10 Things You Didn't Know About Half-Life

2. The Gonarch Boss Fight Really Is Inspired By Testicles

barnacles half life
Valve

Ever fought the Gonarch in Half-Life?

The last phase of the Head Crab is a weird-looking enemy, that's for sure. In fact, you probably looked at it and thought, 'yup, that looks like a giant testicle on four legs.'

Well, you're exactly right. The Gonarch, in all its testicular glory, is fully intended to be just what you think it is.

Gabe Newell has went on record that during the development of this boss, someone at Half-Life simply said: "Why don't we put a giant testicle on a 20-foot tall armoured spider?" Despite some internal friction as to the boss's graphic nature, Gabe Newell absolutely loved it and insisted that it was kept in for the final release.

The name Gonarch is even allegedly inspired by what it sounds like. The 'Gona' section is believed to reference the term gonad, while the 'rch' section is believed to represent a monarch, due to the status of the monster being basically head of the head crabs.

So yes, Gonarch could be more accurately described as a Testicle King or queen. Lovely.

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Dan Curtis is approximately one-half videogame knowledge, and the other half inexplicable Geordie accent. He's also one quarter of the Factory Sealed Retro Gaming podcast.