PC Gamer - UK (2021-12)

it feels like thelevelsshouldhave
opened up toyou,theleveldesign
still feels coldandhostile.Youhaveto
wait for platformstocometoyou,for
timers to align,forenergypelletsto
traverse to theirdestination.Of
course it’s possibletoplayitfast

• there are bothspeedrunsfor‘fastest
  times’ and ‘fewestportals’–butthere
  are only set waysyoucanactonthe
  world. You canpressbuttons,and
  you can shootportals.Tryingtorush
  parts of the testprematurelywillat
  best fail, and atworstgetyoukilled.

Thesenseofonlybeingacogina

machineisoppressive–andwhile

themessagesarealittleoff,GlaDOS’

presenceearlyonisimpliedtobe

thatofasetofpre-recorded

messages,simplyrepresenting

ApertureScience.She’stherobotyou

talktoonthetelephonewhiletrying

tofindarealagent,ifthatrobothad

thecapacitytosnipeatyouasmuch

asyoumightwanttosnipeatit.

You’refunctionallyalone.

Increasingly,it’snotonlythe

designoftheteststhatarehostile

• inaninteriordesignsortofsense


• buttheteststhemselves.Thefloor
  inonewillkillyou,soyou’rewarned
  totrytoavoidit.Cominginto
  contactwithenergypellets,which
  pingoffatregularintervals,willalso
  killyou.Turrets,armedwith
  laser-sights,willcertainlykillyou–
  oratleastleavebloodspatteredup
  thepristinewhitewallswhileyou
  workouthowtodisarmthem.All
  thewhile,GlaDOSoffersunhelpful
  advice,butpromisestherewardof
  cakeattheotherend.Cake,andin
  oneinstance,griefcounselling.
  Eventheinterstitialspaces
  betweenlevelsarehostile,withthe
  emancipationgrillsthatdissolveany
  itemsyoutrytobringwithyou(and
  mayemancipateyourfillings,crowns,
  toothenamel,orteeth),butalsothe
  lifts,whicharenotablylinedwith
  paddedwalls.Invokingpsychiatric
  wardsisn’tmyfavouritevisual
  shorthandinhorror,particularly
  whensomeofthecanonbackground
  loreforApertureisclumsyinits

END CREDITS

The voiceofGlaDOSafterPortal

LEFT 4 DEAD

After Portal, EllenMcLain

took on the muchmore

laconic but equallyunsettling

role of the witchinLeft 4

Dead. The zombieisreadily

identified by hercries,and

her ability to ripyoutoshreds

when startled.

TURRETOPERA

McLainisalsotrainedasan

operasinger,andperformed

theariasungattheendof

Portal 2. Whilethemusic

wascomposedbyValve

composerMikeMorasky,

McLainimprovisedthe

Italianlyrics.

THECHURCHINTHE

DARKNESS

ThisseesMcLainworking

alongsideherhusbandand

fellowactor,JohnPatrick

Lowrie.Thecouplehavealso

starredinmultipleValve

gamestogether– although

notPortal.

EVENTHEINTERSTITIAL

SPACESBETWEENLEVELS

AREHOSTILE

EXTRA LIFE

NOW PLAYING I UPDATE I MOD SPOTLIGHT I HOW TO I DIARY I WHY I LOVE I REINSTALL (^) I M U S T P L A Y
‘Speedy thing
goes in, speedy
thing comes out.’
LEFT: (^) You only ever
get to see Chell
through portals like
this one.
ABOVE: If you know,
you know.
RIGHT: (^) The first of
the refuges behind
the walls.