10 Video Game Reveals That Stopped You DEAD
3. The Cake Is A Lie - Portal
Similar to how Atlas/Frank Fontaine is initially assumed to be helping the protagonist of BioShock, GLaDOS (Genetic Lifeform and Disk Operating System) seems to be a friendly aid to Chell in Portal.
Particularly, GLaDOS is quite useful in figuring out how to solve all of the puzzles in the Aperture Science Enrichment Center, all the while winning over Chell with witty meta-humor and other comical comments. If that weren’t enough, she even promises Chell cake if she completes all of her objectives.
Who would say "no" to that?!
Well, as it turns out (and as countless memes have reminded up over the last 15 years), the cake (and everything we thought we knew about their bond) is a lie.
Why?
Because the program becomes malevolent as Portal reaches its conclusion and the challenges get increasingly difficult and malicious. Eventually, the player discovers a wall with various bits of graffiti – including that famous phrase – that suggest the A.I.’s ongoing deceitfulness and ultimate goal of luring Chell into her fiery trap.
That’s not to say that the dessert doesn’t exist, as Chell defeats GLaDOS and subsequently discovers a Black Forest cake within the facility.