Portal
Description official description
Aperture Science is a secret weapons research organization in competition with Black Mesa. Chell is a test subject at the "Enrichment Center" facility who awakens to find an A.I. construct called GlaDOS requiring some tasks to be completed. They are testing the Aperture Handheld Portal Device (aka Portal Gun) which is able to create portals in space, allowing Chell to move from one point to another without actually crossing the distance. Chell is promised cake should she be able to overcome the obstacles and perform the necessary tests.
She has to use her new gun to fling, jump and fall her way through 19 puzzles. These include obstacles but also androids that fire at her. Although the game is played as a first-person shooter, a large amount of strategy and puzzle-solving is involved. After completing the game, two additional game modes become available: Challenge where the game needs to be completed in either as little time, as few footsteps, or as few portals as possible. The other mode is Advanced, where levels are made harder through additional obstacles.
Portal is set in the Half-Life universe and it is considered the spiritual successor to Narbacular Drop, some of whose original developers worked on this game. The Windows game can be bought stand-alone, while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions are only available in The Orange Box.
Spellings
- ポータル - Japanese spelling
- 포털 - Korean spelling
Groups +
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Credits (Windows version)
171 People (164 developers, 7 thanks) · View all
Reviews
Discussion
| Subject | User | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Free until May 25th, 2010! (on Steam) | Patrick Bregger (286790) | 2010-05-23 04:19:09 |
| Valve re-writes the ending. | Starbuck the Third (22659) | 2010-03-05 22:04:32 |
| Steam can't so I can't play | Arachia Botanical | 2009-11-20 04:40:24 |
| Incorrectly grouped | vedder (66398) | 2009-02-17 15:38:17 |
| The Device Has Been Modified | xroox (3893) | 2009-01-17 17:37:22 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Portal appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
German version
In some German versions, the colour of blood was changed to grey.
GLaDOS
According to a boardroom projection in the game, GLaDOS stands for Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System.
Awards
- Eurogamer (UK)
- December 28, 2009 - Game of the Year 2007* Games for Windows Magazine
- March 2008 - #1 Game of the Year 2007 (PC Game Awards)* GameSpy
- 2007 – Best Puzzle Game of the Year
- 2007 – Best Character of the Year (for GlaDOS)
- 2007 – Best Sidekick of the Year (for The Weighted Companion Cube)
- 2011 – #8 Top PC Game of the 2000s
- GameStar (Germany)
- March 28, 2008 - Most Innovative Game Mechanics in 2007
Information also contributed by jean-louis and LepricahnsGold.
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Related Sites +
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A Piece of Cake
An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of <em>Portal</em> (May, 2010). -
ApertureScience
website of the fictional Aperture Science company with an alternate reality game -
Design Language: The Portal Paradoxes
<moby developer="Noah Falstein">Noah Falstein</moby> presents a comprehensive design critique of Portal - from intro to 'Still Alive'. -
MacGamer Review
A review of the Mac version of <em>Portal</em> by the news and review site, MacGamer (May 18th, 2010). -
Portal Is for lesbians
A look at the female cast and the influence on the theme, on Heroine Sheik (17th October 2007) -
Portal flash pack
A pack of custom maps for the game, based on the unofficial 2D flash version. -
Wikipedia: Portal
Article in the open encyclopedia
Identifiers +
- MobyGames ID: 30616
- Steam App: 400
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Dakota Bob.
Android added by GTramp. Linux added by Sciere. Macintosh added by Kabushi.
Additional contributors: PCGamer77, Sciere, Foxhack, Zeppin, lee jun ho, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, Harmony♡.
Game added October 16th, 2007. Last modified February 22nd, 2023.