The Play's the Thing

I'll get back to the story elements, but games are first and foremost about interactivity and in this case the core gameplay is fun and engrossing. The basic gameplay elements are also quite minimal, a true mark of excellent game design. I often quote Einstein, who said, "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler" as guidance in game design, yet it is rare that a game follows that precept as well as Portal. The initial levels are perfectly tuned to just fly by, giving the player a sense of mastery and competence.

In fact, when I listened to the level design commentary after completing levels I was struck by how nearly all the changes and tuning seemed to involve adjusting the learning curve of the game; making things clear, introducing some elements more gradually in order to let players grasp them fully, reminding them with a simple challenge of game mechanisms introduced earlier on just before they are needed again.

It's also worth noting how the simple icons at the start and at key points of each level give you the hints necessary to understand what you need to do without dialog or even text labels -- yet another minimalist touch. Likewise, the type of enemies is severely limited compared to most first person shooters. I love the fact that they resisted the opportunity to add various types of guns and tools and powerups or complex double-jumps or climbing mechanisms that clutter so many examples of the genre.

Ultimately, one clearly positive lesson they followed is one I've heard echoed by such luminaries as Sid Meier and Will Wright; to iterate the design frequently and test it with fresh players over and over again.

This is an important way to keep from tweaking a game to be gradually harder and harder as the same testers grow bored and keep requesting tougher challenges. Project Leader Kim Swift has mentioned how they constantly adjusted the game to make it understandable to beginners.

This is a supremely accessible game -- you may feel challenged at times (I know as a fairly basic action player I had trouble mastering some of the timing required at higher levels) but it was always clear what I had to do, and it never felt far out of my reach. Conversely, it felt tough enough that I had a very strong sense of accomplishment and victory -- what Nicole Lazzaro refers to as Fiero -- when I came up with ways to get through the levels.

In fact, one of my favorite moments in the game was at the intended end of the test sequence when, after carefully training me in how to use the portal gun to avoid dangers, I am led to "certain death" by incineration. This was amply foreshadowed so by that point I was ready for it, and even though the use of the portal gun at that point requires much less precision in timing or aim than immediately previous challenges, I still felt incredibly elated to have dodged it the first time I tried.

The gameplay to that point trained me very well, and the story made it not only obvious that I should expect an even more direct attempt on my life, but also made it supremely satisfying to survive it. I can't remember ever experiencing the same sense of accomplishment from a movie or book.

I see Portal as an example of how games are wonderful at evoking triumphant emotion. It represents a culmination of many aspects of game development -- clean, fun and original game elements, the maturation of storytelling and sophisticated use of humor, and use of physics and fast 3D rendering that just wouldn't have been possible even a few years ago. The game just makes me proud to be a game developer myself.

It may take decades before the games industry enjoys the same level of general respect as an entertainment and art form that film has now, but when that time comes people will point to Portal as, if not our Citizen Kane or Birth of a Nation, certainly our Wizard of Oz.

I've mentioned that the basic gameplay is great, and that its emotional impact is strongly boosted by the great writing and character development of GlaDOS. But I would be remiss if I didn't also touch on the additional "force multiplier" element of the ending credits song, "Still Alive". Ending the game with a song was a brilliant touch, and one that I think other games may well benefit from -- but only if the song is as well crafted on its own and fits as well into the game as Jonathan Coulton's did.

I knew there was a song at the end before I got to it, from some online comments I'd read. Still, I was blown away by how much the song added to the whole experience. It validated my success, made me realize how much GlaDOS's personality both resembled an obsessive human while growing logically out of the basic modules that we learn are part of her programming gestalt.

Just as with the game, it was not only the content of the song that was great, but the presentation. The voice acting, excellent throughout the game, reached a literally pitch-perfect level in the song, making me almost feel sorry for GlaDOS. Almost. And the running text commentary on the song kept it light and funny. Even the in-jokes were perfect. The reference to being out of Beta and releasing on time could logically have referred to the portal gun, but it was a great laugh aimed at fellow game developers.

The sweet, psychotic love song aspects were right on target too. Having finished the game, I had to admit that I did break her heart and kill her -- and tore her to pieces -- and threw every piece into a fire. And I'd do it again, you crazy sadist! I loved how the song gave closure of sorts -- some people debate whether you are dead at the end of the game, but the song makes it clear that not only do you survive, but GlaDOS seems likely to return in a sequel eventually.

For that matter, I expect to read a good psychology master's thesis on GlaDOS's condition someday soon. And on top of all that, it was a catchy tune, it rhymed here and there, and it scanned well -- a minor detail that even most songwriters can't handle even without the burden of tying their song to a game. This was a triumph!