Portal 2: The Studded Chamber

Portal 2: The Studded Chamber, is a LEGO representation of an in-game Portal 2 chamber attempting to capture the essence of the game through play features and innovative building techniques.

Portal 2: The Studded Chamber, being a parallel to an in-game chamber, is meant to have a solution. The room features an Aerial Faithplate launching into one of the two angled panels. But alas, there is a button on the other side that opens an exit door that's just out of reach. By taking out the turret in the corner, the player can retrieve the cube from the target. But wait! the path to the other side is blocked by a pesky Material Emancipation Grill which fizzles your cube before you can even get to the button.

So, you look around, the wall above the cube is a grill, you can shoot portals through it, eureka! With your trusty portal gun in hand you shoot a portal to the other side allowing you to pass across with the cube unscathed. The button falls down opening the door, but how do you get up there? Well, some bouncy gel can be found right underneath the second angled panel but now you need enough speed. The Faithplate can help you with that! You run back to the other side, being careful not to get rid of your portal on the other side, and fling yourself off the Faithplate, into the gel, and up onto the finishing platform.

Portal 2, and 1, have been some of my longtime favorite games throughout the years. From first playing the original on the Xbox 360, to playing both games multitudes of times on PC and newer-gen consoles alike, I always found myself coming back to these games and that's for a reason. What is in Portal 1 and 2 is true fun; puzzles, cool physics, amazing story, mystery and wonder. These games have not only captivated me, but clearly many others, for many years and it's easy to see why.

So why not combine two of my favorite things into 1! I designed this set with a goal of being able to bring the game to life in a way past sets haven't done before, capture the wonder found within. I wanted to use techniques and play features that would bring some smiles to the people who built it. While it definitely took longer than expected, I believe what came of it might bring some joy to anyone who builds it.

Portal 2: The Studded Chamber, aims to be an homage to what were, and still are, some brilliant games. Not only does this set aim to succeed through it's use of play features and innovative building techniques, but through the combined love for a good game. By angling the two sides, I attempted to make the set more appealing for display as I felt a rectangular base would be too bland for a game with such soul. Recreating the in-game functions serves to be a way for builders to feel more connected to the set, and to the game, giving them movement and function in an otherwise basic test chamber. Along with some other little easter-eggs thrown throughout the build, by grounding the set more in what the games aim to be instead of an oversaturated version of them, the set can appeal to a more "reminiscent" demographic, allowing builders to feel a bit of that wonder and amazement they did when they first played the Portal titles.