10 PERFECT Sound Design Moments That Improved Video Games

9. Portal - Learning With Radios

From the sterile hums and clangs of Aperture science test chambers to Ellen McLain's stunning electronic vocals, Portal is filled with great sound design that accompanies Chell, a.k.a. the player, through numerous “scientific” tests.

One of the more noticeable sources of sound is the radios placed in every test-chamber playing an upbeat rendition of GLaDOS' Still Alive. Taking radios to a specific location will change the tune to coded messages, relaying hidden secrets and images. However, these radios have a more important role than hiding Easter eggs.

When first experiencing portals, Portal playtesters confused the titular game mechanic for wormholes that transported the player to alternate dimensions. Putting a radio in Chell's bedroom was an audio cue that they were still in the same test chamber. Holding a radio through a portal makes its tinny tunes play from its actual location in the test chamber, rather than back through the portal to you.

Portal is all about ingenious sound design choices to help the player along, from making the portal gun sound so distinctive the player would automatically seek it out, to keeping rocket turrets voiceless so players can hear missiles locking onto them. And even if those don’t work, GLaDOS is always happy to lend a sarcastic vocal prod in the right direction.