Chell? Bah! Chell had it easy compared to this poor woman.
Portal was so funny, that it’s very easy to forget that it had a dark side too, but spend a few minutes watching Portal: No Escape, and you’ll never forget again.
No Escape is technically a fan film, but it clearly has some money behind it, and it’s stuffed with industry professionals. The film is the work of director and video podcast host Dan Trachtenberg, and tells the story of a woman, played by actress Danielle Ryan, taken – presumably against her will – and locked away in a bare, featureless cell, seemingly with no way out. To go into any more detail would spoil things, but suffice to say that portals are involved.
The film is quite a different interpretation of the game, and while purists might complain that it lacks the whimsy, not to mention the murderous AI, that made Portal itself so wonderful, it’s hard to look at No Escape and not be a little bit impressed. It reminds me a little of Mortal Kombat: Rebirth – another radically different take on a videogame franchise – although I’d be surprised if No Escape inspires a spin-off web series.
