Mark Plays ‘Portal 2’: Chapter 6 – The Fall

In the sixth chapter of Portal 2, I just don’t even know how to cope with how unprepared I am. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to play Portal 2.

Chapter Six: The Fall

how

what is my life

what is the meaning of it

what have i gotten myself into

Gameplay

YOU’RE KIDDING ME. THERE ARE MORE CHAMBERS, AND THEY ARE MILES INTO THE EARTH, and THIS IS WHERE THE ORIGINAL TEST AREAS ARE. There’s a video attached to this that’s just me reacting to all of this and my brain just kept breaking over and over again. So much time and effort and thought was put into this game, and it’s just beautiful. Aside from the fact that this entire chapter is monumentally difficult, we’re introduced to a new aspect of gameplay: Repulsion Gel. IT IS GEL THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BOUNCE REALLY, REALLY HIGH. It makes the gameplay so much more fun and interesting. Oh, and it makes everything five times harder. I counted. It’s exactly five times.

HELP.

These old test chambers seem simpler upon first glance, and they probably are. What makes this chapter so challenging is the fact that most of the pathways between chambers are broken, and most of the time, I COULDN’T FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET TO THE NEXT ONE. I noticed that a lot of these puzzles really only have one solution, too. That means I didn’t accidentally figure out the correct method to solve a room; instead, I had to wrack my brain for a way to get out.

Characters

Oh my god, CAVE JOHNSON AND CAROLINE. I recognized J.K. Simmons’s voice. He’s fairly distinctive. Cave’s pre-recorded messages are just as humorous as GLaDOS’s are, though in an entirely different way. It’s easy to hear him get frustrated by what he’s telling you; at other times, he’s flabbergasted by the tests themselves; then he fails to understand the severity of what he’s telling you. It’s nice not to be insulted at every turn.

At the end of this, Chell finds GLaDOS. Or POTaDOS. Yes. They’re being eaten by a crow, and they ask for Chell to team up with them to return to the top of the facility to save it from destruction due to Wheatley’s carelessness. YEAH. YOU HAVE TO PAIR UP WITH GLaDOS. “I literally have no energy to lie to you,” GLaDOS tells Chell, and you know? Even if they are lying, there’s really nothing else Chell can do.

Music

GORGEOUS. Much more orchestral than any of the other chapters. My god, the music for this game fits so well!

Graphics

The design for some of these chambers and for the Aperture Science Innovators offices is unreal. At times, things are rusted and decrepit, reminding me of the final level of Portal. But then the offices themselves are perfectly preserved icons of the 50s. There are lots of puke green shades, a color that was quite popular at the time. Even the chambers themselves have a completely different look, too. They’re not as sterile as the modern ones, but I found them to be generally more colorful, especially with the new gel.

Story

Incredible. I am in awe of this game’s ability to fuse a backstory in the way it does in this chapter. Wheatley had mentioned that the Aperture Labs went down for miles, but I never thought we’d get to see it. Not only do I get to see what’s all the way down there, but the game allows me to experience what Aperture Science Innovators was once like. It was nowhere near as brutal and clinical as the modern version is. It’s actually this brilliant combination between nostalgia and humor, even if that humor is unintentional on Cave Johnson’s part. I get to see what Companion Cubes once looked like and how these tests were once conducted. I expected to pair up with GLaDOS immediately, but this is SO MUCH BETTER THAN THAT.

Highlights

I have so many of them, y’all.

POTaDOS, the potato version of GLaDOS, falls elegantly in front of me.

I CAN’T STOP LAUGHING AT THIS. THIS IS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THINGS I HAVE EVER SEEN IN A VIDEO GAME.

An aerial shot of a very long tube and POTaDOS, the potato GLaDOS, is off to the side, free falling like it doesn’t have a care in the world.

the sounds i am making right now, even just uploading this screenshot, are not human IT’S POTaDOS H E L P

A screenshot of the UTTER WASTE and MASSIVENESS of the bottom of the shaft in the Aperture Labs.

Just in terms of design, everything is so huge and gigantic down here, and it’s incredible. It’s kind of intimidating and creepy, too, because there are plenty of places for CREEPY CREATURES to hide. Not that I’m expecting any, but still. My imagination runs high.

A screenshot of the outside of a testing area. There are lots of warning sings that saying things like, “Keep Out,” “Contaminated Area,” and “Do Not Enter.”

Oh, a bunch of signs warning me not to enter? You bet I’m going to disobey all of them.

A screenshot showing a giant, circular door lifting up to reveal something unknown behind it.

AHHHHH THE DOOR IS SO HUGE WHAT THE FUCK IS BEHIND IT.

A screenshot of a painting of Cave Johnson, an older white man with poofy black hair. His hands look like he’s been positioned for a glamor shot.

Well, look at this dapper son of a bumblebee!

A screenshot of Chell holding an old school Companion Cube that is covered in blue Repulsive Gel.

Trying to catch this fucking thing as it bounced around the room was NO FUN AT ALL. Just stay still, you asshole.

A screenshot of POTaDOS in a nest with bird eggs.

Nope, go home. This is the funniest thing in a video game ever.

Here are TWO videos that instead focus on my reactions instead of showing my gameplay. I do generally prefer the playthrough videos, but I thought it would be fun to show this side of me playing as well. From here on out, I’ll probably only make playthrough videos, but YOU NEVER KNOW.

Part 1

Part 2

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