

that Snark in Alyx is almost kinda cute. it's neat.

[@theofficialtastynacho0898]

i always used the snarks in places wherever the military was, it was good with detonating mines, enemy triggers, chips away at health, and distracts the snipers. for me it was very useful in a couple areas.

[@nearlygaming7777]

Loving this series so far! Keep it up man, can't get enough of half-life, or the valve universe in general, and your explanations are top notch

[@screenwatcher949]

3:07 HELMET CONFIRMED

[@Shadowpastcool]

Snarks are one of the most adorable, yet terrifying at the same time, aliens I’ve ever personally seen in a video game. And I’ve found them exceedingly useful; let loose 5 at a time on an unsuspecting group of enemies from a safe perch and watch the chaos unfold *laughs evilly*

[@martinvymazal8361]

4:35 THEY HAVE A LAIR? TELL ME HOW TO GET INTO THAT SECRET NOW!

[@datrtzhush3734]

I actually found quite a few times when snarks saved me because i was low on health,last save was 45 mins ago so i just spammed them and boom,soldiers gone

[@m136dalie]

I remember in the one vent in HL where a bunch of them would pop out and kill you. The worst part is it was right after an engagement with the HECU so I always reached that point with low HP. Would take me so many save reloads to get past it, honestly the most annoying weapon/unit in half life.

[@thewafflebun994]

"friendly aliens" * shows mr friendly* i see what you did there

[@erikpng]

3:46 Friendly aliens you say…?

[@ic0nic707]

4:03 rupert my boi

[@curple3]

No joke, i never used the snarks in any of my Half-Life playthroughs

[@iamme2739]

I overuse them, so I am snarkless for 70% of the game

[@officialrhythmicthoughts]

I love how in black mesa gordon pets the snarks

[@lizardizzle]

I love this video because it's the perfect chance to shill my snark-only Half-Life 1 run I did just before Half-Life: Alyx released. My surprise at seeing the Snark in HLA was palpable after throwing so many.

[@liamblasko3164]

I actually mentioned your accomplishment in the original 20 minute script, because killing a tank with snarks deserved praise.

[@lizardizzle]

@@liamblasko3164 I feel praised.

[@mpcrauzer]

4:51 Catachan barking toad in a nutshell

[@ilikepigeons6101]

I think the HD reskin of the snark's nest and how you obtain them in half life decay indicates that these creatures are bread inside living things, the nest looks like a rib cage but mutated

[@coolguyvicaso745]

Snarks aren’t useless, they are useful, the worst bio-weapon in the series is the detached barnacle from Opposing Force.

[@oscara1573]

5:36 the penguins from Batman returns

[@youraveragecommentor1212]

I fucking love snarks

[@sadteen940]

Thanks God i don't have epilepsy 1:50 would kill me if i did.

[@alinm4844]

I like to use them in crossfire as a distraction

[@jumblezone.4779]

"friendly aliens" shows mr. fucking friendly.

[@ogkspaz]

Snarks are great for creating havoc in deathmatch.

[@Shoxic666]

Snark in a jar you say? NONONONONONO.

[@davidaltda112]

Oh NO-

[@CoolSs]

Valve should have made plushy of the Snarks

[@jaidencat1357]

I know I'm late but I agree.

[@CoolSs]

@@jaidencat1357 never too late.

[@theoverseer393]

Very funny: The two alien grunts that rise up in the lab where the HECU soldiers raid can be completely denied with a single Snark into their pods

[@paynepersons6147]

Hey, uh, that comment about Kurt Russel's hand in thing? It's wrong. For all three shots in that scene it was a puppet, he never held the dish with his real hand. On an unrelated note, this channel is under rated, you deserve more subs.

[@אילןדרל]

I use them exclusively to flush them out of cover and around corners. They're very good at that and nothing else.

[@arthurghahramanyan3279]

Nice graph! I like your usage of scientific method

[@BrickBusterVideo647]

Hey why you calling me the weirdest weapon and insulting me this is the way that I am

[@ShadeMeadows]

*MAY THEY RETURN.*

[@cawfeeandgreentea]

I remember always wanting to pick that up when I 1v1 my friends in multiplayer just the way it's in the hand is just adorable

[@BerryTheKirb]

That one Snark animation in Black Mesa still rocks that one galloping one

[@GeZz.]

basically i use it to annoy soldiers. That's it.. and in HL multiplayer , i use it when ppl go to activate the bomb, in those tiny rooms/spaces are easy to get kills.

[@beepboopethanj]

Love it you're one of my fav Half Life youtubers.. keep it up

[@Usami_Salami]

I love our little snarky boi's. They're just so adorable.

[@Pokets]

6:23 years later we now know what that blob is

[@BasileosHerodou]

It's amazing that you made such a high quality video with such little subs

[@Eyepoke42]

Love your videos bud! keep um up!

[@atk1152]

Snarks Con: can't use much for main game Pro: too cute

[@branchy2000inc]

Can't see those penguins without hearing increasingly high pitched "HIJO PUTA"

[@mkiopllimikjl-x5b]

The cutest weapon in Half Life

[@MikeIce4SG]

Snarks riding on a penguin is the cutest thing ive seen so far

[@PSEUDOSOPHER]

I always loved snarks and I wish they were implemented more!

[@onometre]

they may be useless but they sure are cute. If HL1 came out today they'd be sold as a plushie as companion merch and would sell like hotcakes

[@ivanilayakimova2526]

Snarks first appears in "Questionable ethics" ,and then in "Surface Tension".Yes.