I know you tried to burn me in a pit of fire, and I maaaay have destroyed you by throwing your cores into fire instead, but you made me throw Companion Cube into a pit of fire first. I'm noticing you may have an obsession with fire. I think we can call it even. So how about some of that cake, huh? STOP HIDING IT!
Also, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LEGS?!
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| AND I CAN MOVE THINGS WITH MY MIND! But wait.. WHY NOT MY HANDS?! |
P.S. No I will not assume the Party Escort Submission Position!
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Portal!
It's a cult classic for many reasons, and I've had the pleasure of playing through it recently. One of the most interesting things about Portal is the absence of world content. Things aren't really explained to you, you're just thrown into these testing procedures with messed up legs and hands, but hey telekinesis! without really having any idea of exactly what's going on. Your only guide is some voice from an intercom, that sounds like a robot, telling you what to do next, and in some cases...
If you become light-headed from thirst, feel free to pass out. An intubation associate will be dispatched to revive you with peptic salve and adrenaline.
giving you an immense amount of comfort, letting you know that you can stop to rest at any time you want. You're not just a test subject! Aperture truly cares about your well-being, and they want you to stuff that cute little human face of yours with as much cake as you want!
"The Enrichment Center is required to remind you that you will be baked, and then there will be cake."
They even give you a best friend, who will be by your side always and will love you forever.
But if there's one thing the Aperture Science Enrichment center is great at doing, its maintaining the integrity of its testing chambers.
But in all seriousness, as you continue through the game, you slowly peel back the layers of this place and realize that something might be very wrong. The voice on the intercom keeps saying strange things that make you feel like you are just a hunk of meat moving through a test. The ultimate motivation is a piece of cake that the intercom keeps reminding you is at the end of everything. While funny, the voice has much more threatening undertones, making you feel like you might be moving toward some ultimate doom. But why? Why are you here? Who is this voice? What is happening to you? There are no answers within the game itself. There are only small hints that something terrible may have happened at one point in time. One of the first clues that something may be amiss, aside from the voice, is that not every level is in pristine shape. The under workings of some levels are made visible. There's one spot in particular...
...in which everything starts to become a bit more focused. You are a rat running in a maze with fancy technology. It was at this point that I freaked the hell out in my original play through. The narrator cracked me up, and I did start to feel like something was wrong, BUT THEN THE CAKE IS A LIE! and now you know where that annoying meme came from. It's when the true nature of Aperture Science starts to be seen. Everything outside of the courses look dilapidated, like something out of the later 80s or 90s. Every glimpse you get outside of the testing chambers looks industrial and looks far less flashy than the interiors. Most importantly, it feels dirty.
But one of the most disconcerting things are the windows that look into each testing chamber. You can see chairs, desks, computers and even television screens... but no one is there.
Something happened, but why are you being forced through the place? What is going on. It's the dark underbelly of Portal that makes it so exciting. It's the understatement of its environment and world that allow us to be sucked in further in later playthroughs, and, I would argue, it is what has allowed Portal to have such a massive cult following.
Something classic attached to Portal is the Companion Cube.
Essentially, you are given this cube. The voice from the intercom tells you that it is inanimate, so it can't speak, but just in case it does, don't listen to it. Also, if it threatens to attack you, know that it can't attack you, and be sure to disregard all else it says. But just remember that it can't speak, so don't worry about all of that other stuff. But if it does speak, just ignore it.
Completely hilarious in every playthrough, but if you stop and think about, why is that advice necessary? Is something else going on? Then there are the pictures and the writing later in the level, with the Companion Cube pasted on the faces of other people. Very strange, and incredibly creepy, but hey, it's just a cube right? THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BURN IT WITH FIRE?!
I'd like to think that the Companion Cube level is just as a means to break the tester psychologically. There's this object, and if you tell someone it can't do anything, they'll laugh it off or think that you're crazy. However, if you're stuck in nothing but testing chambers with zero human contact, and someone tells you that it can't do anything, your brain may be starved enough for attention to think that the object can. In your isolated paranoia, you think they want to hide it. So you go through this level with this cube and it's cute little pink heart. You are probably talking to it, chatting it up, maybe even getting a little romantic, and then you have to BURN IT WITH FIRE! You are forced to go through the emotional trauma of throwing the cube into flames. You don't leave it on the floor and walk away. You have to euthanize it. The level is meant to break the tester psychologically. Or it might be stuffed with a human body or something. What does that say about Aperture? They are all kinds of messed up.
We have no idea what Chell, the protagonist of the game, thinks as this is happening because... well.. she doesn't talk, conceited jerkface but for weaker minded individuals, it may have been enough to destroy whatever was left of their sanity, or even their humanity. Is there a chance that previous testers may have decided to plummet down into the flames beside their beloved cube, devastated by having to kill their one and only friend? Who knows, but Portal allows for that kind of speculation.
The game cleverly balances out this dark undertone with the voice of GLaDOS, who is quirky and unintentionally hilarious. For those unfamiliar, I have have given away a wee too much, but the game really is something unique to experience. Reading about it is much different than playing through it. I super suggest it! The game is a simple puzzle game, which uses a unique portal system that you must use to solve the puzzles. No puzzle was overwhelming difficult for me.
I started grabbing the radios on my second playthrough because I remembered some sort of achievement for them on Steam. In my first playthrough, I thought they were strange but adorable. First, I started by trying to destroy these them. Mwahaha! I totally thought that was what I had to do! Turns out, you need to take it to a specific spot on the map. They belt out an up tempo version of the song used for the end credits of them game but then you find the right spot, the little red light turns green and the music changes into various things. Mainly static, a weird oscillating noise, or beeps or the screams of a thousand llamas.
At first, I thought this might be a hint to what is going on outside of the Aperture facility, so I got anxious about finding the right spot for each one and hoping that I'd get some information at some point or an emergency radio broadcast. Then I decided to look at the wiki to see just exactly what was going on. As it turns out, the radios have a Morse code signal that, when deciphered, would lead you to promotional materials for Portal 2. Naturally, I was incredibly disappointed, but it is an added challenge for those who like... challenges. Can you get every single one?
I do know that Portal is connected to Half-Life, but since I've yet to play Half-Life, I'm not terribly sure about the connection. Who can say what is happening outside those walls, but we certainly will not find out. At least not yet.
The funnest part of the game, aside from GLaDOS, is playing with the Portal and trying out the physics. I was obsessed with it during my first playthrough. My second? Not so much. I payed attention to how the game laid the environment and world out. So I remember trying things like...
"The Enrichment Center is required to remind you that you will be baked, and then there will be cake."
They even give you a best friend, who will be by your side always and will love you forever.
 |
| He's just a bit cold. Don't worry one bit! |
But if there's one thing the Aperture Science Enrichment center is great at doing, its maintaining the integrity of its testing chambers.
I wonder what's in there!  |
| Oh. MY. LLAMA!
Aperture Science displays the art therapy of previous testers! Well, that's just swell. See? They love you!
|
But in all seriousness, as you continue through the game, you slowly peel back the layers of this place and realize that something might be very wrong. The voice on the intercom keeps saying strange things that make you feel like you are just a hunk of meat moving through a test. The ultimate motivation is a piece of cake that the intercom keeps reminding you is at the end of everything. While funny, the voice has much more threatening undertones, making you feel like you might be moving toward some ultimate doom. But why? Why are you here? Who is this voice? What is happening to you? There are no answers within the game itself. There are only small hints that something terrible may have happened at one point in time. One of the first clues that something may be amiss, aside from the voice, is that not every level is in pristine shape. The under workings of some levels are made visible. There's one spot in particular...
 |
| The cake is WHAT?! |
But one of the most disconcerting things are the windows that look into each testing chamber. You can see chairs, desks, computers and even television screens... but no one is there.
Something happened, but why are you being forced through the place? What is going on. It's the dark underbelly of Portal that makes it so exciting. It's the understatement of its environment and world that allow us to be sucked in further in later playthroughs, and, I would argue, it is what has allowed Portal to have such a massive cult following.
Something classic attached to Portal is the Companion Cube.
Essentially, you are given this cube. The voice from the intercom tells you that it is inanimate, so it can't speak, but just in case it does, don't listen to it. Also, if it threatens to attack you, know that it can't attack you, and be sure to disregard all else it says. But just remember that it can't speak, so don't worry about all of that other stuff. But if it does speak, just ignore it.
Completely hilarious in every playthrough, but if you stop and think about, why is that advice necessary? Is something else going on? Then there are the pictures and the writing later in the level, with the Companion Cube pasted on the faces of other people. Very strange, and incredibly creepy, but hey, it's just a cube right? THEN WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BURN IT WITH FIRE?!
I'd like to think that the Companion Cube level is just as a means to break the tester psychologically. There's this object, and if you tell someone it can't do anything, they'll laugh it off or think that you're crazy. However, if you're stuck in nothing but testing chambers with zero human contact, and someone tells you that it can't do anything, your brain may be starved enough for attention to think that the object can. In your isolated paranoia, you think they want to hide it. So you go through this level with this cube and it's cute little pink heart. You are probably talking to it, chatting it up, maybe even getting a little romantic, and then you have to BURN IT WITH FIRE! You are forced to go through the emotional trauma of throwing the cube into flames. You don't leave it on the floor and walk away. You have to euthanize it. The level is meant to break the tester psychologically. Or it might be stuffed with a human body or something. What does that say about Aperture? They are all kinds of messed up.
We have no idea what Chell, the protagonist of the game, thinks as this is happening because... well.. she doesn't talk, conceited jerkface but for weaker minded individuals, it may have been enough to destroy whatever was left of their sanity, or even their humanity. Is there a chance that previous testers may have decided to plummet down into the flames beside their beloved cube, devastated by having to kill their one and only friend? Who knows, but Portal allows for that kind of speculation.
The game cleverly balances out this dark undertone with the voice of GLaDOS, who is quirky and unintentionally hilarious. For those unfamiliar, I have have given away a wee too much, but the game really is something unique to experience. Reading about it is much different than playing through it. I super suggest it! The game is a simple puzzle game, which uses a unique portal system that you must use to solve the puzzles. No puzzle was overwhelming difficult for me.
I started grabbing the radios on my second playthrough because I remembered some sort of achievement for them on Steam. In my first playthrough, I thought they were strange but adorable. First, I started by trying to destroy these them. Mwahaha! I totally thought that was what I had to do! Turns out, you need to take it to a specific spot on the map. They belt out an up tempo version of the song used for the end credits of them game but then you find the right spot, the little red light turns green and the music changes into various things. Mainly static, a weird oscillating noise, or beeps or the screams of a thousand llamas.
 |
| ALIEN OVERLORDS! |
 |
| I gave up holding that radio at this part. If you get here, you'll know my pain. |
The funnest part of the game, aside from GLaDOS, is playing with the Portal and trying out the physics. I was obsessed with it during my first playthrough. My second? Not so much. I payed attention to how the game laid the environment and world out. So I remember trying things like...
 |
| WEEEEE~~! Endless freefall! |
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| WHAT HAVE THEY DONE WITH MY LEGS?! If you haven't played it, PLAY IT NOW OR I WISH A POX OF VAMPIRE LLAMAS UPON YOU! If you have, tell me what you thought about the uber creepiness of the lack of information about anything outside! OR, you could leave whatever you want...since it's your comment and I can't control your brain. EXCEPT THAT I'M DOING IT RIGHT NOW! No? Aww... ok. |
I loved these games so, so much. The dialogue for GLaDOS is absolutely fantastic, both creepy and hilarious, and screwing around with portals was just so much fun. I didn't know about the radios in the first one, but I did get the ghost of ratman achievement in the faith plate part of portal 2.
ReplyDeleteThe games are fantastic :DDD GLaDOS is my favorite in the second one. Ratman is a character from a comic that heavily implies that Ratman may be the one who has scribbled the creepy things all over Aperture, and probably also the exit signs when you are trying to escape. However, within the game, the markings have no context and make it uber uber creepy when you come across them as a totally innocent test subject. Totally.
ReplyDelete