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[[File:Portal_standalonebox_8665.jpg|frame|[[Tagline|Now you're thinking with Portals.]]]]
{{quote|''{{
▲{{quote|''{{smallcaps|[[Blatant Lies|The Enrichment Center is committed to the well-being of all participants.]] [[The Cake Is a Lie|Cake]] [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick|and grief counseling]] [[I Was Told There Would Be Cake|will be available at the conclusion of the test.]] [[Department of Redundancy Department|Thank you for helping us help you help us all.]]}}''|'''GLaDOS'''}}
[[Describe Topic Here|Describe Por]]'''''{{color|#0066ff|0}}'''''
This article is about the video game entitled ''Portal''. If you are searching for portal-related tropes, please refer to [[Teleportation Tropes]].▼
The most fitting description you can have for ''Portal'' is "first-person puzzle game." Essentially, it is a [[Puzzle Game]] made in 3D with a [[First-Person Shooter]] engine, which can serve as a somewhat misleading combination.
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'''''{{color|#ffAA00|0}}'''''[[Describe Topic Here|tal here.]] [[Brick Joke|Wha? Who put that there?]]
▲
{{tropenamer}}
* [[Companion Cube]]
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]
* [[Thinking Up Portals]] (from the advertising tagline "Thinking With Portals")
{{tropelist}}
* [[Abandoned Laboratory]]: Ain't no one in the Aperture Science labs except you and GLaDOS {{spoiler|and Doug Rattmann}}.
* [[Adorable Evil Minions]]: The gun turrets.
* [[
* [[All There in the Manual]]: The Aperture Science website revealed much of the backstory.<ref>This was removed in December 2010.</ref> Then GameInformer's Portal 2 hub listed [https://web.archive.org/web/20100327072045/http://gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/24/Aperture-Science_3A00_-A-History.aspx an updated version of the history as stated in the Aperture website.] The [http://combineoverwiki.net Combine OverWiki] can also help.
** The names of GLaDOS and Chell are never stated in-game, except in the optional developer commentary. However, Chell is listed in the credits, and GLaDOS has her name on her side.
* [[Alternate Reality Game]]: On March 1, 2010, the game received a surprise patch, featuring a new achievement and a load of seemingly innocuous sound files full of static. Until someone savvy enough to know old-school technology (SSTV) found images hidden within them and [[wikipedia:File:Portal-2-ARG-SSTV-Images.png|oh bloody hell]].
* [[Ambiguously Brown]]: Chell.
* [[Arc Words]]: *warping sound* "{{
* [[Ascetic Aesthetic]]: The Enrichment Center...[[Room Full of Crazy|most of the time]].
* [[ASCII Art]]: Used in the credits to ''Portal'' as well as in the ''Portal 2'' [[Alternate Reality Game|ARG]].
* [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking]]: {{
* [[Audio Erotica]]: GLaDOS, after her morality core is destroyed. The subtitles note her voice gets lower in pitch, and sexier.
* [[Badass Abnormal]]: Doug Rattman, a schizophrenic [[Deadpan Snarker]] scientist {{spoiler|1=who was indirectly responsible for almost all the events of both games, and escaped GLaDOS to do so.}}
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* [[Bag of Spilling]]: The Emancipation Grill (also called "the fizzler") is a forcefield which is harmless to Chell and her Portal Gun, but prevents her from taking foreign objects like cubes through it, and there's one at the end of each level, which prevents you from cheating or breaking the game. Additionally, you can't shoot portals through one, and passing through erases all current portals. Many puzzles force you to circumvent Emancipation Grills creatively.
* [[Black Comedy]]: Aperture Science's approach to anything is steeped in this. So is GLaDOS's sense of humor.
* [[Blatant Lies]]: GLaDOS attempts to convince you that {{spoiler|attempting to murder you}} at the end of the testing procedure was just another test "{{spoiler|{{
* [[Blind Idiot Translation]]: At the end of a test chamber that involved momentum, GLaDOS says, "Weeeee." In the German version, she says, "Wiiiir," which is the translation of the pronoun "we."
* [[Bloodless Carnage]]: Like in ''Half-Life'', there is a cheat (one that doesn't invoke [[No Fair Cheating]]) that disables blood. Specifically, the cheat is violence_hblood 0.
* [[Body Horror]]: GLaDOS mentions offhand that the Emancipation Grill may, "{{
* [[Boss Arena Idiocy]]: GLaDOS' arena has everything you need to beat her, but it's [[Hand Wave|Hand Waved]] as being out of her control. The room was designed so that the Aperture Science employees would have a way to deal with her if she went insane.
* [[Boss Banter]]: Part of the attraction of this game is GLaDOS' hilarious banter while you're trying to destroy her.
* [[Brain Uploading]]: GLaDOS claims to have a backup of Chell on file, which she later claims to delete. Of course, she is a [[Department of Redundancy Department|lying liar who lies]], so who knows.
* [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick]]: Listen to the cake [https://web.archive.org/web/20130603061110/http://e-wot.com/2010/01/the-cake-recipe-portal/ recipe]... At least the [[Squick|less
** Also, {{
* [[Brick Joke]]/[[Call Back]]:
** The patch added one to the ending of ''Portal''. {{spoiler|{{
** A lesser Brick Joke comes in the form of one of the radios you can collect for the Transmission Received achievement. {{spoiler|1=When GLaDOS decides to kill you at the end of the last test chamber, she'll tell you that all Aperture technologies remains safely operational up to 4000 Kelvin. One of the radios is in the fire pit, still working.}}
* [[Briar Patching]]: Near the end of ''Portal'', GLaDOS tells you not to touch a certain object and, for once, it would probably be for the best if you complied (but [[Stupidity Is the Only Option]] in order to beat the game). GLaDOS actually bets on the player not trusting her and doing the opposite of what she says. Despite her double use of [[Reverse Psychology]], her intention is still pretty obvious.
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* [[The Cast Showoff]]: Ellen McLain is an operatic singer, which means she sings one hell of a credits song.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: The radio in Chell's room/cell/pod, a seemingly innocuous prop (which played an uptempo version of "Still Alive"), was given an upgrade into a myth arc/ARG prop status two years after release.
* [[Cleveland Rocks]]: [http://half-life.wikia.com/wiki/File:Borealis_plans_01.png Apparently], Portal takes place in Cleveland. Specifically, it takes place in the ''massive'', miles-deep remains of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20120505035251/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/02/07/eveningnews/main7327498.shtml real-life salt mines] near Cleveland that were, in-story, purchased by Cave Johnson back in the 40s and expanded into a gigantic labyrinth of testing and production facilities. The sequel, however, apparently [[Retcon|retcons]] this by placing the mine in Michigan.
* [[Cloudcuckoolander]]: Aperture Science CEO Cave Johnson, according to the company's [[Backstory]]. His many questionable acts include founding a shower curtain manufacturing company named Aperture Science, believing time was flowing backwards as he laid on his death bed, and deciding that developing a [[Stop Helping Me!|Heimlich Counter-Maneuver]] and creating a [[Evil Is Petty|Take-A-Wish Foundation]] were two important plans for Aperture Science's future ([[Timey-Wimey Ball|or past, as he saw it]]). Even the portal project was originally developed because, [https://web.archive.org/web/20120718024642/http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2010/03/24/aperture-science_3a00_-a-history.aspx in Johnson's own words]:
{{quote|'''Cave Johnson:'''...well, it’d be like, I don't know, something that would help with the shower curtains I guess. I haven’t worked this idea out as much as the wish-taking one.}}
* [[Collision Damage]]: Mostly averted, with a [[Hand Wave]] thanks to Chell's heel springs. Played straight with the toxic floors and energy orbs. GLaDOS even lampshades it:
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' {{
* [[Combat Stilettos]]: Played with. Chell wears a pair of heel springs in the first game to cushion very fast, very high falls in order to prevent her legs from being crushed. They're also very similar to prosthetic running feet of similar purpose.
* [[Comedic Sociopathy]]: GLaDOS' is much of what makes the game so hilarious.
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* [[Death Trap]]: GLaDOS tries one on you in the final test chamber, leading to your escape.
* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]: GLaDOS is all over this.
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' {{
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* [[Distinctive Appearances]]: The white tile surfaces you can attach portals to are significantly different in color and texture than surfaces you can't use the portals on. This is so you can view things from a distance and know what your options are.
* [[Disturbing Statistic]]:
{{quote|'''GLaDOS''': {{
* [[DVD Commentary]]: The game has an alternate play mode in which speech-bubble-shaped objects appear that are triggers for audio clips of commentary. Most of the clips are the designers talking about the process of making the game.
* [[Elaborate Underground Base]]: The Enrichment Center. The sequel shows how astoundingly elaborate it really is, and even then we don't directly see all of it. Aperture is ''huge''.
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* [[Expository Theme Tune]]: Unusually, this one is an [[Ending Theme]] rather than an opening theme.
* [[Expospeak Gag]]: The "1500 Megawatt Aperture Science Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super-Button" and "Aperture Science Thing-We-Don't-Know-What-It-Does", among others.
* [[Foreshadowing]]: {{
** {{
* [[Flat Joy]]: "Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee".
* [[For Science!]]: Aperture Science doesn't seem to be too good at considering the future implications of the gadgets they make. As the theme tune says, "We do what we must / Because we ''can''."
* [[Gaiden Game]]: To the ''Half-Life'' series. Of course, given that it involves completely original characters and the sequel has been confirmed to have nothing to do with ''Episode Three'' or ''Half-Life 3'' after all, you could also consider it a [[Backdoor Pilot]].
* [[Game Breaking Bug]]: When you're portalling your way onto the platforms over the water that will eventually lead to the incinerator room, the game saves as you go. If you fall off one of the platforms in the middle of one of the game's auto saves, you'll end up in an endless loop of respawning and dying.
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* [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]]: Only a ''few'' things in the game with glowing eyes won't try to kill you.
* [[Hello, Insert Name Here]]:
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' ''{{
** The portal gun costs as much as "the collective income and vital organs of everyone in {{
** Parodied in the audio commentary where the introduction says: "Welcome to {{
* [[Heroic Mime]]: [[Lampshaded]] by GLaDOS, naturally. Chell's lack of response to her monologues leads her to say "{{
* [[Hot Line]]: Just inside GLaDOS' chamber, prior to entering the main arena, you see a red phone. In the commentary, the developers explain that it was a hotline for scientists to use in case of an emergency with the AI. They point out that the connection cord is cut, hinting at just how effective it was.
* [[Humble Goal]]: [[Played for Laughs]]. If GLaDOS is to be believed, all Chell wants is cake. It's never revealed what she really wants, but since the game leads her to (temporarily) kill GLaDOS and escape Aperture's testing chambers, we'll assume it's that.
* [[Incompetence, Inc.]]: Aperture was not a well-run research
* [[Industrialized Evil]]: The whole maze is one giant example, with however many test subjects came before.
* [[Infant Immortality]]: Judging by the fact that GLaDOS' initial rampage took place during "Bring Your Daughter To Work Day", it's safe to assume this trope was averted.
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* [[Kick the Dog]]: You as Chell get to do this when {{spoiler|you drop the ''[[Cute Machines|adorable]]'' Curiosity Core into an incinerator.}} [[You Monster!]].
* [[Layman's Terms]]: Portals preserve momentum, or as GLaDOS puts it:
{{quote|{{
* [[Law of Inverse Recoil]]: The android turrets are easily knocked over and picked up as if they are quite light, however their guns don't seem to have much recoil - they don't tip back when they fire.
* [[Leaning on the Fourth Wall]]: GLaDOS tells the player, "{{
* [[Level Goal]]: In each of the test chambers, the elevator to the next test chamber.
* [[Long List]]: One of GLaDOS's cores lists an awful lot of "garnishes" for cake, most of which have to do with fish shapes and rhubarb. Some on fire.
* [[Lost in Transmission]]:
** GLaDOS's introductory greeting.
{{quote|{{
** Subverted later on. The (somewhat inaccurate and probably to-the-script) subtitles say, "...you will be baked *static* cake". But the audio track clearly says "...you will be baked, and then there will be cake."
** Also, when you get the portal gun...
{{quote|{{
** Levels where the player uses flinging.
** After the level where GLaDOS admits she lied to you:
{{quote|{{
* [[Lyrical Dissonance]]: "Still Alive" is certainly upbeat for a gloating song or a song about how the singer {{spoiler|was murdered, torn to pieces, and thrown into a fire.}}
* [[Madness Mantra]]: [[The Cake Is a Lie]]
* [[Mad Science]]: One kind of gets the sensation Aperture was run a little like this even before GLaDOS took over; the test rooms don't really seem to be built with "safety" or "sanity" in mind. The sequel plays this for all it's worth.
** ''{{
* [[Meaningful Name]]: Aperture means opening, hole, or gap.
* [[Minimalist Cast]]: A [[Heroic Mime]] and a [[The Voice|disembodied voice]]. That's it, besides an absent nutcase who wrote messages on the walls, an [[Companion Cube|inanimate box]] and some [[Adorable Evil Minions|automatic turrets with cute voices]].
** The web comic "Lab Rat" establishes that Rattman, the "nutcase", was actually still there. He {{spoiler|[[Downer Ending|apparently died at the end of the comic when he saved Chell from the Party Escort Bot]],}} but a particularly creepy
* [[Misapplied Phlebotinum]]: The Portal Gun originated as an "improved" shower curtain. GLaDOS originated as an "improved" fuel system de-icer. Aperture developed wormhole teleportation and artificial intelligence, yet used them for nothing more than to run hapless subjects through mazes like lab rats.
* [[Mission Control Is Off Its Meds]]
* [[Morality Chip|Morality Core]]: Even with it installed, GLaDOS still tries to kill you -- and it's the only core you find that's completely silent, implying that it's not working correctly anymore (if it ever was). And of course there's the fact that it was programmed [[For Science!|with Aperture Science morality in mind]].
{{quote|{{
** [[Lampshaded]] in the ''Lab Rat'' comic. The scientist who developed it refers to it as a conscience. Rattman cynically points out that a conscience can be ignored.
* [[Mundane Made Awesome]]: Although [[Memetic Mutation]] has made it hard to remember, the bloodstained message indicating that "the cake is a lie" is actually this.
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* [[No Fair Cheating]]: The steps, portals, and time challenges. Also, you can't get achievements with cheat mode on.
* [[No Kill Like Overkill]]: Referred to in the credits song.
{{quote|{{
* [[No Medication for Me]]: Inverted in the ''Lab Rat'' comic. Doug Rattman has been saving the last of his anti-psychotic medicine so that he'll have a clear head when Chell destroys GLaDOS and he can escape, even if the [[Companion Cube]] tells him he doesn't need it.
* [[No OSHA Compliance]]: [[Lampshaded]] in-game.
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' {{
* [[Noodle Incident]]: The android tests Aperture was running, involving the non-specific idea of an "[[Robot Religion|android hell]]" to keep the subjects in line.
* [[Nothing Is Scarier]]: Despite the
* [[Off the Rails]]: For the first half of the game you're stuck following GLaDOS' game plan, but when you find out there is no cake waiting for you, it's time to improvise.
* [[Ontological Mystery]]
* [[Overdrawn At the Blood Bank]]: Chell can take tons of turret shots, and leaves ''large'' blood smears on walls when hit. 5 seconds, and you're okay again, ready to lose another three pints.
* [[Peace and Love Incorporated]]
* [[People Jars]]: Implied in the Relaxation Vaults.
* [[Plea of Personal Necessity]]: GLaDOS asks Chell, "{{
* [[Point of No Return]]: Within some levels, there are doors that close once the player goes through. (The divisions between each [[Game Level]] are also points of no return, of course, as they prevent players from putting portals across levels.)
* [[Portal Cut]]:
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** Beta testers asked why Chell could survive multi-story falls through recursive portals and still land on her feet without being smashed into the floor. Once she was given leg-springs to absorb the shocks, no one ever asked again.
** "A lot of people like cake." That was sufficient enough reason to put the cake in the game. More accurately, during a design meeting about what sort of philosophy to drive the game with the answer was the above. Of course, the dev team did not expect the reactions from the fans, which is why there is absolutely ''no'' cake in Portal 2. {{spoiler|Unless you count a reference to a "cake dispensary" in one trap. They couldn't resist putting in just one.}}
** Hoopy the Hoop was what the devs thought would become the meme for the game (apparently having it become the focus of the last cutscene and appear throughout the levels). instead "The Cake is a Lie" took that spotlight and Hoopy ended up more or less as an office joke.
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: All throughout the final battle.
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' {{
* [[Red Eyes, Take Warning]]: The turrets.
* [[Reed Richards Is Useless]]: The portal gun could revolutionize the world: [[Perpetual Motion Machine|Perpetual Motion Machines]], [[Casual Interstellar Travel]], resolve all supply and transportation problems, but there's no suggestion that it was ever used for anything other than testing.
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the cake is a lie }}
* [[Rouge Angles of Satin]]: Several, including one at the final boss fight: if you turn on the closed captions (at least for the 360 release) there will be a grammatical error of GLaDOS saying "I don't want to tell you ''you're'' business" instead of the correct "I don't want to tell you ''your'' business." This can dampen the gravity of the situation quite a bit.
* [[Sarcasm Mode]]: "{{
* [[Sarcastic Confession]]: "Do you think I'm trying to trick you with [[Reverse Psychology]]? I mean, seriously now."
* [[Science Is Bad]]: Exaggerated and [[Played for Laughs]]. GLaDOS and Aperture Science in general regard science with a three-way combination of [[Comedic Sociopathy]], [[Crazy Awesome]] and [[For the Evulz]].
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* [[Second-Hour Superpower]]: You originally start out with the ability to just shoot blue portals, but a little bit into the game, and you can shoot both ''orange'' and blue.
* [[Secret Test of Character]]: Or at least, that's what GLaDOS proclaims.
{{quote|{{
* [[Sentient AI Warning Signs]]: GLaDOS hits something like 80% of points on the list.
* [[Shaped Like Itself]]: {{
* [[Shoot the Shaggy Dog]]: {{spoiler|1=What GLaDOS originally tries to do to you in the final test chamber. The revised ending also shows that Chell is going to be dragged into another "test", so that whole escape attempt pretty much failed.}}
* [[Shout-Out]]: [[Portal (series)/Shout Out|Has its own page.]]
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** The turrets don't really ''need'' to have independent thought and the ability to feel pain.
* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]:
** A subversion, but then that just makes it funnier. "{{
** Played straight with the Morality Core -- GLaDOS' attempts to get you to destroy it with [[Reverse Psychology]] are blatantly obvious.
* [[Tactical Suicide Boss]]: {{spoiler|1=GLaDOS with her rockets}}
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* [[The Tetris Effect]]: You ''will'' start thinking with portals.
* [[Theme Tune Cameo]]: The radios in the game default to playing a short jazzy loop based on "Still Alive". The latter even made its way into the jukeboxes in ''[[Left 4 Dead 2]]''.
* [[Totalitarian Utilitarian]]: In the credits song, [[
* [[Unwinnable By Mistake]]: Some of the autosaves are placed over toxic waste. Oops. Also, if you really try, it's possible to exploit the physics to trap yourself or otherwise make the level unwinnable. Thankfully, much of the time the game will notice when you've trapped yourself in a place you can't get out from, and will let you out.
** The Xbox 360 Arcade re-release, ''Portal: Still Alive'', has an achievement for getting stuck.
* [[Unreliable Narrator]]: Keep in mind what computer appears to be working as the Aperture web server. (Before its December 2010 change which removed the site's viral advertising features.) This also applies in the actual game; you can't really trust what you're being told.
* [[Villainous Breakdown]]:
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' {{
* [[Visual Pun]] / [[Stealth Pun]]: As the effects of GLaDOS's morality core begin to wear off, her monitors display a small pile of screws. {{spoiler|She ''does'' have quite a few screws loose by this point. On top of that, she's about to screw you, and not [[Cargo Ship|the fun way]]}}. Also, when GLaDOS mentions "violent behavior", a picture of a [[Visual Pun|violin with a knife on it]] flashes on the screens.
* [[Vitriolic Best Buds]]: Darkly subverted in the sense that GLaDOS somewhat treats Chell in this manner, as one-sided as it is.
* [[Why Don't You Marry It?]]: {{
* [[Wreaking Havok]]
* [[You Have Got to Be Kidding Me!]]:
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' {{
* [[You Monster!]]: Combined with a liberal dose of [[Sarcasm Mode]]:
{{quote|'''GLaDOS:''' You euthanized your faithful Companion Cube more quickly than any other test subject on record. Congratulations.}}
* [[You Wake Up in a Room]]: The game begins with Chell waking up in a Relaxation Vault.
----
{{quote|{{
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Valve Corporation]]
[[Category:Science Fiction Video Games]]
[[Category:Puzzle Game]]
▲[[Category:Xbox Live Arcade]]
[[Category:First-Person Shooter]]
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[[Category:Alternate Reality Game]]
[[Category:Trope Overdosed]]
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[[Category:Describe Topic Here]]
[[Category:Android Games]]
[[Category:Memetic Works]]
[[Category:Video Games of the 2000s]]
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