History YMMV / Portal

* MagnificentBitch: [[AIIsACrapshoot GLaDOS]] is a computer created by [[MadScientist Cave Johnson]] to run Aperture Science after his death. Once activated, [=GLaDOS=] proceeded to kill most of the scientists with neurotoxin and took over the Enrichment Center to conduct tests at her own leisure. [[VideoGame/Portal1 In the present]], [=GLaDOS=] put Chell through a series of potential lethal tests before trying to murder her. Defeated and shut down by Chell in retaliation, [=GLaDOS=] is [[VideoGame/Portal2 accidentally awoken years later]] by Wheatley. Throwing Chell back into more tests, she is eventually overthrown by Wheatley thanks to Chell's actions. With Wheatley threatening to destroy the facility with his own stupidity, [=GLaDOS=] convinces Chell to help her take Aperture back from Wheatley, and in turn lets Chell go when that is done. Switching focus toward Cooperative Testing, [=GLaDOS=] uses the robots Atlas and P-body to secure control over the lower parts of the facility and eventually give her access to more human test subjects. When a mysterious hacker (actually a mother bird on a keyboard) forces her hand, resulting in the deaths of her human test subjects, [=GLaDOS=] sends the robots after it before adopting the baby birds to raise as killers.

** Following the release of Portal 2, many people believe that all surfaces capable of holding portals need to be painted with moon dust. In truth, many other surfaces work too, such as concrete - as seen in the ''many'' test chambers for the portal gun built years before the moon landings. They just have a lot of it because Cave carelessly invested a lot of money in moon rocks not knowing they were poisonous.

** Following the release of Portal 2, many people believe that all surfaces capable of holding portals need to be painted with moon dust. In truth, many other surfaces work too, such as concrete - as seen in the ''many'' test chambers for the portal gun built years before the moon landings.

!!The video game

!!The band
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: For starters, the entirety of ''Outre''' qualifies.
* BrokenBase: A minor case with ''ION'' for its cleaner production.
* FaceOfTheBand: The Curator
* NightmareFuel: Their music is very harsh and disorienting, and their lyrics are just as terrifying.
** The "Curtains" music video is mostly done in the style of a silent movie and there's not much outwardly scary about it-until the end when a giant monster wakes up with its face covered in shadow except for the sharp teeth and The Curator doing creepy demonic growls.
* SignatureSong: "Kilter" from ''Vexovoid''
* ToughActToFollow: ''Outre''' was definitely a victim of this trope.
* WinBackTheCrowd: ''ION'' was not only one of the best metal albums from 2018, it now rivals ''Outre''' in terms of popularity.

* PolishedPort: Impressively, the Companion Collection for Nintendo Switch runs at both a higher resolution and framerate than both of the original console versions of either, the latter even in handheld mode.

** Chell is subject to a lot of this as she's a SilentProtagonist. One of the common areas of debate revolves around her silence, as there's discussion about whether she's mute, or whether she's perfectly capable of talking but just stubbornly refuses to give the insane and annoying robots she's surrounded by the satisfaction of a response. WordOfGod states the third one is the case in ''Portal 1'', but ''Portal 2'' is ambiguous. Is it the same, or is she suffering from brain damage after her experiences in cryo-sleep?

** Chell is subject to a lot of this as she's a SilentProtagonist. One of the common areas of debate revolves around her silence, as there's discussion about whether she's mute, whether (in the second game) she suffers from brain damage after her experiences in cryo-sleep, or whether she's perfectly capable of talking but just stubbornly refuses to give the insane and annoying robots she's surrounded by the satisfaction of a response. WordOfGod states the third one is the case in Portal 1, but Portal 2 is ambiguous.

** One of the early FinalBoss battle ideas was "[[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17625 a high intensity rocket battle with GLaDOS in a room full of turrets]]", which the team called "[[Franchise/MortalKombat Portal Kombat]]". Four years later, ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' was released on the same day as ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', leading to things like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyOzzd53ssY a parody with portal-based fatalities]]. The [[[[VideoGame/MortalKombatX next MK game]] got a custom mode called "Portal Kombat".

Note: For ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' YMMV entries, go to the YMMV.{{Portal 2}} article.

* BreatherLevel: After being shot at nearly every time you turn a corner and open a door in chamber 16 you immediately have chamber 17 where the worst thing you may encounter is easily dodgeable energy blasts. And maybe regret over having to "euthanize" the companion cube.
** Test Chamber 19 is much shorter than the long and challenging Test Chamber 18, with more forgiving mechanics and less reaction-based gameplay. [[spoiler:Subverted, as it ends with [=GLaDOS=] attempting to drop you into an incinerator, starting the "escape" levels.]]

* CreepyCute: The Sentry Turrets. Sure, they’re loud killing machines and [=GLaDOS’=] most direct method of murdering you, but their computerized childlike voices, their calls for help when knocked over, and their polite way of speaking makes them seem like [[AdorablyPrecociousChild adorably precocious children]].

* HilariousInHindsight: One of the early FinalBoss battle ideas was "[[http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=17625 a high intensity rocket battle with GLaDOS in a room full of turrets]]", which the team called "[[Franchise/MortalKombat Portal Kombat]]". Four years later, ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' was released on the same day as ''VideoGame/MortalKombat9'', leading to things like [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyOzzd53ssY this]].

* InferredHolocaust: Never mind all the researchers that [=GLaDOS=] gassed; "Bring Your Daughter To Work Day" implies that their ''children'' became victims too, or were tested to death. [=GLaDOS=] also manages to sneak in a reference to the multiple disasters of the ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' universe during the FinalBattle and in "Still Alive". It's implied during ''Portal 2'' that Chell herself was the daughter of one of the scientists at Aperture and she was present during the massacre.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: At the very end of the game, [[spoiler: when you're lying on the ground outside the entrance to the facility]], there is a backdrop of trees laid out in front of you. When [[spoiler: robot grabs you for assuming the Party Escort Submission Position]], the movement of the screen allows you to see that the tree backdrop doesn't extend past your initial field of vision. This is because [[spoiler: the Party Escort robot]] was patched in long after the game was finished as a teaser to ''Portal 2''.

* NightmareFuel: Their music is very harsh and disorienting, and their lyrics are just as terrifying

* TheShipsMotor: The ''Portal'' fandom has a habit of taking bots like [=GLaDOS=] and Wheatley, and making them humanoid, either by downloading them [[BecomeARealBoy into a human body]], [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots giving them some sort of android]], or [[ArtificialHuman finding a way to mix the two]]. This is done in part to make writing their expressions easier in fanfiction, but mainly it seems to pair them with [[PlayerCharacter Chell]]. This was only reinforced after [[spoiler:''Portal 2'' revealed [=GLaDOS=] herself [[BrainUploading used to be human]]]]. Wheatley being the more human of the two (with less [[ElectronicSpeechImpediment mechanical feedback]] in his speech, [[BadLiar truly]] [[ArtificialStupidity incredible]] [[TheDitz fallibility]], and "facial" gestures,) expect his androids and cyborgs to appear more natural, while [=GLaDOS=]'s will have wires or damage right out in the open.

* ContestedSequel: How some fans are treating the sequel bridge comic "[[http://comics.ign.com/articles/116/1160605p1.html Lab Rat]]"; these fans believe that [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks adding more story to the canon detracts]] from the [[StoryToGameplayRatio original story's minimalist appeal]].

** In a way, the entire game could be considered this. It was initially included as just a stocking stuffer with the rest of the Orange Box as a sort of apology for it taking so long.

* BrokenBase: A minor case with ''ION''.

* NightmareFuel: Their music is very harsh and disorienting, and their lyrics are extremely creepy.

* TheTetrisEffect: Not only the game-fun part, but you'll find yourself wishing you had an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device for real-life transportation. And planning out the most efficient way to get from here to the fresh-produce aisle. Thinking With Portals, indeed!