Released in 2007, Valve's magnificently crafted puzzle title Portal is something of a classic of previous gaming generations, despite it being short. Its blend of mind-bending mechanics and hilarious dialogue mean it's often fondly remembered by fans. Not only that, but Portal is one of those games that is perfectly suited for speedrunning, in which players challenge themselves to complete the game as quickly as possible. Runs of Portal have become so tight and fast, that some of the original developers have been blown away by tactics that have meant skilled players can complete it in less than ten minutes.
In a video uploaded to the IGN YouTube channel, a speedrunner by the name of CantEven has been explaining to a number of people who worked on Portal about some of the ways in which players have been running the game for the past fourteen years. In the video, the runner talks to Valve's Erik Wolpaw, Jeep Barnett, and Garret Rickey as footage of a speedrun plays over the interview. One particular trick, or "strat," that's mentioned is the use of "save glitches" in which the game can be tricked into confusing where exactly the player is stood between the game saving and the game being loaded immediately.
When asked how long it has taken runners to get to this point, CantEven says that, collectively, players have spent pretty much all the time since the game's release perfecting speedrun tactics, to the point where it's possible that there may not be many new tricks left to find. He adds that Portal 2 which turned ten this year is also a popular one for runners, but generally takes longer, mainly because of its overall length, but also because it's less "broken" than the original game. The Valve developers were left mightily impressed by how effort has been put into the runs, comparing the length of time people spend with the game to the sheer number of hours the team itself spent play testing whilst developing it.
Speedrunning has been enjoying something of a boom over the last few years, and games like Portal are continually having seconds shaved off by dedicated people in the community. It's also not just for personal achievement, either. Organizations such as Summer Games Done Quick have managed to raise millions for charity, combining generosity with gaming prowess.
While Valve may not be looking to return to the Portal franchise any time soon, the fact that nearly a decade and a half later, people are still running the original is a testament to how beloved the first game is. The fact that some of its original creators are blown away by the speedrun tactics is additionally impressive, especially hearing how they learn something new about the game they helped bring to life.
Portal is available now on PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Mac, Linux and Nvidia Shield.