When it came to the last chambers in Portal they became increasingly troublesome for me. Perhaps it’s due to my lack of experience playing games like this and the fact that I was a poor student in physics. In these chambers I found the multiple rooms and halls to be a confusing aspect. It became very time consuming for me because it seemed some rooms that I explored had no benefits but were just there. This portion got very complex for me and the number of incorrect portals I was creating was getting out of hand. Additionally, I was forced to look away from the screen from time to time due to the incredibly nauseating movement through portals. Passing through different levels was a component of chamber 18 that finally I got the hang of. Another feature of the ending levels of Portal was the incorporation of switches to complete levels. When the first dozen or so chambers weren’t so easy I feared the upcoming missions. Having to tackle multiple tasks surely took a lot of effort. The turrets added another component of difficulty and trying to guide the energy pellets took lots of focus. The timing of achieving the mission while not getting killed was not a skill I have not yet mastered!

GLaDOS in these chambers was particularly bothersome adding nothing helpful to my struggles. At first, I tried to find a “deeper meaning” in the irritating commenting, but I came to realize nothing she was saying was beneficial. Although in chamber 19 my perspective changed. GLaDOS did thank the player for participating in something along the lines of an aperture science computer activity and states “we were pretending we were going to murder you” but after that, she proceeded to claim the test was over. She then continues to tell us that we need to put the weapon down and someone will come to get us for our party due to our success.

The ending was the ultimate shock of Portal. I didn’t imagine the test center beginning to break down and suddenly ending up outdoors with the remains of the building. But the part that still confuses me is how we got rewarded with a cake. What was the cake a symbol of? Lastly, when the credits began I was taken back as the song began and my test report showed. The beat was kind of catchy but the lyrics of the song were defiantly questionable.