Chell (Portal)

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Chell
Portal character
Chell, as she appears in Portal 2
First appearancePortal (2007)
Last appearancePortal 2 (2011)
Based onAlésia Glidewell
Voiced byMary Kae Irvin

Chell is the

Aperture Science Laboratories
, the main setting of the games.

Chell's face- and body-model were derived from those of Alésia Glidewell. She experienced a redesign in Portal 2 which was often changed during development. For example, the original redesign featured a laboratory-hat. A character presented in first-person perspective, Chell can only be seen through reflections and portals in the game.

Chell was generally well-received by critics and gamers, with many people praising the fact that she does not speak and looks like a "normal-looking and normal-dressing woman" in contrast to many other female characters in first-person shooters.

Development and design

Valve's

Spirit character by Will Eisner, but noted that more may be seen of Chell in the future.[3]

The concept art for Chell

Chell's face and body model were derived from those of the director, producer and voice actress Alésia Glidewell.[4] When making Portal 2, developers considered not bringing back the character.[5][6] However, this was changed as playtesters wanted GLaDOS to recognize them as the person who had killed her in the first game.[1][7] In her original redesign for Portal 2 developers tried to make her look appealing, yet not overdesigned,[6] with nothing made simply for fashion.[5] They explored changing her nationality, and tried to make her look less human due to the "constant dehumanization of these test subjects". Being a test subject, Chell's suit was designed to look neither sexy nor unattractive. The original redesign of the character featured a laboratory hat, which was thought of halfway through the concepting phase.[5][8] Matt Charlesworth, Valve's concept artist, commented that the hat reminded him of test pilots.[5]

This look was eventually abandoned in favor of returning to her original orange jumpsuit, this time with the jumpsuit wrapped around her waist. Valve's art team explained that this was to give her more freedom and help her stand out more as an individual.[9]

Appearances

In Portal, Chell is performing tests for

Aperture Science, which are being overseen by GLaDOS, an artificially intelligent computer system
. Chell destroys GLaDOS in her efforts to escape but is wounded, and an unseen figure called the Party Escort Bot drags her back inside.

In Portal 2: Lab Rat, a tie-in comic for Portal 2, Chell is put in stasis by Doug Rattmann after the events of Portal. He is revealed to be responsible for Chell taking part in the tests.

potato battery
. Opening the hatch that seals off the old facility from the new, Chell inadvertently pumps Mobility Gels up to the new facility, which later proves useful. Wheatley captures her and forces her to run tests for him until she finds his lair. And after attaching corrupted cores onto Wheatley, with the process of reverting being booby-trapped, she fires a portal to the moon which sucks her and Wheatley out into space. Chell is saved by GLaDOS, who lets her leave the facility via an elevator that takes her to the surface.

Chell's origin is unclear; GLaDOS claims that in Chell's file it states that she is adopted. In Portal 2, a long-abandoned science fair poster that was part of "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day" — the same day GLaDOS went rogue — is attributed to "Chell", implying that at least one of her parents worked for Aperture Science.[11] Some posit that Chell is the daughter of Cave Johnson, the founder and CEO of Aperture Science.[11][12]

As both Portal games are presented in a first-person view, Chell is only seen fleetingly in normal gameplay, usually when portals are aligned in such a way that the player is able to create a recursive view of Chell. Placing two portals next to each other on a wall and then partially entering the one portal while facing the other allows the player a close-up view of Chell's face.

Chell is a playable character in the crossover game Lego Dimensions, and has access to her portal gun. Her character pack includes a sentry turret and a Companion Cube, and unlocks a bonus level in which she returns to Aperture and is reunited with Wheatley, with the two trying to stop GLaDOS once more.

A Portal-themed costume featuring Chell holding a portal gun is available for the 2020 battle royale game

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout.[13]

Reception and analysis

GamesRadar's Joe McNeilly called Chell an example of Portal deconstructing

Zoey from Left 4 Dead.[19]

Kotaku's Luke Plunkett called Chell's original design in the first game memorable,[8] later noting how in the first Portal "Chell [...] was never really the star of the game" as well as how little she was actually seen.[20] Mike Fahey, also from Kotaku, defended Chell from people saying that she should talk, and said, "The last thing I would want in Portal 2 is for Chell to speak".[21] When reviewing Portal 2, Game Informer's Adam Biessener said that much of what makes Portal and Portal 2 so special was the execution and the originality of standing in Chell's shoes and experiencing her destiny.[22]

References

  1. ^ a b "Portal 2 exclusive interview - Survey". Eurogamer. 14 March 2011. Archived from the original on 1 April 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  2. 1UP.com. Archived
    from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 8 May 2011.
  3. ^ Joey Esposito (6 April 2011). "Expanding the World of Portal 2". IGN. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  4. ^ McWhertor, Michael (May 10, 2011). "Portal's GLaDOS and Chell Laugh It Up In Real Life". Kotaku. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Ben Reeves (22 March 2010). "Redesigning Portal: Valve's Artist Speaks". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 30 April 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  6. ^
    GamesRadar
    . Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  7. ^ "Portal 2 Preview". Edge. 18 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 April 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  8. ^ a b Luke Plunkett (23 March 2010). "Portal's Star Has A New Look". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  9. ^ Michael McWhertor (23 February 2011). "The New Look For Portal 2's Heroine Explained". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
  10. ^ "Portal 2: Lab Rat". Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  11. ^ a b Cotter, Padraig (2019-04-11). "What Is The Backstory Of Portal's Chell?". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2019-04-12.
  12. ^ Purslow, Matt (2011-04-26). "Portal 2 Secrets Guide". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2011-08-17. Retrieved 2011-08-12.
  13. ^ Naik, Kshiteej (2020-09-04). "Fall Guys Gets Portal's Chell Skin". IGN India. Archived from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2021-01-21.
  14. GamesRadar. Archived
    from the original on 9 August 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  15. ^ Charlie Barratt (21 July 2008). "The Top 7... Lazy Character Clichés". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  16. ^ Chris Antista (25 July 2008). "Mediocre Game Babes". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  17. ^ IGN PlayStation Team (8 July 2009). "The Wednesday 10: Gaming Heroines". IGN. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  18. Gamasutra. Archived
    from the original on 31 August 2015. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  19. ^ Brett Elston. "The Top 7 Tasteful game heroines". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 3 March 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  20. ^ Luke Plunkett (12 February 2011). "See How Portal's Heroine Has Changed". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  21. ^ Mikey Fahey (24 February 2011). "Some Game Characters Need to Keep Their Big Mouths Shut". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 6 November 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
  22. ^ Adam Biessener (18 April 2011). "Portal 2". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 31 January 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2011.
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