One thing that i really love about Half Life's is their alien enemies actually look like aliens, most sci fi franchises have bipedal human looking creatures, but the Hunters really look out of this world

The reason why there's an enemy Hunter in Entropy: Zero is because it's being controlled by Vortigaunts. It even has Vortigaunt sounds mixed into its vocalisations.

Fun fact: The Magnum is hard coded to deal more damage to Hunters because playtesters thought that it would be the most effective weapon against them

It's super interesting how much weight the sound design of the Hunters adds, they're quick and nimble enemys but those bass thumping footsteps make them out to be massive creatures weighing a few hundred kilos, being able to move that much mass that quickly really adds to the feeling of being fucking terrified of them. I always felt that they were a bit too tanky fighting them but I also for some reason never thought of using the Gravity Gun against them.

Ted Backman said for HL:A (he was consulted, didn't work on it), that Striders' base creature is "scanned" by the Combine and then is "built," so they are 100% artificial, just based on a living creature. My guess is that this is the case for ALL Combine synths

I always thought that the hunters were supposed to be modified houndeyes because of their sounds being almost playful at times, their three legs, and their overall body shape being very similar to one.

I NEVER THOUGHT OF COVERING A PROP IN FLECHETTES AND LAUNCHING IT AT THEM THAT’S FUCKING GENIUS

I remember how the Hunter's introduction scared the hell out of me back in the day

The thing about the flechette launchers not being eyes is wrong. Those things on the side are boils, and you can tell by the fact that one has popped on one side. Also, the Hunters eye dilate when a flashlight is shown at them. I believe the rig for the hunters even refer to them as eyes. I'm not sure where this idea that the boils are actually eyes started but this is the second video I've seen saying this now. Cool video over all though.

I'm so glad the hunters are finally getting the recognition they deserve. They are my favorite enemies and it's just unbelievable how much they're slept on.

I loved having one of these guys as a companion in Entropy Zero 2

6:21 That wolf joke caught me off guard so much 😆

I always enjoyed fighting the hunters every time I replay ep2, I love how they chase you nonstop even if you're inside a house.

Combine soldiers could be much better, they are actully very smart but their miniscule health pool compared to you and their terrible accuracy doesnt allow them to show off their cool AI. its even better if you use an ai_goal_standoff to have them do some cooler things too.

I never even thought to use the gravity gun to constantly fight them. I always thought they were really fun to fight with just the guns alone.

I love Synths. All synths. I wonder what they would be like if freed from Combine rule, left to wander. Gentle wandering Striders, excitable Hunters begging for nutrient fluid from their handlers, majestic Gunships wandering the skies. Stalkers being cared for by their families. That kind of thing.

The fact that you can't just one shot these Hunters with the Supercharged Gravity Gun makes them a more terrifying enemy to deal with without the use of the AR2 secondary attack

In Entropy Zero, the Hunter seemed to attack you because the vortigaunts reprogrammed or possessed it.

I am so happy you are still making Cascade. Honestly one of my favorite KZfaq series!

I still can not get over how good the sound design for the hunters are They sound fast, but powerful in their movement noises Slightly animalistic and slightly robotic in their "voices" All while being _entirely_ alien-sounding Like, it gives you the feeling that humans aren't meant to comprehend those noises, cosmic horror having it's influence and all It's difficult to understand how those things work through their sounds alone, which is what pulls off that "alien" effect for me Hell, we don't even know how it makes those noises, if it has anything resembling a "voice" or if those are all just the resulting noises of mechanical objects in action

You hit the nail as always. I've always thought HL2 lacked good Medium to High HP Enemy to kill and the Hunters in Episode 2 really fill that gap. Also their graphic and sound design is super cool as you have remarked

I remember that goddamn rocket mission and it was so annoying. Both the hunters and striders combined were a deadly combination for sure. Took me forever to complete that mission. They're cool enemies but holy shit they were not push overs

I will never forget entropy zero 2 for letting me fight with these guys. I just let him goof up some rebels while I guard Wilson's door unlocking tricks.

I gotta admit, the Hunter's are definitely one of my favorite enemies in any FPS game-they'd feel right at home in any of the later Doom games. It feels like interacting with them is interesting with nearly any weapon. They can survive a lot of punishment, can rapidly run around, but their attacks can be avoided and they can flinch from some of your attacks... And, yeah, the way they're designed to interact around the Source engine is just perfect. It feels like every encounter you have with them can be really unique and expressive on your part, but they still provide a healthy challenge.

When I first played ep2, that final boss was the most fun I have had in a source game. The constant struggle of the hunters combined with the alarm as the striders get closer to the base makes it all the more immersive and downright fun. Hunters were the one light enemy that you couldn't melt through and it made fighting more than one so fun.

Not to mention their looks were designed so good that it still holds up after 15 years. Example are the Blue Eyes short

Hunters were always my favorite half life enemy, so seeing them get some love is more than welcome.

Hunters have always been the most dope synth. Attacking in packs, charging the player, and able to be taken down in tons of ways. This is pretty much what makes episode 2 so memorable for me

Great video, I was skeptical of the premise when I saw the title, but you did remind me how gratifying it felt to fight them. It was one of the enemies that made you feel like you were fighting a competent match for your abilities. Great video!

I love the eerie sounds they make. They're a little on the spongey side but if there's objects lying around for the gravity gun it's fun.

Definitely a fan of the cascade videos. Keep them coming!

Love these videos man, keep the cascade content coming if you can!

Hunters have always been kind of fascinating to me, they sort of represent HL2 taking another crack at a more "alien" type enemy comparable to the majority of the Xen forces of HL1, and a much appreciated presence given how badly HL2 started out with kinda cramming enemy variety down to just Combine human/human shaped soldiers, Antlions, and the Headcrab crew, and lord knows the Headcrab crew really can't hold out as a main combat force for the life of it despite how badly the game wants you to believe otherwise (The additions of Zombines in Episode 1 definitely helps with the threat, even if not with the variety). It definitely doesn't work out as a straight 1:1 comparison, but I also kinda find them to be HL2's answers to the Alien Grunt (Really wish them and the Controllers had gotten actual names eventually like the Vorts but oh well), being a sort of heavier shock trooper for the game to pull out on you, not quite being outright bosses like the Gargs or Striders, but definitely being noticeably bullet spongier than their other comrades (The Hunter's comedic weakness to the Gravity Gun aside, although I feel even that's a pretty good design choice, as it's one of the few times I actually felt motivated to waste time pulling out the Grav Gun for actual combat instead of just using it to spare ammo on the Headcrab crew)

YESSS CASCADE IS BACK love this so much, please be making more

How I've missed your content brother, I'm so glad you are back

I was absolutely terrified of them when I played Episode Two for the first time. The sudden change of pacing caught me off guard.

Back as a kid, these used to be my favorite Half Life enemies of all time, and before then it as the Headcrabs and Zombies.

I just really hate how they die easily to a slow tap from a car.

thanks ill never look at a hunter the same way now

oh my god that armed wolf at 6:23 xD 🤣😂😂

I can definitely see the hunters being related to the striders in that they come from the same planet and likely belong to the same Class, Superclass or at least Phylum (ancestral traits for hunters & striders including 3 legs and armor/exoskeleton) like how humans are related to dogs and lizards (ancestral traits including 4 limbs and an endoskeleton).

I've only just clicked the video but yes. The first hunter you encounter shows how dangerous the Half-Life world is when Gman isn't watching over you. It almost killed Alyx & Gordon in under 2 seconds with one attack & didn't even spend any of the ammo its body freely produces. Which explodes.

Never thought there was even new cascade video loved those video hope you bring them back

They're a veritable recipe of excellence in creature design: Begin with the prominent, weaponized false eyes - straight out of the insect kingdom; add the tripedal limbs of a martian war machine; salt with simian mannerisms in their movement, musculature & vocalisations; all unified in a sleek, singular iteration of the earlier Combine's biomechanical aesthetic. That's to say nothing of how mechanically satisfying they are to fight.

I'm glad that you touched on them being the best monsters in HL2 purely because they're the only ones that are as fun to fight as the enemies in 1

Great video as always!

I wish there were more alien enemies, and not just more humans who backstab their own kind

8:28 That’s honestly just what game development is like. The “finished” product is better than what was invisioned (if they get there) because cool things that aren’t obvious at the start become staples at the end

4:39 I would argue that the antlions unpredictability makes them extremely fun to fight against imo.

The Hunter always where cool to me, and they’re sounds are great and how the fight you make it feel like they are even in power with you (but no because rockets and AR2) they fit it with Combine monsters but stick out in way that’s fair and fun. Good video btw

This video really changed my view on the hunters design. It neven crossed my mind that you could use the flechette's agianst them with a physics objeckt. But it seems obvious now, they even have a timer untill exploding. Most of the time the grav-gun is just used for style in my yearly playthroughs. To my own fault maybe, but using the other rifels seemed like the path of least resistance. Now i see that the weapon that was always in the fore front of the enemies design. Great video, makes me appreciate my favorite series even more.

there is nothing more fun than the last battle against 4 striders and a bunch of hunters you driving like a madman just to destroy them

I also love how they create an almost horror like atmosphere, because after they're introduced, sometimes you'll hear them calling to eachother in the distance. And when you're hiding in the house with Alyx, you can hear the calls getting louder until one starts walking around directly above you. It's a great use of a new enemy to make the players feel helpless, especially because up until that point, the player has never had a chance to fight one.

The adrenaline rush of a hunter charging at you as you deal a killing blow with your shotgun, causing it to fall just in front of your face is what made me realize how cool these guys are

Entropy zero 1 hunter is possesed by a powerful vort enclave and thats why you are fighting it, hence the green fletchet orbs.

I've replayed half life multiple times growing up. These adaptation videos brought me joy.

I love your edits

The thing that always sticked with me about Hunters was the sound of the projectile blowing up and sfx that it does. Until this day I'm eager to see if anyone can make an enemy so impressive as the hunter

entropy zero kind of creates a neat gameplay arc of the hunters if you treat it and its sequel as two parts of a gearbox style expansion set that takes place alongside the hl2ep3 we never got. Ep1: You're introduced to them in a semi-mysterious way Ep2: You fight them in increasingly more complex setpieces EZ1: You fight a vortigaunt hacked miniboss version of them EZ2: You get to team up with a Hunter as your combat ally and reenact that scene from Episode 1 It feels like a good escalation and turn when you stack them all up like that.

Man I can't wait for you to review Half life 3 when it comes out. Will be good entertainment in my retirement home.

welcome back!

Comrades, we have been blessed with another cascade episode

You know I never thought to use the gravity gun to fight hunters, I kind of forgot about the gravity gun until the end of 2 and the beginning of episode 1

hunters is like the stalkers from half life 2 beta seeing them watching you was pretty scary when i first played epistle 2

If there ever is a HL3 or whatever other way of continuing the series, I'd love to see more interesting enemy designs like this guy, and of course see a return of the Hunters.

Half-life pre-release moment intro never gets old.

Bro, I literally agree, sometimes I even think that the cutest creatures in this game😂😂😂😂😂😂🥰😭🥲🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤❤❤❤

Hunters will always be one of my favorite synth enemy in the entry I always find it how challenging they can be in combat I will always, remembers my first encounter with them back in the Orange box days.

If only the us government prevented valve from giving children gambling addictions so we could have seen the hunters again.

When I first played ep2 I missed the hints that you where being stalked by the hunters and I thought Alyxs injury’s came out no were but on second play through I finally noticed them and it was really cool

Glad the Hunters are getting the attention they deserve. Dapper!

Great video :) People don’t talk about hunters enough.

I feel like they might be called ministriders in episode one because maybe the combine genetically modified striders to be more mobile and be taken to places of resistance much faster

"Where have ya been boy !? Nice to see your still taking out the trash!"

Some random lore about the hunter:the hunter is a baby version of the steider that can't grow up perfectly So they grew shells and other things when they are small they are more light so they move around fast

Cascade is backkk!!!!!

Aw hell yeah, new Cascade ep. Hey if it gets hard for content it's OK if you need to spin off into CS/L4D/other Source or Valve games. It's a tangential area to bits of knowledge I know you are well-versed in and enjoy this style of content and your method of delivery. Cheers m8.

Hell yeah. Hunters are my favorite enemies too. I even have an artwork of them as my wallpaper.

10:33 The reason why you fight the hunter in entropy: zero was that the hunter got possessed, by a vortigaunt (that's why its green then a shiny blue)

They were the toughest foe in Ep 2, but the funniest one too

1:06 Don't play with yer food. 4:26 The HECU from HL1 were more challenging because they changed up their tactics-go-nuts. 5:58 Let's see if they can Dodge the Charger (heh). They totally can, but only if they time it right. 6:35 The hot rod is the best way to deal with them during the final battle-go-nuts. 10:10 Xen grunts from HL1 were only vulnerable to small arms fire on non-armored parts of their body. That could work the same for Hunters. When using ordinary guns, shot placement would be the deciding factor-go-nuts.

they can eat buckshot at point blank, are extremely fast and shoot darts that will stick onto you and explode, these things are absolutely terrifying

I think there was a mod called "MAHM" or something that had you working with a friendly hunter. It's short but very cool in my opinion.

Finally a new video.

My guy used use an example of just 2 shotgunners rushing him down and bringing him to a third of his HP as an example of bad AI

Good video, but I'd still say the HECU are more fun to fight. It's just so damn satisfying to take out a squad of them one at a time.

Wow I never even though about using the gravity gun against the hunters like that. I think you should do a video about the Tentacles, they have a whole chapter dedicated to them and they appear in Opposing Force and Alyx (according to the wiki, I can't find any video and I don't have the game) yet they are barely talked about.

I wanna see these guys in vr they would be so intimidating and fun to go against

finally they getting the recognition they deserve

I remember having to drastically change my playstyle because of the pure amount of hunters in the final battle of episode 2

The Half life 2 enemies are actually extremely smart and coordinated. They just seem stupid because gordon is a bullet sponge and they are super innacurate. They actually use real squad tactics and have more advanced AI than every modern day shooter I've played.

No the best half life enemy is definitely the crabsynth which you see once on a conveyerbelt and then never again

you back man

5:42 let me stop you right there the soldier/alien grunt combat was okay…. It wasn’t anything to write home about

Those things scare the crap out of me

Combine Ai is great, problem is flat maps

When i played episode 2, i had no clue about the physics object thing working on hunters lol

i first played through episode 2 this summer, literally in the same sitting as episode 1 and the hunters were absolutely terrifying. Especially for their sound design. No other sounds can make me feel so uncomfortable the instant i even think about it coming. (also this video just taught me i could have been using the gravity gun to kill them, ngl i was just killing them by switching weapons like it was fucking ultrakill)

Its been years since i played HL2 but i remember hating hunters for how bullet spongie they where

something else i like is that you can use their own attacks against them - which i didn't even think of until i noticed it was an achievement (too used to modern games not really utilizing physics lol). it's kinda hard and not all that effective, but it's still neat. I love when games do stuff like that.