Valve fixes silly Half-Life bug 25 years after launch

Fans have noticed that a goofy animation error in the original Half-Life has finally been fixed in the 25th anniversary update, which launched on Nov. 20.

25 years is a long time to wait for a bug fix, but it’s a welcome one regardless since what was probably meant to be a harrowing scene turned out unintentionally funny back when Half-Life launched in 1998. During the game’s Blast Pit level, there’s a moment where a scientist is smacked into a wall by a giant alien tentacle before being grabbed and dragged away.

However, the animations weren’t synced up properly and the tentacle pulls back before the scientist moves, making the scientist float through the air. Seeing him flap his arms and legs in panic makes it look like he’s flying after the tentacle, which is more amusing than terrifying.

The anniversary update fixes this, and as demonstrated by Twitter user Vinícius Medeiros, the tentacle now properly takes hold of the scientist before pulling him away, restoring the scene’s original intent. It may not sound like a big deal but, judging by some of the responses, fans are still happy to see it be fixed all these years later.

I’m amazed it took this long to fix. Always cracked me up seeing that

— Jacket (@0xJacket) November 23, 2023

finally! After years of staying up being slightly bothered by it. pic.twitter.com/ZI52sOpcjt

— Sportskeeda Gaming (@skesportsgaming) November 23, 2023

It’s so cursed to see it work as intended, after so many years of it being broken.

— Mauricio Jara 🦃 (@mauricio_here) November 23, 2023

oh my god they fixed it, I remember seeing the scene in the documentary and it was still bugged out lol

— Minerkey (@Minerkey1) November 23, 2023

This is by no means the only thing the update changed. As Valve explained in a Steam post from Nov. 17, it includes alterations to the gameplay and UI, updated graphics settings, and Steam Deck support so you can play Half-Life on the go. There is even entirely new content, such as four additional multiplayer maps, plus a documentary featuring the original development team. It’s almost worth buying just for how cheap it is, with Valve offering it for less than a dollar until Nov. 28.