Half-Life with the TikTok narrator is as disturbing as you'd expect

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Half-Life mod TikTok Transit is exactly what it sounds like

Half-Life
(Image credit: Valve)

A Half-Life modder has redubbed the voice lines in the intro for Valve's storied shooter using TikTok's auto-generated text-to-speech narrator, and it is equal parts appropriate and cursed. 

As PC Gamer spotted, modder TheFloofierLove recently uploaded the aptly named TikTok Transit to GameBanana, splicing a little bit of our own technological landscape into the prophetic world of Half-Life. With the de facto voice of TikTok overseeing Black Mesa's tram system, you can finally live out a modernized scientific dystopia – you know, one where you can actually do something about it on account of being Gordon Freeman.  

"Good morning, and welcome to the Black Mesa transit system. This automated train is provided for the security of the Black Mesa research facility personnel," the uncanny TikTok android woman says in a sample clip for the mod, somehow nailing a sterile laboratory tone that the app's text-to-speech function explicitly wasn't designed for. 

"Why does this exist?" this modder says of their own creation, echoing my immediate reaction to this inexplicably fitting mod. "Because I got bored and found out that you don't actually need TikTok to generate the voice clips." 

Boredom: the mother of countless great mods. You can try this mod by simply dropping its folder into Half-Life's main Valve folder, then accessing it under custom games. TheFloofierLove notes that they've only tested it with Xash3D, so your mileage with the GoldSrc version of the game may vary. 

Speaking of weird Half-Life mods that somehow work: Half-Life: Year of the Dragon drops old Gordon for Spyro the dragon, and it looks incredible in motion. 

Austin Wood
Austin Wood
Senior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.