The game Portal is something I’ve wanted to play for awhile now. I kept hearing different reactions and wanted to be the judge of it myself. I’ve heard one person exclaim it was one of the best games ever made, while a friend of mine says it’s one of the worst. So out of curiosity, I downloaded the demo back when I first got my Xbox 360. It is just now I picked up the Xbox Live Arcade version: Portal: Still Alive.
In case you didn’t know, Portal: Still Alive follows the adventures of a silent protagonist named Chell (supposedly) who is a test subject [prisoner] in the Aperture Science Research Center. Her job is simple: test a portal gun with the promise of cake and counseling. All this takes place while she’s being cajoled and antagonized by a sentient computer by the name of GLaDOS. This can only end poorly, right?
There are no cutscenes and no other characters. Well, unless you count the Companion Cube. The environments all look clean and sterile. Balls of electricity fly around, and landing them in the proper place is necessary. Electrified floors hinder progress. Acid baths are waiting for those who miss calculated jumps. Portals are necessary to move from one section of the center to another. Yep, there is no doubt this game takes place in a research laboratory. As such, it’s hard not to wonder how much of the center was intended by its builders and how much GLaDOS created herself.
All of this is seen completely from the first-person perspective, just like any other shooter. However, you don’t have a real gun at your disposal. Instead, you can create portals once you pick up one of the portal guns. These portals do not teleport you anywhere you like; you have to create a link between two places to move back and forth to reach your goals. Thus, the game is less of an action game — and there are plenty of action-intense moments — and more of a think-before-you-act type of game. It’s more about the strategy involved than actually having the twitching finger dexterity to do the required task. Giant red buttons need to be held down with boxes, electricity needs to reach a receptacle, turrets need to be avoided (at least GLaDOS didn’t name them “Abner!”) and you need to use the portals to fling yourself across distances. Each level builds upon the last. Most of the time, the solution is quickly apparent. Other times, it takes a few moments.
As such, one quickly can tell this game was meant for the PC. The right analog stick isn’t as equipped as a mouse to handle quick and precise movement of the camera. There was one puzzle that had me “jumping” in and out of a portal to reach the top of the area. It was tricky setting up the “shots” because the camera would change perspective every time I entered a portal.
From the sound design perspective, it’s pretty darn good. The music is mostly ambiance and perfectly sets up the dystopian atmosphere. Footsteps are heard as you walk across the surfaces. The portal gun sounds electrified. What truly shines is GLaDOS’ voice. It’s perfectly mechanically deadpan, heavily peppered with sarcasm. It’s her voice that helps sell the atmosphere. When she isn’t heard, such as in the challenge chambers, it feels odd.
If there is a problem with the game, it is simple: It’s short. Way too short. It takes no more than two hours to complete the main campaign. Once it’s all said and done, there’s little reason to return other than to gain achievements. It doesn’t help the admission fee is high: 1,200 Microsoft points. This translates to about $15.
As such, I hesitate a bit in recommending Portal: Still Alive. There is no doubt in my mind about the quality of Portal. It’s a well-oiled machine that does an excellent job of keeping the player interested from start to finish. However, it’s far too short. And the cliffhanger leaves as many questions as the game answers during the story. Folks who like FPS games may not be satisfied with it as it is more about puzzle solving than fast movement. It is the latter reason I have enjoyed it so much. If you can find this game for about $5, then that is the perfect reason to take a look at one of the most unique games to be created in years. How about that for a portal of gaming?
