Below are frequently asked questions and their answers for Portal.
- What is Portal?
Portal is Valve Software's first commercial singleplayer puzzlegame for PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. It is available on Steam and retail on its own or part of Valve 'Orange Box' package. Portal places you in the shoes of a test subject for the company Aperture Laboratories, tasked with testing an experimental weapon called the "Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. This gun creates portals on any surface, an ability the player must use to get to the end of the level, avoiding obstacles such as machinegun turrets. The ASHPD is also capable of gravity gun-esque physics manipulation, so that you can pick up objects and throw them through the aforementioned portals. The game presents myriad interesting puzzle opportunities, given that any horizontal or vertical plane can be used to create a portal, resulting in somewhat mind-bending possibilities.
- How long does the game last?
The game is three to four hours long, which is not shabby given the fact that it's a puzzle game.
- Who created the music?
Most of the game's soundtrack is composed by Kelly Bailey and Mike Morasky. The closing credits song, "Still Alive", was written by Jonathan Coulton and sung by Ellen McLain as the GLaDOS character.
- Is there a demo?
Valve released a special demo version, entitled Portal: The First Slice, free for any Steam user. The demo includes test chambers 00-10 (eleven in total).
