Engine: Portal 2 [Source]
Solo Project
Release Date: Very Soon
Requies Portal 2 on Steam to be played
These 4 Portal 2 Chambers were created to be played in order, with each one increasing in complexity to solve. Each chamber introduces a new mechanic and the puzzle requires using the combination of all the previous mechanics to solve the chamber.
Before I created the chambers, I ended up replaying both Portal and Portal 2 taking notes of how they construct their levels.
I also ended up taking inspiration from the Portal 2 mods Portal Stories: Mel and Portal: Revolution.
Using the insights from the developers commentary, I was able to create a list of every possible mechanic interaction and use that to create the themes for my chambers.
I ended up creating each of these chambers in a linear fashion where I started with the first chamber's first room and worked my way from there.
Because of this, my chambers started with a more simple layout but became gradually more complex as time went on, complementing the intended pacing.
Each chamber had its own overall mechanical theme as well as various puzzles within them in the following order: Introduction, Additional usage, and Mix with prior mechanics.
The first chamber was designed around the Light Bridge and can be divided into 3 puzzles within the chamber itself.
The first room acts as a sandbox to try out the Light Bridge and tests their basic understanding of how it works.
The second room on the other hand acts as reinforcement for the mechanic, quizing the player on how to use the light bridge in midair.
This chamber was never designed to be difficult, utilizing a very linear layout so that the player cannot be lost while solving the puzzle.
The second chamber then introduces the Cube, acting as a way to create extra light bridges.
The inspiration for this chamber was from Portal 1 where the player needed to bring the cube with them to access various areas.
While it may not initially seem like it, the puzzle is still very linear, but with a less obvious path acting more like a maze with no dead ends to get stuck on.
The intended mechanic the player is being reinforced in this chamber is the idea of bringing the cube with them to access new things they normally could not.
The third chamber is where things get interesting, featuring a notably less linear layout for a greater challenge, albeit with that starting chamber to introduce the mechanic.
While technically the new mechanic introduced here is the fizzler, the real new mechanic has to do with the interaction of destroying cubes that are on buttons which the player may not be familiar with.
Because of this, the layout is designed in such a way that it cannot overwhelm the player immediately, giving them time to process their surroundings first and understand how the mechanic functions first.
This chamber is also where I really began to utilize the non-linear level design Portal is most known for, taking heavy inspiration from how Portal Stories: Mel utilized light bridges in Overgrown: Chamber 3's second half.
And the fourth chamber acts as the grand finale for the chambers, intended to be a more challenging and complex layout compared to prior chambers.
While there still is a safe space to showcase the chambers new mechanic, the launch pads, the overall layout is designed using the pacing of both the first and the third chambers as inspiration.
The idea is that the player needs to solve the chamber twice, with the second loop being more complex as the player unlocks more parts of the chamber.
The biggest inspiration for this chamber was from how Portal Revolution's 7th chamber in Chapter 7 utilized its pacing.
While I didn't draw any direct inspiration from it, that chamber made me realize how its designed akin to a Metroidvania, requiring backtracking to progress which did inspire this chamber's pacing.
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