Portal Isn't About Portals - a Theory

[@GermanPeter]

To address a few commonly commented points: 1) Game design, intentional or not, still exists in that game's world. There is game design that only exists for the player (like HUDs and music and such), but once that game design influences the way the player interacts with the world itself, it's also a part of that world. So the super convenient escape and countdown timer aren't just to make it easier for the player to beat the game. If you don't want your game design to get in the way of telling a story, make a movie or write a book. But in a game, the GAMEPLAY drives the story. 2) People have said that GLaDOS is telling the truth when I say she isn't, or she's not lying when I say she is. The thing however is that you only have GLaDOS to go off of on anything she says. You have no way to verify whether or not she's being honest. The same goes for everything else you see, no one ever confirms or denies the validity of the things you come across. You wake up without knowing how you got there and just have to take the omnipotent robot AI at her word. If this happened to me in real life, I'd immediately believe I was part of a prank and wouldn't believe anything. So I turn your arguments around - how do YOU know the things you say are true? How can YOU verify any of it? 3) I know that "It's all fake"-theories are usually garbage, but I think it fits this game thematically. Portal isn't a game like Super Mario where story and gameplay don't really interconnect and where the point is just to have fun and that's it. No, Portal is a game where you're meant to doubt everything you see from the beginning because things just don't add up, and I see no reason for that to end just because you "fought" GLaDOS and "escaped" by yourself. I mentioned the movie "Cube" in the video, which is about a group of people waking up in a maze where death is around each corner, and where they have to solve the most ludicrous puzzles to escape. And to make matters worse, they never find out WHY they were there or what the whole thing was even about. That's what influenced my theory a lot, since I think Portal shares a lot of similarities. If Portal 2 didn't exist, you genuinely would have never gotten the answers for the questions you almost definitely had when you played Portal. And since my theory considers Portal in a vaccuum, those questions still stand, and which then get answered by it. I didn't even bring up the possibility of it being a VR simulation (which would explain literally everything even better), because I like the concept of a facility messing with actual, living and breathing humans in life-threatening ways, since that's one of the scariest things imaginable. And hey, that's already the point of the Portal games to begin with. I just went a step further.

[@juneBug412]

sorry if posing this point directly to you comes off as rude, but i have a nit i'd like to pick with the conclusion to your theory, and i'd love to know your thoughts; the combine are shown to be *seeking out* aperture tech in hl2 ep2, cuz the only thing they want from humanity, aside from their resources of course, is their knowledge of teleportation. so if they were to get their hands on portal tech, they wouldn't have any more reason to keep us around, meaning that by sending out a likely amnesiac who's largely defenseless with a portal gun, glados would be handing humanity over to the combine like a clueless lamb to the cosmic slaughter i know she says that she isn't sure what's going on out there, but i don't think glados would be so ignorant as to what the situation was like that she'd accidentally screw over humanity, at least if we assume her intent really was to help save it, so i'm not sure "it was to prep you to fight the combine" really makes much sense with that information in mind

[@ivan-sin-compania5710]

I liked your analysis, it's an interesting way to look at Portal! Cheers

[@needy3535]

"YOU CANT PROVE ME WRONG SO HA HA!" Like, I get if you're just fucking around but the fact your wrong a few paragraphs to defend your hypothesis despite it not really having any evidence is some lame ass shit lol. Unfalsifiable theories are not valid.

[@juneBug412]

​@@needy3535 dude chill, it's a video essay about a game older than today's middleschoolers, no need to get so vitriolic about it

[@needy3535]

@@juneBug412 who's vitriolic??

[@maxresdefault_]

I like the thematic overlap to Half Life. In the same way Gordon Freeman was just a worker who picked up some crowbar and used it to save earth, Glados saw a world in peril and used the facility to find the next great warrior

[@joelkasik8409]

Another thing to note is that there is a scrapped ending that was originally going to be implemented in the Still Alive xbox 360 version of portal (so spoilers for those who are interested). After you finished all of the still alive challenge level Glados uses cake to lure you towards a platform that lowers into a pit full of turrets primed to kill you. You are barely able to escape and once you do you are able to make your way towards the exit of the facility. Here you would learn that there were multiple clones of Chell that were actually produced to likely do testing (pretty much retconned in the second game). Upon exiting the facility you want to know what the first thing that greets you is; thats right, its a combine helicopter.

[@IAmUnderscore]

You got a source? I’d love to read more

[@ChocoRainbowCorn]

@@IAmUnderscore You can actually see that ending or at least I think how fans imagined it would have had been like - I don't really know if it's the true cut ending from Xbox 360 version or is it just fan remake based on descriptions and stuff but here you go - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mpbWloGJjZKqb8U

[@TheRabbitPoet]

the still alive expansion is the official release of "portal: the flash version map pack", a fan made map pack for portal one based on the 2d fan game "portal: the flash version" The cloning and the combine helicopter (among other cool stuff you didn't mentio, such as finding the borealis) are only present in the fan made map pack and where removed from the official release because they are not canon

[@SlashCraftJack]

​@@TheRabbitPoet Portal 2 has a hidden Dry Dock for the SS Borealis... Or at least half of it anyway

[@sonicfan1693]

@@TheRabbitPoet They might have mistaken the escape sequenze mockup found in the Still alive PC port as a actually official version. All we know about the cut ending is that it at one point existed for Still Alive. The mockup is probs trying to put the Mappack finally together with some elements found in the Still Alive versions.

[@vibezonegaming]

To chime in a bit on the timer in Glados’s room for the neurotoxin. Letting your “victim” know how much time they have left before they’ll likely die is probably to add stress to the situation. Example: “Holy shit I’m timed on this test?” Whether or not that was Glados trying a last ditch effort to slow down your thinking and make you panic so she lives or intentionally apart of the test as something to make it more difficult is all up to you.

[@ouiouibaguet258]

"it's not about solving puzzles, it's about sending a message" -cave johnson, probably

[@MatthewPiercey]

Great video, I agree that the Portal series, especially the first game where the story is far less explicit, is still ripe for theory-crafting. If we're just taking Portal 1 into consideration, this video got me thinking of a theory of my own... What if Chell's escape was intended by GLaDOS all along, for the sake of getting to her chamber and removing those pesky cores attached to her? Maybe because she just wants to be set free from their limitations, or maybe they're holding her back from understanding and planning for the threat posed by the Combine? Even without thinking of Portal 2, although if anything that'd just back this up, it could easily be inferred that GLaDOS is happy in some way, to have those cores removed. Her personality definitely changes near the end of the boss-fight, and maybe that's her "natural" or "preferred" state. But perhaps her own programming was such that she couldn't remove the cores herself. Sure, she's got turrets, energy pellets, and rocket turrets, but Aperture probably isn't letting her point them at herself. Now, if somebody could go and find that pesky handheld portal device, GlaDOS's overriding programming might not be able to account for the implications of aiming a rocket at an "enemy", through a portal pointed at herself. Oh, look what we have here... a "willing" test subject in the portal gun testing chambers! And so all of what Chell went through in the game was specifically set up to frustrate her enough to keep going forward, out of sheer fear and spite, right towards GlaDOS's chamber. That was always her intent. The cake was never a lie, it was a reward for a job (however unintentionally) well done.

[@GermanPeter]

That's a theory I also like! It'd definitely fit GLaDOS as an evil AI much more, that she was only thinking about herself first and foremost. Still, that begs the question as to why put Chell through all those deadly tests? If those were predetermined and GLaDOS couldn't change the test chamber order even if she wanted to (because of the cores), that'd explain it. But then why shoot at Chell with the turrets when she does escape? If it's all about getting rid of the cores, why have this cat-and-mouse game, risking the death of the one person that could free her?

[@ultimatemacchia]

@@GermanPeter probably because if she doesn't survive it means she is not worthy to take on the job In her compromised state GLaDOS is not fully in control of her actions, so if the test subject isn't able to survive her genuine murder attempts then it doesn't matter how much she exploits her own programming to help the test subject for the sake of her plan

[@molly_dreemurr]

@@ultimatemacchia and if we do take portal 2 into account, then we know that Chell, at least in portal 1, wasn't the only test subject available, so, she might have done this attempt before, and we were just next in line to try

[@NXTangl]

@@GermanPeter Given Wheatley's...reaction to Test Euphoria, it's probably because she's gay... (Somewhat) more seriously, though, it's because she's compelled to test and genuinely enjoys testing. Also, I believe there is a small motif in the original Portal of "Immolation = Love" based on the way she cajoles you to burn the cube and the lyrics of _Still Alive,_ which then says interesting things about the meaning of the Victory Candescence in her mind. GLaDOS _likes_ Chell, is my point, and her only real method of interaction is testing and killing. I don't know if she knows how to do anything else.

[@Valcuda]

As a Portal fan, the first game always bugged me, since there were so many details that just didn't fit with Portal 2. Hell, the entire ending song contradicts Portal 2! I like this idea for the story, as it ties up the lose ends. There's also a theme in Portal, where Blue represents machines (test chambers have a blue hue), while orange represents life (Chell wears an orange jumpsuit, and the office floors are orange). It goes more in depth than just that, but I forgot most of the examples. Anyways, taking this into account, GLADOS seems a bit weird, since she has an orange light, yet is portrayed as a cold machine. With this theory, that light makes more sense. GLADOS isn't a cold machine, she's actively fighting for humanity in the only way she can, by training Chell

[@GermanPeter]

Wow, never even considered that, that's pretty cool!

[@kirbystar6447]

Your videos are so high effort and well made you seriously deserve more recognition

[@GermanPeter]

Thank you! If you want to help, just watching, liking or commenting is enough :) And also recommending my videos to other people if you think they're worth it!

[@p.e.miranda2038]

Peter's cracked the KZbin algorithm before, hopefully it won't be long before he gets it again for good

[@quote6013]

Slight issue, glados mentions the ancillary turret defences can't be shut off even if she wanted to, also "the rocket really is the way to go" is just her telling you to kill yourself, heck if she really wanted to send you to save the combine, she mentions she has your brain scanned and backed up, i don't know if the implication is supposed to be that she can clone you or upload your brain scan to a different person, but if either of those are true, nothing's stopping her from making a small army of Chells. As for why she would display the time, i believe it's simple phycological torture showing Chell how little time she has left, glados dropping the first core was reverse phycology to remove any restrictions on directly killing you she had before (of you really want to you could even say this is why the moving scaffold moves so slow and she tells you the portal gun can work), leading to, again, the ancillary turret defences activating automatically, it sees Chell as a threat, and glados can't do anything going on due to you destroying her ability to think. While i do believe that the main game is set up for phycological testing, i somehow doubt the BTS section is meant to be part of that

[@swedneck]

presumably with a brain scan she can at least put the mind into a robot body

[@GermanPeter]

Why are you taking GLaDOS at her word for all of this? For all you know, she could just be... lying. Like she did all game. Especially the part about having your brain backed up, that just seems like she's messing with you even further than she already has. And maybe the clock is part of it, but man, six minutes? That's MORE than enough time to figure out the solution. I'm not buying it.

[@skullzans]

@@GermanPeter again though, what makes more sense? That the game is a conspiracy, or that it is how it seems? None of this video outright has undebatable evidence, where we have undeniable evidence in both the sequel and the fact that GLaDoS actually DOES die. Why would GLaDoS be suicidal? Why would GLaDoS be telling you how to shut her down, and encouraging it? We know she dies from the ending, and even if that was the ending of the game why would chell be dragged back? Yes that was a retcon built in to tease Portal 2 and all, but even without that we have no way chell realistically would've escaped from that flaming mess that GLaDoS became. Also yes I saw the end where you said its to waste time, but... Just in case. It sounds like the kind of excuse some people give when they are scared of being wrong(even if its not that).

[@NeonFXFusion]

I'm pretty sure she has a cloning or atleast a deep sleep backup facility that for some maybe even plot driven reason she didnt have access to as it is cut off from her sensory abilities as the ending scene from the Portal 2 Co-Op mode reveals

[@quote6013]

@@GermanPeter it's not like she was lying 100% of the time throughout the game, she told you on a few occasions that you where going to die, besides if we go with the idea that the tests are phycological, it would make some sense to have a brain scan just as a sort of control

[@maximomox1807]

Video quality is just superb compared to your classic style, yet I miss the classic style. But improvements are what they are, and that's cool

[@GermanPeter]

Thank you, I try!

[@EerieYetSoothing]

“Mum, is dad coming back with the milk?” “7:23”

[@dakedres]

With what we know of Aperture, it actually makes *more* sense that all of Portal 1 was a giant test, and GladOS's real goal was to find the best performing test subject to throw at the Combine, but Portal *2* was actually all an accident. Something went wrong, Aperture was discovered and something was compromised, leaving it in the state we find it in, and Wheatley was an element which couldn't be accounted for with GladOS being shut down.

[@staryoshi06]

While you getting dragged back into aperture was added to the game as part of a teaser for portal 2, it was the original intended ending of Portal 1. It was only changed because playtesters didn't like it. That's why the next scene is you dropping down that shaft and finding the cake.

[@sasha_chudesnov]

What the hell are you talking about? This ending was never removed from the game, it was there on day one.

[@staryoshi06]

@@sasha_chudesnov It's literally in the developer commentary. And if you play the xbox 360 version, it was never updated to re-add it.

[@JNun-pr8rh]

"uh actually this or that was subverted in the sequel" 🤓

[@menacingpyro2005]

Tbh if valve releases a portal + half life crossover game where it’s a group of 2-4 players, with Chell and Gordon being the main 2, that’d be hella fun, and it’d give valve a new creative and fun way to build upon the lore of both games.

[@agsilverradio2225]

The timer seems like phycolocical warfare. ... The escape from the exicution seems like huberous on GLaDOS' part. ... The end credits may be sarcasm.

[@duckton440]

I am glad that you are focusing on overlooked details, where other “facts” KZbinrs would overlook just because they don’t love the game enough

[@whothefrickareyou8106]

This could still make sense if the robot that pulled you back in whasnt a part of GLaDOS's plans and portal 2 whasnt a part if her plan

[@spacebassist]

The personality cores - even going off just P1 - are shown to be very one-track in terms of thinking, and the party escort bot sounds like he was programmed for one purpose. I think that's plausible

[@djsyntic]

I always figured the real purpose of Portal 1 was to manipulate the player into killing Glados. Yes, my idea is that Glados drove you into murdering herself. She's both sentient and a program and because of that she can have her own wants and desires but is still restricted by things that are hard-coded. So even though she wants her own existence to end her programming prevents her from doing this. Also, her coding prevents her from directly asking you to turn her off and destroy her. So what does she do? She does everything she can to get you to hate her under the mask of testing you. She then teaches you everything you need to know to kill her and provides all the tools you need to kill her. But she never says to kill her. So whatever failsafe protocols are in her code don't throw up a flag to indicate that she's trying to kill herself. But then, "surprise Pikachu face"! You murder her?! How could we have ever seen that this would happen?! But we don't have to ignore Portal 2 for this theory. Let's go ahead and address that. Did Portal 2 shift this theory? I don't think so. You murdered her just as she wanted, and then the backup AI reactivates her? Of course, she's angry. Her plan somehow failed. Worse as she describes to you, she's been reliving her death over and over again. You were SUPPOSED to murder her, and you DID but that was even worse than being alive. So time for a new plan... that's the same as the first... Once reactivated she ramps up her efforts to make you hate her and quickly pulls you back into a confrontation in an effort to get you to do the job right this time. But this time things don't go as planned. Wheatley puts her brain in a potato and takes her job while tossing you and Glados into the old facility. You and Glados then have a fun adventure together where she learns about her human history. She realizes that it's Caroline that wants to die but that she herself (Glados) actually wants to live. So a new plan comes to her. Instead of trying to get you to murder her, you and she take back the facility from Wheatley, and then she deletes Caroline (or aspects of her) from her own code. Specifically, she deletes the part of Caroline that wanted to die. So now for a nice little list: 1) As a sentient program she's able to evolve and grow so as long as she doesn't try to delete her entire self, the fail-safes are okay with letting her do this. So the Failsafes are happy with this action. 2) Caroline wanted to die, and so deleting her from Glados granted that desire. Caroline is now properly dead now just as she wanted. 3) Whereas before one could argue that Caroline and Glados were the same entity just with different names, Glados is now her own person. Effectively this is Glados v2.0 This is why at the end of Portal 2 she lets you leave. Glados v1.0 spent all her time trying to make you hate her. And while Glados v1.5 (Potato Glados) did make long strides towards befriending you, Glados v2.0 knows you'll never fully trust her and that you'll not really see her as a different entity than Glados v1.0. The chances that you'll try to kill Glados v2.0 are just too great. She even outright says it in her closing song. She just wants you gone now. Or perhaps if we consider that Glados (regardless of the version number) lies, it may be that she wants you to see that she has every opportunity to kill you as she gets you to leave (the turrets on the way out), but chooses not to take it. This way if you choose to stay it's your choice and not her forcing you to stay. But what about Portal 2 Multiplayer? I still think this theory holds weight. We know that she manipulates the robots into unlocking a whole bunch of new test subjects. Test subjects that are not Chell. But what she does do with the test subjects? We don't know. We also don't know how she would respond if Chell made her way back in.

[@mattwoodard2535]

Chell was originally supposed to be a character for Half Life 2: Episode 3, but the devs thought she was a good fit for Portal. There is evidence that Chell and GLaDOS may have a connection. Chell was there when GLaDOS was first turned on and GLaDOS seems to know a lot about Chell. And in P2 when GLaDOS has been disconnected from the mainframe she starts treating Chell differently and later on actively defends her from insults by Wheatley. This all leads me to suspect that GLaDOS DID want Chell to escape even back in Portal, but she really didn't know it. She did a lot of self sabotage in both games to help Chell. And a little about timelines and the Combine. Originally Chell was going to escape Aperture in time to help out in HL2 Ep 3. But then P2 came along and the timeline was changed. In the new (final?) timeline Portal took place around the time of the Seven Hour War. Probably a little after it by a few months. Portal 2 should take place about 20 years later some where about the time of Half Life 2. Oddly enough the decay in Aperture is roughly what you might see with 20 years of exposure to Michigan weather. Also according to one of the Portal devs (IIRC it was Mac Laidlaw but I might be wrong), the Combine DID try to break into the Enrichment Center, but GLaDOS kept them out. Now while GLaDOS is fairly powerful, she couldn't militarily force the Combine away, so she must have tricked them. No way the Combine would let any kind of portal tech slip through their fingers. And one last thing is some cut content for P2. Wheatley was supposed to mention that an old man with a briefcase had stopped by looking for Chell as one point (late in the game while Chell and GlaDOS were working their way back up through old Aperture). The "old man" was of course supposed to be the G-Man.. But as it's cut content we can't use it prove anything. Very Nice vid. sm

[@balaclavakid3905]

I don't think there's anything to suggest Chell was planned to be in ep3, that game never even had a concrete storyline before the project was scrapped. And the little we do know about a potential storyline it could've had (epistle 3 on Mark Laidlaw's website) makes no mention of Chell, it only mentions that you would have seen Aperture Science at the time of the Combine invasion.

[@PantherCat64]

I kind of like this interpretation because I am a fan of the "antagonist mentor" trope, of where the villain is trying to get the protagonist stronger so they can fight something much worse by being... well the villain. I have not seen any good stories with that trope and it sucks, because I like it.

[@GermanPeter]

The Talos Principle does this, to a certain extent!

[@martianfilms9902]

Batman Begins

[@PantherCat64]

@UCr6_NH3ktUCunN6SK51PovA Not really, that's more of a "protagonist villain becomes a hero because he made a worse villain."

[@bigbear8485]

I like to think that Portal 2 is more of a stasis simulation for Chell created by the Gman to keep Chell in top shape for whenever the Gman may need her. This doesn't really make a whole lot of sense, given that we never see the gman in either Portal games and the amount of retconning Portal 2 did (and stasis seems to be a moment of pause for whoever is in it), but I like the idea of Portal being more closely tied to Half-Life.

[@_cfmca]

I would love more videos on theorys told as if they were made before sequels came out. Nice job !

[@tiagotiagot]

My headcanon is GLaDOS was suicidal and deliberately taught you how to kill her and manipulated you to want to. This is reinforced by (spoiler for Aperture Desk Job bellow the fold) Cave being revealed to have been also digitized and as a result of that going suicidal.

[@gonkdroid4112]

A few things not in any order, for one, people have theorized that GLaDOS wants you to incinerate the purple morality core, as that allows her to use the neurotoxin. The whole reason she dropped it was for you to incinerate. As for the signs, we know thats doug rattman and not GLaDOS, not much else to say there. The aperture science emergency intelligence incinerator was there by the employees when they were alive, for the very reason of dismantling GLaDOS if needed. Still alive although a great song, is verified as not cannon, and also its meant to be sarcasm in the beginning. That being said, I do believe it was true that its not about the portals, maybe in old aperture with cave johnson and the quantum tunneling device, but not new aperture. Also in portal 2 (Yes I know we aren’t using stuff from it, but still) potato glados says that testing gives a ecstatic feeling whenever a subject completes a test, which would explain why she made the tests like she did. Regardless, great video, very good quality. I like your take on it, and your channel is very underrated.

[@GermanPeter]

As I said in another comment, I'm not opposed to the theory that GLaDOS wanted you to get rid of the cores, but then why did she make it appear like she was trying to stop once you do escape? I mean, putting up a bit of a fight I can understand, but dropping SEVERAL turrets on you at once? Why? That's not necessary at all, and it highly risks her only chance of being "normal" again. Not even talking about the final battle here, but the path leading up to it. The signs being made by Doug Rattman was added AFTER Portal 1. I specifically said that I would only be taking Portal 1 as a standalone game into consideration. The incinerator being so convenient isn't really my problem, my problem is how it's the ONLY thing in the ENTIRE room that you can interact with. No exit door, no vent to air out the room in case of another neurotoxin situation (which had happened at least once at that point), and so on. And again - why display the time left on the walls if she really was trying to kill you? I also see no reason to believe Still Alive isn't canon. It's in the game, after all. I don't care what the Valve devs said later on, since I also said in the video that I wouldn't be considering Portal 2 or anything post Portal 1 for this theory. You can always retcon things later on, so I dismissed that. Also really good point about old Aperture being about the actual portal testing, I hadn't even considered that! Thank you so much for the comment, glad you enjoyed my video :)

[@armoredman10]

Sorta weird to think about but why do the cores still affect Glados after being detached? Why must they be destroyed and not simply taken off

[@gonkdroid4112]

@@armoredman10I think its that they are connected sorta like bluetooth, they are just connected for power to charge an internal battery.

[@GermanPeter]

@@gonkdroid4112 It's doubly weird because they actually have plugs on their backs, like ones you'd put in a regular socket. And yet, they don't even really have to be attached to GLaDOS?

[@Supershadow301]

@@GermanPeter It'd make sense for the cores to be connected to GLaDOS via bluetooth and the normal socket is only here for power. Kinda like how phones can be paired with other devices through bluetooth, but still need a charge cable (with a standard power socket) to recharge its battery. Also it's peak Aperture Science to have a system that works in such a convulted way.

[@Max_The_Flower]

I love when people make portal theories or just game/movie/show theories in general and I wish there were more of them.

[@hamaczech13]

Ooo, a Portal video! Me likey!

[@amirking5452]

The Portal video isn't about Portals, tho

[@thepieisalieofficial]

We do love a good new portal video to heavily analyze over

[@PurpleColonel]

I'm so glad I'm not the only one who appreciates some of the differences between the Portal games :)

[@SilentEvil97]

Maaaan, I've loved this video and theory! From now onwards this is my personal favorite head canon for portal 1. And Awesome video btw! Really well made!

[@GermanPeter]

Thank you so much!

[@memor22]

I thought it was already a fact that glados is multitasking every test chamber as much as she can To test every aspect of it

[@SynthGirl64]

15 seconds in, I swear to god if this ends with "they're actually wormholes" I will not be a happy camper

[@AstroAnonymous2]

this video made me really appreciate the atmosphere of portal one. always viewed it as valve not knowing what they wanted with the series yet, instead of its own thing

[@MotorcycleCheetah]

Just the way you said “Ug, nothing!” Cracked me up.

[@CreeperOnYourHouse]

Of all of this, the most convincing thing is something that you off handedly mentioned through through the Glados lines. "I am the only thing that stands between them and us, or I was". You only thing that was could be referring to as the re emergence of Gordon Freeman in hl2.

[@Mentelgen-1337]

holy crap! that the half life world and portal world would be mixed together wouldnt even be far fetched. there was a deleted ending of portal 1 where you go to zen. you can find it on youtube yall!

[@garedbi]

The Borealis ship mentioned in Portal is confirmed in a cutscene in Half Life 2. They ARE connected

[@Mentelgen-1337]

@@garedbi btw wasnt there a portal mod called thinking with time mashines? no actually wait... its fan made but i heard some things back in the day saying it was approved by valve but i think i am really off track. like really. im probably on the moon right now with that one fella.

[@GermanPeter]

I thought you were joking about the Xen ending, but that's really a thing... I gotta watch a video about that later.

[@Mentelgen-1337]

@@GermanPeter yea man! i was stunned too. the moment you brought up the combine i thought of that scrapped ending from the beta...(i believe its the beta but memory may be janky rn)

[@Mentelgen-1337]

@@GermanPeter kzbin.info/www/bejne/oJW4aJh_mauKaJI richter made a video about it explaining it. if your interested.

[@frankysupreme]

at 11:35 she’s saying you should kill yourself with the rocket. in a line prior to this she tells you to lie down in front of a rocket. i don’t really agree with this theory, i think a lot of the convenient things you mention are solely because it’s a video game and there needed to be interesting ways to reach and defeat the final boss, and the path there is relatively straightforward so the player doesn’t get confused or lost. if you finished the final test chamber and the elevator led to glados’s chamber it would be a lot less climactic and make a lot less sense, just like if you were actually lowered into the fire pit and died that would be a lame ending. same goes for her chamber conveniently having an incinerator and her cores falling out at the same time, it’s cool to speculate that it was all somehow planned out but i don’t really buy that an architect of aperture science designed and laid everything out for you to escape the testing quarters to make it to glados and destroy her. you have to remember that she literally killed everyone then took control of the facility herself which no one expected, and i think the possibility of glados lying about having done any of that is seriously unlikely, and if it were the case would be probably the most subtle hint in gaming history. also as far as glados recognizing that she could train a test subject to escape and help fight the combine, i think that’s a cool concept but i also think it’s incredibly far fetched. like it’s basically saying she killed everyone in the facility, took over, then suddenly had a change of heart and decided to put her test subjects through hell so they could become a badass warrior and help save the world? in my opinion portal is about rising up against and overcoming a force of immense power which is largely unknown to you, that being an incredibly intelligent AI gone-rogue, much like how half-life is about you rising up against and overcoming an unfathomable alien apocalypse. the combine and xen are beyond human comprehension, as is aperture science and all of its insane technologies including glados. with all that being said i think this video is very well made and clearly had effort and passion put into it so i commend you for that :)

[@GermanPeter]

Everything you talked about I addressed in the video itself. Especially the part about having killed everyone in the facility, you have zero ways to verify that. You only have GLaDOS herself to go off of on that, and she isn't very trustworthy.

[@rinbin9772]

@@GermanPeter If you can write off literally every counterpoint as "GLaDOS lies" then I can write off your entire video the same way lol. This is meaningless criticism.

[@GermanPeter]

@@rinbin9772 My video is about how you specifically DON'T trust GLaDOS or anything else, so your comment makes no sense.

[@rinbin9772]

​@@GermanPeter Except you do trust GLaDOS to some degree, no matter what. You trust that she is going to kill you if you don't succeed. That's literally the driving force of the narrative and gameplay as represented by your character dying when you fall into certain traps lol. It's fun to theorize but unreliable narrators do not necessarily equate to always being lied to or manipulated. The best lies contain truths. Keep telling yourself my comment made no sense though. Best of luck on growing your channel friend.

[@bestaround3323]

@@rinbin9772 I get the feeling they are just super sensitive about their theory. In the other comments they are constantly spouting how much they hate the It Was All A Dream Troup, but this theory is an exception. It makes them come off as super insecure about their theory. Needing to constantly claim it is better then all the trash media that uses the all a dream or other similar troups. This makes me think they are also really protective of this theory, even if it has some holes. Making them go as far as to claim a perfectly logic comment makes no sense.

[@tinycatfriend]

i love this! i have no idea if it was intended, but it fits so seamlessly that it can easily be a headcanon :) so glad to see a fresh take on portal in 2022, it's one of my favourite game series' of all time and i love theorizing about it. definitely subbed!

[@krisstasko]

I'm shocked you didn't mention the ARG and website for the first game! It might have helped or harmed your theory, and would've been interesting to see tackled!

[@fcantil]

On the topic of "it wasn't explained how you got in that place", there is a comic where it shows that Doug Rattmann, a former Aperture employee, actually messed with the database so that Chell is the first test subject to be chosen. It was also shown that Chell had extremely high levels of tenacity and so she was originally not even supposed to be tested on. Doug did this so GLaDOS could be stopped once and for all. EDIT: Saw the end of the video lol

[@TakerOfCare]

Miss your stuff so much, glad to see you back man! ^-^

[@chaoboi2439]

Its a good video but the old aperture website debunks most of this.

[@GermanPeter]

I literally said in the video I'd only be taking Portal 1 as a standalone experience in mind. External websites (like the Rattman comic) don't count.

[@littlefirez]

good video, one problem: its a game about portals, the original intentions was to make a game about portals

[@GermanPeter]

From a gameplay perspective, yes. But my theory doesn't detract from the puzzles, you still get to solve those.

[@littlefirez]

@@GermanPeter I see

[@AmyStrikesBack]

This remanber me about jungle gms, they look like a fun way for kids to play but it was created so kids can grow up moving in 3 dimentions, so we can more easily understand the 4º dimention, aperture is just a giant jungle gm controled by robots

[@NXTangl]

You mentioned that Gordon's daring escapes are all as linear as can be for gameplay reasons, but you forget that the G-man is literally manipulating Gordon, Barney, Adrian, and Alyx, guiding them and choosing their paths. In fact, he's explicitly _testing_ them for their suitability as his weapons against the Combine (or in Gordon's case, he was tested in HL1 and HL2 is him in use). So, no, the linearity of the Half-Life games is diagetic.

[@niggacockball7995]

Gman also prevented Adrian from escaping by closing the gate near the evac heli

[@BossKnight]

8:43 those both seem they would both damage the portal gun, as the portal gun is most likely heat resistant or proof considering what its doing would require massive amounts of energy, and the more energy equals to more heat, a risk is different then purousful destruction as well, you can take a risk and it could turn out poorly but doing something you know will, will always turn out poorly 9:44 you do forget the man scribbling on the walls does still exist, we just didn't know who they were other then a few basic things, and them seeming to want to help you leave (and also glados doesn't have full control of outside the test chambers, so what you said at the end about them not cleaning it up, they wouldn't even know its there" 10:38 probably cause you can't instantly fill a room with neurotoxin? its gas being leaked in slowly into a massive room by a unfeeling robot, where most likely your clothing blocks it from immeadietly killing you in any sense and damages nerves, like neurotoxin does. and by glados specifying getting it to your head, it might be one you'd have to inhale to have serious effects. think of it like pouring water into a glass, the wider the glass the more it can fill in that thin strip, Gas is also a liquid like water, especially in this case as we can see it is heavier then air, its going to take a while to get past your legs and to your exposed arms (which might not even matter if its only effective through inhalation), which would leave you defenseless if immobolized. also why would they give The AI they needed to strap cores onto to control its thoughts access to instant killing devices that the Ai is immune to, in the room it would be getting those strapped onto in, the ones who seemed to have strapped it on after their friends died to the robot. 11:21 they don't want glados to take off the cores, and be able to immediately incinerate maybe a rogue core if need be, or to try and incinerate glados if they can 11:49 Glados is still programed to test people, most likely needs to be programed to give good advice, instead of garbled answers. 12:23 Cause GlaDOS is still alive, its a program not controlled by a body, and you still passed the tests with flying colors. and the cake we don't see chell reach, only the player gets to see it in some undisclosed room also wanna say flooding the enrichment center with neurotoxin was in portal one "It was a morality core they installed after I flooded the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin to make me stop flooding the Enrichment Center with a deadly neurotoxin." the theory is interesting, but it isn't strong, it's much more like a conspiracy theory like you listed in your tags, it would be cool if half life was planned to also included more referencing portal, like if chell escaped and used their portal gun to help with the combine instead of coming out too late

[@codaboi138]

This is a fairly solid theory, however, I think it's weak in one aspect; It diminishes the story and the player experience (in my view.) Because it essentially states that everything is a forgery and thus the player experience was a lie also. The triumph of escaping the testing tracks, the triumph of beating Glados, it was all constructed. It reminds me of those "it was all a dream" theories. It might be pretty plausible and might have evidence to back it up, but it doesn't serve the plot in a particularly meaningful way and robs the player of their own experience. It also doesn't seem like something the writers would do, but that's just my opinion about them I guess. Still, it is a pretty well thought out theory and is interesting in some aspects. Well done either way.

[@thepieisalieofficial]

This is prettt much what I said in my comment as well! I fully agree with you. It’s a good video but he’s heavily undermining the story aspect that the gameplay is supposed to present

[@codaboi138]

@@thepieisalieofficial Yeah, it's defiantly plausible but just doesn't feel it adds anything to the game and it's story. If it were true canon, I'd be bummed out. It also feels as though the theory relies a lot on "Coincidence? I think not!" kind of reasoning. Like sure, it can be that the plot and gameplay conveniences tie in together to present a greater truth, but that greater truth is underwhelming and only fits when looking at every detail in the game as though it was placed for plot conveniences, and that's just not how games are developed. The plot usually is a lose guide for the direction of gameplay, then the details are ironed out. Saying it's all orchestrated is a copout to explain in game conveniences. And in a presentation to game design students, the writer for Portal, Erik Wolpaw, explained that if play testers couldn't repeat the plot points back to them accurately then they simplified the story until it was fleshed out and simple to understand. I doubt they'd add a hidden twist with little meaning behind it at the end like that.

[@GermanPeter]

@@codaboi138 I fully agree that "It was all a dream"-theories suck because they basically spit in the face of everyone who got invested in the story. However, for this game I'd make an exception because it really does seem like the game is hiding something, even more than it already does. I wouldn't have come up with it if it didn't give me that vibe, I'd not do the same theory for Half-Life for instance because there's nothing in those games that could possibly indicate it's fabricated. In this case, diminishing the player's efforts is kind of the point of my theory. You are made to believe that you are a hero from zero, which is the entire point of the tests. They're messing with you so much that even when you think you've escaped it, you really haven't. You have barely made a dent in the iceberg's tip. And I mean, Chell has no personality or motivation, so she IS the player. And the player still beat all those puzzles and escaped at the end. So it's not like it was a simulation where nothing happened, you still managed to survive it all on your own. It's just that it was predetermined that you would do that. You say it doesn't serve the plot in a meaningful way, while I'd argue that that's just the plot you are familiar with. My theory is about a different plot, where Aperture's motives are even more sinister than in the final game, which is also why I disconnected it from Portal 2. If you've seen the movie "Cube", that's kind of what I was going for. Someone dropped in a deadly maze for purposes beyond their comprehension. As for the game design being streamlined for player convenience, I'd say that if something is in the game, it's part of that world. Unless it's something like music or HUDs, it does affect the story. And if you don't want that, then you either change it or write a book or make a movie instead. Because games are driven by gameplay, and gameplay drives the story. So the conveniences is something that I will take into account. Yes, it may not have been intended by the developers, but I also don't care about their intentions. Their word isn't the only one and everyone gets to interpret the game as they want. It's not canon, it's a headcanon. It already doesn't work because Portal 2 exists, so I see no real issue.

[@codaboi138]

@@GermanPeter I think it all comes down to weather the theory does anything for anyone. If it enriches the experience of some player, who am I to say they are wrong? I can see how it works thematically, with the constant prying at the veil covering the truth never truly revealing itself, but personally, it just doesn't work for me. The story that's presented at face value works well and it satisfies me. Regardless, it's nice to see people making any content related to Portal. Thanks for the video.

[@sasha_chudesnov]

16:05 this is just wrong. There was no “later patch” adding this scene “as a teaser for Portal 2”, it was there on the DISC VERSION OF ORANGE BOX in 2007 before any of Portal 2 even existed.

[@PatThePerson]

Unpopular theory: Glados and chell are best friends. Only best friends talk that much smack

[@rreverr]

the real portal was the friends we made along the way

[@manmansgotmans]

That "I'm the only thing standing between us and them" quote is badass as fuck

[@antonberkbigler5759]

While a very good theory, I find that theorizing on a basis that anything and everything presented to you could be a lie is not a safe practice for sound and unbiased/unskewed theory crafting. Of course the inverse is true, that taking everything at face value regardless of how obviously (but unconfirmedly) it is a falsehood is a detriment all it’s own to theory crafting, but a lesser of two evils. ‘It’s all a falsehood’ based theories can easily fall into cherry-picking, even unintentionally, and reinterpreting certain information for the sake of the conclusion (interpreting it in such a way that it fits the conclusion better). I do think this is a very good theory all the same, but I had to voice my concerns. It certainly makes me question the serendipity of the escape sequence moreso than I already had. However I believe that you may have overlooked certain key elements, those being GLaDOS’s character [motives], and the general corporate outlook/environment between Aperture and Black Mesa. Although not as developed/apparent in Portal 1 as it is in Portal 2, it is still apparent that Aperture does not like Black Mesa, and considering the levels of morals within the company many would rejoice over the resonance cascade for fucking over Black Mesa, even considering the invasion of the Combine. Sure all human employees that weren’t test subjects were dead by that point, but you get what I mean right? GLaDOS probably wouldn’t like Black Mesa either. And secondly I don’t think GLaDOS would have any personal reason or motivation to help out/save humanity, and even if she did there are much better ways of going about it (though I concede this part as nonconstructive speculation, as that’s another bias trap. The ‘better ways of going about it’ part that is.).

[@GermanPeter]

I'm usually not a fan of the "It's all fake"-theories, but in Portal's case, I feel it's pretty likely. Maybe my view of the game was kind of skewed by having played The Stanley Parable before (where everything IS in fact fake for the sake of it being a story/ game), but I always felt like the game wasn't really telling you everything it knew. That even the things you thought were clear-cut were hiding things from you. I mean, testing a portal gun is already insanely unrealistic, especially considering how little fanfare it really gets. So why can't it also be about messing with the human psyche and making them believe they defeated a giant robot AI? The movie "Cube" also heavily influenced my theory, I'd recommend giving it a watch. It's also about a (potential) experiment that seems insanely outlandish gone completely wrong. Chell being trained to fight the Combine may be far-fetched, yes. But I don't think the rest of it was.

[@carn109]

It was about cake all along…

[@ricksanchez56]

heres an idea for a alternate universe where portal 2 didnt come out. The glados you fight isnt the real glados but a decoy to trick the subject and destroy the decoy and the real glados is speaking through a speaker inside the decoy you destroy and this whole time she was training you against the combine

[@haago90c]

Man merkt total, wie du mit Herzblut in diese Videos und Theorien hereingehst. Habe dein Channel gerade erst entdeckt, mit den "Quirks of German Half Life 2" und schaue nun alles Mögliche bei dir an. Und ich weiß nicht warum, aber mir gefällt es aus einem Grund, dass man deinen deutschen Akzent raushört. Die Aussprache ist für mich super verständlich, als bei den Zigtausend andern KZbinrn, die man heutzutage findet. Und du hast natürlich Persönlichkeit, was vielen auf dieser Plattform fehlt. Es geht meistens nur um Geld und Sponsoren. Um jedoch zu deiner Theorie zu kommen: Ich stimme dir zu 100 % zu. Das mit der Fluchtmöglichkeit war mir schon immer ein Dorn im Auge, bin auch endlich froh zu sehen, dass ich nicht alleine mit dieser Sichtweise bin. Das kann alles nur vorher geplant worden sein. Aber mehr brauch ich dazu nicht sagen, hast du ja schon! Wünsche dir alles Gute, du hast viel mehr Views und Subs mit dieser Qualität verdient! Hoffe, ein weiterer +1 bei Subs und Likes hilft dir weiter :)

[@brightblackhole2442]

i'm pretty sure that "the rocket really is the way to go" is about the player dying and not glados

[@SECONDQUEST]

The test was the whole game. Chell is tested in order to become the next Freeman. I would imagine she knows the projects going on at black mesa, considering corporate espionage. Thus she also knew the outcome and her hardened bunker location allowed her to plan in such a way to usurp the Combine. She knew they would destroy her. This is my head canon and nobody can change my mind.

[@Roxor128]

After watching this, I find myself wondering what a mod based around the premise of it would be like? Take the ending of Portal, but rather than having the robot that takes you back inside for the sequel, leave it out and have Chell wake up sometime later. She's free from GLaDOS, but in a world conquered by the Combine. Could she fill Gordon's shoes early, once she finds out what's going on?

[@Twitch380]

It's about telling a story... Like every piece of media..

[@Dandus_TF]

I was sceptical at first, but I like this theory.

[@IxodesPersulcatus]

There's one theory that suggests the entirety of the first game was GLaDOS attempting assisted suicide.

[@Tlaloc1]

I've been a fan of your content for years, and your more recent style of videos are incredible. Keep up the fantastic work! Also, what's the music that plays during chapter 3?

[@GermanPeter]

Thank you so much! All the music tracks I use are original compositions by Sunnexo, made specifically for my channel. They don't have a name :)

[@bekkayya]

ehhhhhhh I dont think this really holds much water. GLaDOS in portal 1 is extremely hamstrung; she has very little control over what she's allowed to do or think (so much so that her original concept art is a woman hanging from the ceiling in a straight jacket). We can see how much she changes as each of the limitations the scientists imposed on her is removed. I think its much more likely that the trails the scientists invented actually were /that/ dangerous, considering everybody is dead. and wouldnt you be happy (and a bit surprised/startled) somebody finally survived the fire pit to end your endless, confined, suffering?

[@GermanPeter]

Problem with that: the only person to say that GLaDOS is restricted and that the scientists were killed by her is... GLaDOS herself. Who could very well just be lying. Which she has done throughout the entire game.

[@DianaTaffie]

There is a reason i still prefer Portal to Portal 2. And this video made me even sadder about it. Man.

[@callumfinlayson-palmer8393]

I get sad playing portal beacuse of how lonely and isolated it feels lol but it is definitely the better story/world building, while like portal 2 it's a shame the direction was changed.

[@michaelsbasement]

I feel like glados did all this testing on you so that you would learn how to use portals and also hate her, so that in the end you would free her of the cores the scientists put on her to put a limiter on her

[@romanm.3529]

Portal is about our own experience on this flat Earth, in this enclosed game-realm. We are tested, lied to and then we "wake up" and go behind the scenes, so to speak

[@wyattisshort9065]

my theory: the real portal was the friends we made along the way

[@I0NE007]

While not a theory about Portal or Half-Life, It's my personal theory that the entirety of Metal Gear Rising, the meme machine that it is, not only has a very powerful story (if anyone decides to actually listen to it), but also has TWO hidden narratives. One about the ongoing debate between "are video games are" (and, by extension, what they should be seen as), but also, more incredibly, about Kojima planning to leave Konami. Keep in mind, this game was released before MGSV Ground Zero, MGSV, and before Kojima actually left. But I won't bore the details here, I have a 150+ page document that goes farther in depth.

[@Catjacked]

All of the “convenient” things Peter mentions are just game design. It is fun to try and think of things like this though.

[@ghostygamerz4800]

Fun fact in half life Alex you can see a drawing of a turret with a heart next to it. Considering the ending of portal 2 it might have been drawn by chell

[@griffin6539]

I think that GermanPeter's theory is true for the original context of portal 1. While many things disprove his theory they all come from different games and I think that the lore was changed between portal 1 and 2. Keep in mind that protal 1 started as a fan project so it is not a leap of logic to base a theory on the story of portal 1 being self contained. Then when it became clear what a success portal 1 was they had to turn the self contained story into something larger. Long story short retcons.

[@dimasddfoxy1492]

Aint even watch the vid yet but im 100% down with you just making videos for different games

[@noahrules7146]

a good theory on a game is hard to find in 2022 good video

[@needy3535]

Ratman literally orchestrated chels awakening. So like, yeah... He literally showed her the way lol. That's like, a main plot point

[@HushMistake24]

i think it's pretty plain cut, at least in portal one. the tests are glados's dark, twisted way to kill humans, creatures she deems as evil after they did what they did to her. the tests are built to psychologically torture the victims while disguised as tests., as this is her main protocol, despite the portal gun obviously working, showing these aren't true tests of the device. and then she kills them, fulfilling both parts of goals, aperture's and her own. lots of this is retconned in portal 2.

[@anxiousdog538]

I feel like this is still possible with what we know now glados didn’t want to live forever it could be she was not only testing but having someone take her out of her misery

[@timeimp]

It’s actually all for NEON PRIME lmao

[@bibliobeebo2927]

I like to think that GLaDOS, as the hyper-intelligent supercomputer she is, made a plan for a test subject to free her of her personality cores because she could not do it herself and that there were no scientists alive anymore, let alone any who would be dumb enough to help her do this. I haven't read the Ratman story but I do remember seeing Chel being designated as extremely tenacious and so a perfect pick to accomplish this scheme of hers, meaning that Ratman was unknowingly playing right into her hand. This theory implies she can't remove her own personality cores though, but of course when we enter her chamber one just 'happens' to fall off, meaning she can actually remove her own cores on command or that she planned this knowing a malfunction like it would happen right at that moment which is much harder to believe. This does remain semi-consistent with portal 2 though, because that's how you ultimately defeat Wheatly, although he could've had the ability to expel the corrupted cores and just been too much of a moron to do it. Hard to tell.

[@aliquida7132]

You know... they COULD make a Portal 1.5, using this theory. - Chell finishes Portal 1 - Chell is brought back in, outfitted with a Portal gun and told that the Combine are out there and that she has to go save humanity - Advenure ensues with a Portal/Half-life hybrid - Chell saves the day, returns to Aperture Science to report-back - GLaDOS, being a confused AI, decides to force Chell into suspended animation so Chell can be "deployed" the next time the world need to be saved - Her mind is wiped somehow.... - Chell fights back, almost kills GLaDOS for real this time - A last act from GLaDOS is wiping Chell's memory and putting her in suspended animation, with the expectation that the other AI will fix GLaDOS and wake her up - The other AI doesn't fix GLaDOS... thousands of years go by - Chell is locked in non-stop suspended animation, and the remaining AI aren't smart enough to notice, or don't care - Portal 2 happens

[@Auroxen]

There are a couple of rooms in the game where you can softlock yourself and GLaDOS has to free you (while commenting about it) What would be your interpretation of that under this theory? Because if GLaDOS was trying to train people to fight the Combine then I can't see why she would keep considering somebody who accidentally traps herself worthy of consideration as an anti-Combine soldier Also why are the tubes above in the incinerator room (the ones you have to fling through to proceed) broken and bent inwards? Under the "standard" interpretation of the game (the "canonical" one where the tests are really tests and the escape is really an escape) that is a subtle way to show that previous people got there and tried flinging, probably falling to their death in the fire below but also damaging the tubes again and again until Chell found it open (this of course only works if Chell isn't the first test subjects, the current canon creates a hole about that by introducing the comic where Rattman moves Chell up to be the first test subject but I'm talking about the "standard" interpretation of the first game by itself) Would that just be "fake lore" created by GLaDOS in your theory, or could there be a more interesting interpretation?

[@nerdherd1819]

Gordon Freeman doesn't carve his own path, though. I think that's an important point. The G-Man influences his journey as far as he can, though there is a period between the end of HL2 and the middle of HL2 Episode 2 where the G-Man loses his influence.

[@nathanlorance5192]

I mean all the writing and making a path for chell was done by ratman who is one of the if not the only survivor of bring your daughter to work day

[@inudev6351]

I feel like portal 2 adds to the whole thing with the combine more than jt does rettcon it. After all there is countless nods to black Mesa agian, as well as the aperture Borialus dock, and it's possible that the reason she does not continue her alternative tests is because she is inside a potato for half of the game, and has an identity crisis for the portions that she isnt a potato

[@archivushka]

I'm struggling to name any other puzzle game with such mind games. Perhaps The Witness?

[@admiralfluffy42]

Maybe the entire events of portal and half life take place in a simulation, run by higher beings for their entertainment?

[@GermanPeter]

I severely hate these types of theories because they don't really add anything. They're like "It's all a dream" or "The protagonist is in hell/ limbo". You can literally apply those to any story and it wouldn't change anything about them whatsoever, except mock the viewer/ player/ reader for getting invested in the story to begin with. "Oh, you thought you were actually following interesting characters with their own arcs? Haha nope it's all fake get bent".

[@bestaround3323]

@@GermanPeter They were making a joke about them being video games. Stop projecting your insecurities about your theory.

[@tentacledood5784]

Hey Peter, I know it's a bit of a doozy, but I was wondering if you had thoughts on the first Postal game, I had this slightly different take about how it's an exploration of extreme paranoia, what with the ambience and the secret War Journal entries. I totally understand if that's a game you'd prefer to avoid however.

[@GermanPeter]

Played it, it's very edgy, doesn't play so well, and the spoOoOoOoky intermission screens seem like a poor man's understanding of how mental illness works (it's totally just making you super crazy and want to kill everyone!). Very dated, should have stayed in the late 90s.

[@doododaadoo8673]

Well thought-out theory, but honestly I just feel like the "the escape sequence and killing GladOS was all a pre-determined path created by her" thing just kinda ruins a part of the game thematically. The whole point of Portal's story is that you're fighting back against the planned route that GladOS gives you, so the idea that the entire escape sequence was a lie just doesn't really sit right with me.

[@redymedy]

I don't like your use of good level design being used as proof for the theory, its just meant to be good level design, there is no meaning

[@thepieisalieofficial]

This is indeed the biggest flaw of this theory. It’s a plausible theory none the less, but I agree with you that this just doesn’t seem like a valid argument

[@STANNco]

this sounds like the plot of INSIDE

[@ivan-sin-compania5710]

To add to your analysis, I say: maybe the GlaDos plan that Jhon made actually worked and when Caroline/GlaDos woke up, she didn't go murderhobo and actually followed her mentor's plans: keep Aperture running and doing science. She might even have taken Jhon's scientific shenanigans and took them to the next level, for example, by doing experiments like the one proposed in the video. It's interesting to think about, at least to me. Well, maybe except for the implication that Caroline still could have been forced into her new form like in Portal 2, but I prefer to think that it all was consensual, or even that Caroline was the one who proposed the GlaDos project. I'd rather think that instead of the rapp£ analogy 😬

[@lonergothonline]

if we take aperture at its word, that its all about science. then obviously the science this time is seeing if one can create a 'hero', and what methods are required to do so. I'd imagine the character you play as, has their memories wiped, repeatedly until they can complete the assigned task. they are constantly re-writing you in order to manufacture a hero. this little addendum theory of mine was influenced by the idea that Link is only successful in his various adventures when the player continues to play the game, to completion, after being defeated and sent to the game over screen multiple times. so the theory goes that link is 'empowered' by the 'triforce' to continue his adventures after dying/game over, no matter the adversity he faces, until completion of his quest. which implies that to link and his reality, Save and Load are canonical. The Elder Scrolls has something similar but it gets wacky so I'll refrain from explaining it. adding this thought bubble to portal, we arrive at the concept of Glados and aperture before her were designed around the idea to conduct science, and in the process, achieve multiple goals, regardless of our knowledge of what those goals ARE, we can deduce from just the first game, that one of the goals was perhaps to manufacture/mass-produce 'hero' type entities, starting with a 'blank', something that was intended perhaps to defeat A.I cores? so the canon ending would be for the world to now have a trained person who can remove or destroy 'a.i core's. in other words, what the player went through was all a result of either humans or combine wanting to make someone that can destroy a.i cores, specifically. I can easily imagine that in a potential future of this world, there'd be a character who can do stuff others wouldn't think to do, such as with portal guns. I say all this because I recently binged all of rick and Morty. and rick pulls off stuff with his portal gun all the time, like opening multiple portals and shooting through them so that the bullets/lazers go through different angles/approaches. so the first portal game was to make a player character like Rick, (but only so far as the portal shenanigans go). and I can easily imagine a rick making aperture science because someone told him he can't make a hero that primarily uses a portal gun in combat, and he said 'hold my beer' and we got chell.

[@thepieisalieofficial]

First and foremost I wanna praise this video for its quality. It was a very enjoyable watch! Now my take on the subject is a bit more critiquing. Ofc theories are theories and I’m not gonna outright say that you’re wrong because you’re theorizing (and it is somewhat plausible) However I feel your evidence isn’t valid. You use the argument of all these “conveniences” as the base of your theory. Yet the fact that things may seem so “convenient” and “put in place perfectly for Chell” (like a test) is simply just level and game design. You can find this type of convenience and “luck” in any videogame. (It happens in movies too) So yes everything looks perfectly scripted because in reality it IS scripted by the developers. But that doesn’t mean it applies to the in-game story. Things like all the walls being portable is not because they were designed to be like the ones in the test chambers, it’s just that Portals can be placed on most flat surfaces. You abuse this feature of the Portal gun to escape! The areas behind the tests, in my opinion, defenitly weren’t made with the Portal gun in mind. (Lore wise) It really feels like you’re able to abuse this tech in an environment it wasn’t meant for. The only part that may seem “planned” to you is what I would call level design. Made that way by the developers to show the player where to go. So it’s made “convenient” to make the game playable. It isn’t convenient from a story perspective cuz in reality Aperture is way bigger than we get to see in game. (The game itself is linear because it has linear gameplay. Doesn’t mean the fictive world around it is linear too) From a story point of view Chell is hella lost and just going around, hoping to find an exit. She has those markings on the wall to guide her but those aren’t conveniences either, those are made by Doug Rattman, explicitly made to help Chell escape. So it’s no coincidence that they’re there. Another thing is that (in my opinion) you heavily misunderstand some of GLaDOS’ voice lines. At the start you were interpreting them correctly, that she’s willing to just outright lie to the test subject and tries to mess with them, both physically and mentally. You were spot on in that part of the video. But Chell escaping the fire pit was DEFENITLY NOT supposed to happen nor was it part of test (lore wise) You can hear GLaDOS freaking out about it before she regains control of herself. And what does she do then? GLaDOS keeps on lying. But this time it’s not to mess with the test subject, but because she doesn’t know what else to do. That’s the thing, GLaDOS lies all the time, but especially if she’s nervous. This is even said explicitly in Portal 2. I know you don’t want us to refer too much to the sequel but I believe this applies to Portal 1 even before the sequel came to be, because they had already written GLaDOS this way. It just gets directly mentioned in Portal 2; "It's been FIFTY thousand years. No it's hasn't. It's only been a week. I lie when I'm nervous. The next logical question: WHY am I nervous? I'm not! That was another lie." - GLaDOS (Art Therapy Course , Test Chamber 05) The dialogue is literally her admitting that she always lies, especially if she’s nervous or scared. (It’s from the CO-Op campaign btw) So in her final battle she isn’t helping Chell defeat her. No, GLaDOS is lying her ass off because she’s panicking. She tries to hit Chell with everything she’s got while trying to appear calm and collected, which fails because she is anything but that. The fact she uses the rocket turret and the neurotoxin is not to test Chell, it’s a statement on the fact that really, GLaDOS can’t do anything much to stop her. It’s a comment on how the scientists always abused and controlled her. She may seem like this overpowering genius AI, but when she has a direct threat in front of her - Chell - there is very little she can actually do about it or protect herself. My gripe with your theory is that it would undermine an important part of GLaDOS’s story and personality. If this was all still a test, her “panic” would also be part of that test and therefor be fake. And it would completely undermine the meaning behind how GLaDOS handles this fight: that in reality she is quite powerless and all she can do to keep somewhat in power is to use her voice. Because really, the neurotoxin and rocket turret are useless (the turret is even used AGAINST her) She’s also still under control by all the personality cores stuck on her and literally cries out in pain when Chell destroys them. She is afraid to die and can’t do anything but helplessly watch and keep talking to Chell, because that’s all she can do. GLaDOS is showing so much personality in this final fight and there is so much behind it. And saying “this was all part of a bigger test” would completely ruin all of that! I also think the fact that you can see the timer for the neurotoxin is just there because of ✨game design✨so the player knows how much time they have left in the boss battle. I don’t believe it’s an indicatior that this is supposed to be another test chamber. I hope you took the time to read this because sorry, ITS A LOT. I’m also not saying your theory isn’t plausible, these are just the things that stood out to me. I really love discussing anything Portal related and I’m glad I came across your video (through the portal subreddit actually) Please tell me your thoughts on my comment GermanPeter. I’m curious to know what you think

[@GermanPeter]

I take issue with you bringing Portal 2 into this, especially the part about her lying when nervous. My point is that you really only have GLaDOS to go off of on everything she says. Everything she says you have no way to verify whether it's true or not. This applies to the lies she tells you in the test chambers, to her calling out for you when you escape, and even her cries of pain during the final battle. Literally everything that is being said in the game comes out of her mouth, there is not a single other character to agree or disagree with her. On that basis alone, AND the fact she already wasn't a trustworthy person from the beginning, I don't think it's outlandish to treat her as a liar. I also don't think this would detract from her personality, just from the personality that you are familiar with thanks to Portal 2. My theory gives her a different one, one that's way more sinister than the one we all know. Because what kind of person would create this type of test where the subject thinks they're destroying an evil AI? What kind of person has this much power to just... do that? I've mentioned the movie "Cube" in the video, and that really influenced my theory. Because in that one, a group of people is stranded in an insanely deadly maze that requires moon logic to escape. And why? We never find out. THAT is even scarier than anything anyone could come up with. And it's the same with my theory. I also think that game design isn't automatically excluded from influencing the story. Otherwise, go write a book or make a movie. In Dear Esther for instance, you're the typical game protagonist that can't see their legs when they look down, and they also magically respawn back where they were when they die, and they also seem to magically survive lethal falls. The reason for that is that the whole thing is implied to be a dream, or at least not real. So the gameplay is integrated into the story itself. The same could be said here. And like I mentioned in the video - the whole escape already starts out pretty convenient, with the platform slowing down. From a gameplay perspective, they could have also made the track into the fire twice as long, but they didn't. And THAT creates doubt for everything that comes after it, especially all the things that just so happen to help the player (like the countdown timer). I mean, that timer is already insanely generous, and it doesn't add much from a gameplay perspective. So they could have also just made it so you can't die at all and removed the timer. But they added the timer, they made it generous, and they displayed it for the player. But by doing so, they connected it with the story of the game and I will not just ignore such a massively obvious thing just because it's "game design". I think your view of the game is influenced too much by Portal 2, while I tried to completely ignore everything in that game (except maybe the Combine theory at the end). I looked at it more as a game where you wake up in a place you have no idea how you got there and get told by a robot voice to do tests and never question them, and you're just supposed to believe everything you see. If this happened in real life, you also wouldn't go "Oh yes, that's plausible", especially when confronted with the portal gun just out of the blue. My first instinct would be to think I'm part of a large prank, and rightfully so!

[@patrikzockt806]

glados has a black box that recors 3min of her life but how does she remember all about her and her cube ARFTER she got killed and her hardrive got damaged?

[@JamesR624]

Yeah, considering that most of the comments are debunking nearly all of this, and all the 'counter points' are dependent on everyone just ignoring the sequel, including being stated so from the get go means this theory doesn't really hold water. Sorry, but if someone makes a piece of media, and then makes another chapter of the same media and it's the same person making it, saying "that doesn't count" is just admitting the theory has no legs to stand on. If "that doesn't count" is referring to stuff made by the same person/people who made the stuff you say "does count", then that's completely meaningless.

[@Strontium-89]

10:20 I can't believe you didn't cite the fact that Glados repeatedly used the rocket turrets even though the player consistently launches them back at her..... You'd think she'd quickly learn it wasn't working. I mean, even if Glados didn't try to kill you with any addition means; you still would've died to the neurotoxin after six minutes anyway........... Doesn't seem like much of a hyper-intelligent AI to me...... not even an intelligent one at best................

[@Someone-wall]

Yay, new video

[@nicodemous52]

Not just the USA, my German friend, we are not the only folks to have performed unethical research and experiments.

[@nosville22]

I mean they couldn't retcon the tie to Half-Life if they wabted to, the robot dragging you back can not be comanded by GLaDOS if she wanted to, since she's y'know dead Wheatley the certified idiot is around, though and he's in charge of test subjects too he's also present when she wakes up as well meaning any heart-to-heart is off the table GLaDOS' monologue implies she was at the very least aware of the passage of time for however long she was out which changes people Ratman is about what you said - a wild card but not without his use

[@Krane5328]

Remember we're pretending portal 2 doesn't exist.

[@Cyberfishofant]

9:01 uuh...look up 4000 kelvin in Celsius

[@nineonine9082]

Great vid, you have potential to do incredibly well if you have more ideas like this =P