Chell (Portal)
Encyclopedia
Chell is the protagonist and player character of the Portal series. Chell first appears in Portal, where she is taking part in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center's test under supervision by GLaDOS
. GLaDOS tries to kill her as Chell then tries to escape the Enrichment Center, attempting to kill GLaDOS in the process. However, Chell is dragged back into the laboratories at the end of the game. Chell reappears in Portal 2: Lab Rat, a prelude webcomic to Portal 2
, where Doug Rattmann puts her in stasis. In Portal 2, Chell is reawakened by Wheatley
and they attempt to escape. By the end of Portal 2, Chell finally escapes Aperture Science.
Chell's design in the first game has been widely praised due to its non-sexualisation. GamesRadar
has satirically criticised the design, particularly the jumpsuit and the heel springs, listing her as one of their "Mediocre Game Babes" as a female character that does not show the qualities the classic gamer stereotype wants in his over-sexualized woman.
felt that it didn't really matter what kind of person Chell was, noting that playtesters of the first Portal often didn't know her name as it was never mentioned. Wolpaw explained that they never mentioned her name as "[players] felt like they had this relationship with GLaDOS, and they wanted GLaDOS to recognise them". Chet Faliszek noted that Chell was the female version of Gordon Freeman's
role as a silent protagonist
. Wolpaw explained it served the game's humour better if she didn't talk, and that if she, the "straight man in a world gone mad," did talk, "it would suck". In an interview by IGN
about Portal 2: Lab Rat, Valve's Michael Avon Oeming commented that, currently, "Chell is more of a storytelling device", comparing her to the Spirit by Will Eisner
, but noted that more may be seen of Chell in the future.
When making Portal 2
, developers considered not bringing back the character. However, this was changed as playtesters wanted GLaDOS to recognise them as the person who had killed her in the first game. In her original redesign for Portal 2 developers tried to make her look appealing, yet not overdesigned, with nothing made simply for fashion. 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 half-way through the concepting phase. Matt Charlesworth, Valve's concept artist, commented that the hat reminded him of test pilots.
This look was eventually abandoned in favour 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".
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. Chell reappears in Portal 2 where she is reawakened by Wheatley. She and Wheatley attempt to escape the laboratory, and in the process accidentally awake GLaDOS. GLaDOS forces Chell to do more tests for her until Wheatley helps her escape again. Chell and Wheatley destroy GLaDOS's neurotoxin
and turret production. GLaDOS recaptures Chell, but fails to do anything to her due to her lack of neurotoxin and turrets. Chell then replaces GLaDOS's core with Wheatley. Wheatley then betrays Chell. Chell is then sent to the very bottom of the Testing Facility, where, to get back to Wheatley, completes several sets of Mobility Gel Testing (including Repulsion Gel, Propulsion Gel, and Recursion Gel) areas, made between 1956 and 1985. Here, she meets the late founder of Aperture science, Cave Johnson, along with his assistant, Caroline. After reuniting with Chell, PotatOS has an epiphany, where she realizes that part of Caroline's personality has been put inside PotatOS. After quite a struggle, Chell reaches the hatch that sealed off the old facility from the new. as she opens this hatch, she inadvertently pumps up the Mobility Gels to the New facility, which she uses later to defeat Wheatley. Chell returns and finds Wheatley, who, becoming power hungry, forces her to run tests for him until she finds his lair. She then fires a portal to the moon which sucks both her and Wheatley out into space, and is saved by GLaDOS' "Caroline" personality. After deleting Caroline, GLaDOS lets Chell leave the facility. After being treated to a symphony of singing turrets, Chell then exits Aperture into a wheat field that stretches to the horizon. The door closes behind her, but soon opens again to give Chell her beloved Companion Cube, supposedly the one from the first game.
Chell's origin is unclear; GLaDOS claims that in Chell's file it states that she is: "A bitter, unlikeable loner whose passing shall not be mourned" and that Chell is adopted. In Portal 2, a long-abandoned science fair poster as part of "Bring Your Daughter To Work" day — the same day GLaDOS became rampant — is attributed to "Chell", implying her father worked for Aperture; at least one journalist has taken this to suggest that Chell is Cave Johnson's
daughter.
GamesRadar's Joe McNeilly called Chell an example of Portal deconstructing first-person shooter
archetypes, noting that she was neither in third-person or sexualised unlike most female characters in first-person shooters. GamesRadar called Chell the antidote to the "Half Naked Woman" cliché, praising her for not being sexualised and being fully clothed, commenting that "the hero of Portal just happens to be a normal-looking and normal-dressing woman, like 50% of the world's population". GamesRadar listed Chell (jokingly) as one of their "Mediocre Game Babes", calling her jumpsuit "repulsive" and saying that her "heel springs make her look like one of those aliens from The Arrival". IGN
listed Chell as the sixth top gaming heroine, calling her "one of the most resourceful heroines on [their] list". In an in-depth analysis of Portal, Daniel Johnson from Gamasutra
said that Chell being female, as well as GLaDOS's line about testing your daughter in "Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day", alluded to the testing of females. Johnson also noted that the information about who Chell is and why she's there reinforced the position of the player as an unwilling participant. GamesRadar said that they had considered putting Chell on their list of the "Top 7… Tasteful game heroines", but said she lost out to Zoey from Left 4 Dead
.
Kotaku's
Luke Plunkett called Chell's original design in the first game "memorable", 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. Mike Fahey, also from Kotaku, defended Chell from people saying that she should talk, saying that "the last thing I would want in Portal 2 is for Chell to speak". 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".
GLaDOS
GLaDOS, short for Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System, is a fictional artificially intelligent computer system in Valve Software's Half-Life video game series and the main antagonist in the video games Portal and Portal 2. She was created by Erik Wolpaw and Kim Swift and is voiced by Ellen...
. GLaDOS tries to kill her as Chell then tries to escape the Enrichment Center, attempting to kill GLaDOS in the process. However, Chell is dragged back into the laboratories at the end of the game. Chell reappears in Portal 2: Lab Rat, a prelude webcomic to Portal 2
Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The sequel to the 2007 video game Portal, it was announced on March 5, 2010, following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game...
, where Doug Rattmann puts her in stasis. In Portal 2, Chell is reawakened by Wheatley
Wheatley (Portal)
Wheatley is a fictional artificial character in the 2011 video game Portal 2. He is voiced by British comedian Stephen Merchant and created in part by Portal 2s designer Erik Wolpaw. To date, he only appears in Portal 2....
and they attempt to escape. By the end of Portal 2, Chell finally escapes Aperture Science.
Chell's design in the first game has been widely praised due to its non-sexualisation. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
has satirically criticised the design, particularly the jumpsuit and the heel springs, listing her as one of their "Mediocre Game Babes" as a female character that does not show the qualities the classic gamer stereotype wants in his over-sexualized woman.
Development and design
Valve's Erik WolpawErik Wolpaw
Erik Wolpaw is an American videogame writer. Erik along with Chet Faliszek were the two writers behind the now-defunct Old Man Murray video game commentary web site. As of 2011, he works for Valve Software in Seattle...
felt that it didn't really matter what kind of person Chell was, noting that playtesters of the first Portal often didn't know her name as it was never mentioned. Wolpaw explained that they never mentioned her name as "[players] felt like they had this relationship with GLaDOS, and they wanted GLaDOS to recognise them". Chet Faliszek noted that Chell was the female version of Gordon Freeman's
Gordon Freeman
Gordon Freeman is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Half-Life video game series. He is a theoretical physicist who finds himself thrust into a battle for survival against both alien and human forces. Throughout the series, Gordon must prevail in hostile situations despite...
role as a silent protagonist
Silent protagonist
In video games, a silent protagonist is a character, often controlled by the player, who does not speak for the entire duration of the game except sometimes an interjection or short phrase. A silent protagonist may be employed to lend a sense of mystery or uncertainty of identity to the gameplay...
. Wolpaw explained it served the game's humour better if she didn't talk, and that if she, the "straight man in a world gone mad," did talk, "it would suck". In an interview by IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
about Portal 2: Lab Rat, Valve's Michael Avon Oeming commented that, currently, "Chell is more of a storytelling device", comparing her to the Spirit by Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
, but noted that more may be seen of Chell in the future.
When making Portal 2
Portal 2
Portal 2 is a first-person puzzle-platform video game developed and published by Valve Corporation. The sequel to the 2007 video game Portal, it was announced on March 5, 2010, following a week-long alternate reality game based on new patches to the original game...
, developers considered not bringing back the character. However, this was changed as playtesters wanted GLaDOS to recognise them as the person who had killed her in the first game. In her original redesign for Portal 2 developers tried to make her look appealing, yet not overdesigned, with nothing made simply for fashion. 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 half-way through the concepting phase. Matt Charlesworth, Valve's concept artist, commented that the hat reminded him of test pilots.
This look was eventually abandoned in favour 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".
Appearances
In Portal Chell is performing tests for Aperture Science, which are being overviewed by GLaDOS. Chell destroys GLaDOS in her efforts to escape but is wounded, and an unseen figure with a robotic voice 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. Chell reappears in Portal 2 where she is reawakened by Wheatley. She and Wheatley attempt to escape the laboratory, and in the process accidentally awake GLaDOS. GLaDOS forces Chell to do more tests for her until Wheatley helps her escape again. Chell and Wheatley destroy GLaDOS's neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
and turret production. GLaDOS recaptures Chell, but fails to do anything to her due to her lack of neurotoxin and turrets. Chell then replaces GLaDOS's core with Wheatley. Wheatley then betrays Chell. Chell is then sent to the very bottom of the Testing Facility, where, to get back to Wheatley, completes several sets of Mobility Gel Testing (including Repulsion Gel, Propulsion Gel, and Recursion Gel) areas, made between 1956 and 1985. Here, she meets the late founder of Aperture science, Cave Johnson, along with his assistant, Caroline. After reuniting with Chell, PotatOS has an epiphany, where she realizes that part of Caroline's personality has been put inside PotatOS. After quite a struggle, Chell reaches the hatch that sealed off the old facility from the new. as she opens this hatch, she inadvertently pumps up the Mobility Gels to the New facility, which she uses later to defeat Wheatley. Chell returns and finds Wheatley, who, becoming power hungry, forces her to run tests for him until she finds his lair. She then fires a portal to the moon which sucks both her and Wheatley out into space, and is saved by GLaDOS' "Caroline" personality. After deleting Caroline, GLaDOS lets Chell leave the facility. After being treated to a symphony of singing turrets, Chell then exits Aperture into a wheat field that stretches to the horizon. The door closes behind her, but soon opens again to give Chell her beloved Companion Cube, supposedly the one from the first game.
Chell's origin is unclear; GLaDOS claims that in Chell's file it states that she is: "A bitter, unlikeable loner whose passing shall not be mourned" and that Chell is adopted. In Portal 2, a long-abandoned science fair poster as part of "Bring Your Daughter To Work" day — the same day GLaDOS became rampant — is attributed to "Chell", implying her father worked for Aperture; at least one journalist has taken this to suggest that Chell is Cave Johnson's
Cave Johnson (Portal)
Cave Johnson is a fictional character in the 2011 video game Portal 2. He is portrayed by American actor J. K. Simmons and created in part by Portal 2s designer Erik Wolpaw. To date he only appears in Portal 2...
daughter.
Reception and analysis
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
archetypes, noting that she was neither in third-person or sexualised unlike most female characters in first-person shooters. GamesRadar called Chell the antidote to the "Half Naked Woman" cliché, praising her for not being sexualised and being fully clothed, commenting that "the hero of Portal just happens to be a normal-looking and normal-dressing woman, like 50% of the world's population". GamesRadar listed Chell (jokingly) as one of their "Mediocre Game Babes", calling her jumpsuit "repulsive" and saying that her "heel springs make her look like one of those aliens from The Arrival". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
listed Chell as the sixth top gaming heroine, calling her "one of the most resourceful heroines on [their] list". In an in-depth analysis of Portal, Daniel Johnson from Gamasutra
Gamasutra
Gamasutra is a website founded in 1997 for video game developers. It is owned and operated by UBM TechWeb , a division of United Business Media, and acts as the online sister publication to the print magazine Game Developer...
said that Chell being female, as well as GLaDOS's line about testing your daughter in "Aperture Science Bring Your Daughter to Work Day", alluded to the testing of females. Johnson also noted that the information about who Chell is and why she's there reinforced the position of the player as an unwilling participant. GamesRadar said that they had considered putting Chell on their list of the "Top 7… Tasteful game heroines", but said she lost out to Zoey from Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead
Left 4 Dead is a cooperative first-person shooter video game. It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which was purchased by Valve Corporation during development. The game uses Valve's proprietary Source engine, and is available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and Mac OS X...
.
Kotaku's
Kotaku
Kotaku is a video games-focused blog. It is part of Gawker Media's "Gawker" network of sites, which also includes Gizmodo, Deadspin, Lifehacker, io9 and Jezebel. Named to CNET News' Blog 100, Kotaku is consistently listed in the top 40 of Technorati's Top 100...
Luke Plunkett called Chell's original design in the first game "memorable", 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. Mike Fahey, also from Kotaku, defended Chell from people saying that she should talk, saying that "the last thing I would want in Portal 2 is for Chell to speak". When reviewing Portal 2, Game Informer's
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
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".