Portal‘s setting wasn’t always so desolate – ever wonder what Aperture Science was like before all the murder and neurotoxin?
The Portal series has spent two games inside the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, but the facility’s history is still full of intrigue. We learned in Portal 2 how the insane GLaDOS came to be, though aside from a couple throwaway lines, her takeover of the research facility hasn’t been explored very much. Now we have a little more for fans to dig into – it’s far from canon, but a new live-action fan film is showing us what GLaDOS’s early days might have looked like.
The short film, titled Portal: Survive!, was directed by Colin and Connor McGuire on a budget of only $500 over six months. That said, it doesn’t feel cheap. The visual effects are well-done, and most of the video’s spoken lines come straight from the game’s audio files (you won’t hear any cheesy GLaDOS impersonations).
The video’s plot won’t surprise anybody at this point – we see familiar faces like Chell, Doug “Ratman” Rattmann, and of course GLaDOS herself. The acting (or in GLaDOS’s case, the prop puppetry) isn’t notable but really isn’t bad for the shoestring budget.
There’s certainly something about Valve’s games that inspires talented fans to go out and make really cool videos. This is far from the first Portal fan film, and I’ve got a hunch it won’t be the last.
Source: YouTube
