Portal 11-17

I noticed two major differences between test chambers 00-10 and 11-17: there was a noticeable increase in difficulty and a decrease in GLADOS’s cognitive function. The former is to be expected as this is the case with most games, but with the Portal being a physics based game, the gameplay itself didn’t just get harder: the physics based principles did as well. Instead of just having to shoot a portal into a wall to end up on a ledge across the room, more difficult scenarios arose. For example, more instances occurred that required shots with the portal gun to be made while in motion (either falling or otherwise) which effectively made the mechanics more challenging. Other new challenges arose as well.

Even from the beginning of the game it is apparent that GLADOS both figuratively and literally has a few screws loose. As the game progresses, GLADOS’s statements, comments, and insults become less and less sensical but more aggressive. This is accompanied by an increase in the danger in the environment. In this new set of test chambers, a new obstacle is introduced to the test chambers: killer robots. I believe this gradual increase in difficulty is going to continue to grow and I am intrigued to see exactly where Portal’s creators did next.

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Wogan Snyder
Categories: Uncategorized

6 Responses

Micaela Willoughby says:

October 21, 2018 at 2:31 pm

RIGHT! Something sinister is definitely going on! Not that I wasn’t expecting that, but the shift in mood… it’s actually a little scary! I don’t remember the chamber number off the top of my head, but it was one with killer robots and the cubes needed to combat them were place in front of a break in the wall (one of the panels pushed away)… and in that dark room (marked by a black handprint) was a bunch of writing. “The cake is a lie. It’s a lie” type stuff. Creepy. I’m really scared for Chell…
James Bachmann says:

October 21, 2018 at 4:04 pm

Yeah, it seems as the game progresses, she is breaking down with it. As Glados further malfunctions, the maps themselves seem to take on the disfunction personality of Glados. Like, on the killer turret map, she addresses you as an android, saying “Well done, android. The Enrichment Center once again reminds you that android hell is a real place where you will be sent at the first sign of defiance.”. It is weird and off putting, but a great add to the game.
Joseph Sterling says:

October 21, 2018 at 6:50 pm

In terms of the difficulty, Portal emulates real life. Not in the whole sociopathic, glitchy A.I. that insults you, but in how physics works, not just the actual PHYSICS of the game, but how, as the game goes on, the base mechanics don’t change, you just have to apply the mechanics in new and interesting ways.

As for the killer robots, at the being of the chamber, GLaDOS says something about the actual chamber being broken, and you being placed into a chamber designed for military purposes. This “explains” the rapid increase in the number of bullets in the stage compared to others, and why she refers to you as “android” at the end. The fact that this situation arose in the first place does lend, possibly even more so, to how broken and hateful the A.I is.

In some of the chambers, there are secret rooms that hint more and more at how messed up Aperture Science and GLaDOS are.
Ahsan Ahmad says:

October 21, 2018 at 7:58 pm

I really like how the game is a mini physics simulator with the way the puzzles are designed. I agree with your point about the exponentially increasing difficulty level. Even the first half of Chambers 11-17 seemed intuitive enough but the latter part just got out of hand with the challenges. As for GLaDOS, the vibe I get from her is like a monitoring AI that can not exactly limit or kill us, but tries to using the puzzles. In that case, her increasing disdain for us could be because we’re getting closer to finishing the challenge. She might be hoping internally that we get stuck and die but we keep progressing.

On a sidenote, did anyone else go in the pipe room in Chamber 15 and see the signs that were on the wall? “The cake is a lie” etc. Something’s fishy for sure
Hyewon Hong says:

October 21, 2018 at 9:39 pm

I don’t know if GLADUS is fully breaking down or simply becoming more transparent in her threats and motivations. I think the chamber that really hammers it in for me was the companion cube, especially when we are forced to euthanize it. We spend the test chamber with the “companion cube” and GLADUS encouages us to empathize with it before effectively killing it. Obviously something is not right, and I am excited to find out what.
Shanay Amin says:

October 22, 2018 at 12:03 pm

I really enjoy the fact that as the game progresses GLADUS also digresses, the notable decrease in her AI abilities seems like it alludes to something that will happen in the future which I, as a first time player, am extremely excited to see. I thought the rooms got a lot harder from the jump from 12 to 13. The sudden increase in difficulty for me did take me aback. It is still fun to play and does test my intellectual abilities.