In a recent special issue ranking “The 100 Greatest Videogames,” Edge magazine included the 2007 first-person puzzler Portal as its No. 12 selection.
Making note of the game’s origins as the DigiPen student game Narbacular Drop, the magazine’s editors offer high praise for several of Portal’s accomplishments — from its inventive mechanics and environmental storytelling to the memorable voice acting by Ellen McLain for the role of GLaDOS, the hilariously passive-aggressive A.I. who closely monitors the player’s progress through the fictional Aperture Science testing facilities.
The article states:
Portal’s mix of elements is so expertly constructed that its impact isn’t greatly diminished on a second playthrough, despite the fact that you’re now armed with the foreknowledge of all the puzzle solutions. … Eight years on and in the company of a brilliant sequel, Portal feels no less wondrous today than it did in 2007.”
This is far from the first accolade the game has received since its 2007 release. In 2012, Portal became one of the first video games to be acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. The game also proved auspicious for a number of DigiPen graduates who developed the original Narbacular Drop and went on to launch their professional careers at Valve.
In addition to Portal, DigiPen graduates contributed to at least 18 other titles on the list of 100 games, including Destiny, Titanfall, The Last of Us, and League of Legends. You can learn more about the Edge special edition here.