Feature: Peeling the Orange - part 1 (360)

Not too long ago, a freeware game named Narbacular Drop arrived on the PC. Devised by a small team of graduates, it showcased the intriguing technology of player-controlled 'portals'. Portals have been used in games for many years, often as shortcuts to level design or to cram impossible spaces into small geometry, but this took the idea a step further. Recognising the talents of these clever youngsters, Valve snapped the team up and put them to work on a spiritual successor. The result is the aptly-named Portal.

Portal is an odd little game. Built on the source engine, it almost looks like a Half-Life 2 mod at first glance. In fact, that's not far from the truth, but initially it plays out as a simple puzzle game set across a number of challenging rooms. Instead of a weapon, you're given the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, a 'gun' of sorts that fires man-sized wormholes at walls - two of them, in fact - and they're connected to each other as you'd expect a wormhole to be. Fire one opening across a room and the other next to you, and you can cross the distance immediately, bypassing the space between both portals.

After your character wakes up from suspended animation in a laboratory, you are told by a computer voice where to go and what to do. It seems somehow you have found yourself in a strange facility and must undergo a number of 'tests', like a rat in a maze. All is not as it seems, however, as there is no-one else around and the computer seems to be malfunctioning. This adds a very uneasy tension to proceedings; you are never sure if what the computer is telling you is the truth or something to try and see how you react under pressure. Portal remains somewhat enigmatic throughout, and certain things (such as who you are and why you are here) are never really explained. It all helps to add to the atmosphere as you try to work out some wonderfully-designed puzzles.

The portal gun is a miraculous thing. Though the concept is simple, there is a lot of depth involved in its use. Far from being about sticking an entry door on a low level and then an exit door on a high level, you are often asked to think and act quickly to change portal placement and your own momentum. Yes, forward motion is a very important thing here; quite often you will have to fall through a portal a number of times to build up your forward motion, which requires expert placement of both portals. It sounds a little odd but once you have the concept understood, it becomes highly addictive. The main game itself lasts just a couple of hours or so, but, once completed, a number of additional challenges and advanced maps open up which may well have you pulling your hair out.

The world of Portal, the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, has a nice clean, clinical look that, despite its 'sterility', has a charm all of its own and fits the setting perfectly. There are also little hints as to what is actually going on and how the game relates to the Half-Life universe subtly tucked away. Beneath the casual cheerful laboratory experiments, there is a disturbing undercurrent which doesn't fully reveal itself until the completely off-the-rails ending. Throughout the 19 test chambers, your un-named character remains mute; your objectives (and what there is of the narrative) is communicated by the real star of the show - the computer voice, GlaDOS. It's clear from the start that she has a screw loose, but her comments are hilarious and a little disturbing. She explains situations to you in a blasé matter-of-fact way, describing lethal dangers casually and promising the reward of 'cake' when the tests are over.

Portal is a small but very 'complete' package of invention and innovative game design which, apart from a slightly overcooked last section, is remarkably clever and fun to play. You cannot help but think that the portal gun will be making a more prominent appearance in the Half-Life world at some point, but Gamestyle is not sure if this is a recipe for success. The whole concept works so well in its current format and, given the choice, we would probably take more portal levels than puzzles based on its application to the 'real' world. The other thing to consider is that a portal gun in the hands of Gordon Freeman would necessitate being able to see himself, something that Valve appear to shy away from in the Half-Life games. Portal has given Valve a remarkable amount of freedom to develop the ideas here, and hopefully push them further in future.

Even if Portal was released on its own, Gamestyle would highly recommend it. It is focused and great fun to play with lots of moments that require clever thinking to overcome. It is more than worthy of being a part of the Orange Box collection and may well surprise a few people not expecting much from it. For a full run-down of the Orange Box, wait for Gamestyle's final verdict.

Click here to read part 2 of this feature

Words by Gareth Chappell