While Steam is easily the most profitable thing that Valve has ever done, there was a time when the Washington-based company was known for being mostly a game developer. From the lengthy FPS narrative of Half-Life 2, to the co-op zombie shooter Left 4 Dead, not to mention the mind-bending puzzle mechanics of both Portal and Portal 2, it seems that Gabe Newell and co have, or had, a knack for fantastic IPs. But what's interesting about game development in general is how ideas come to fruition, and where they spring from. As it turns out, some thoughts aren't just plucked from the air.
In a recent interview over on Kiwi Talkz's YouTube channel, Josh Weier, the project lead on 2011's highly-acclaimed Portal 2, has opened up a bit about how the idea for the beginning moments of the game came about. One of the issues the studio had when making the game was how to introduce the mechanics to brand-new players while also letting those familiar with the first game get straight into it without retreading what they already knew. In an effort to solve the conundrum, Weier turned to a game from 1994 for inspiration on what to do about the puzzle platformer, Super Metroid.
Super Metroid was one of the best SNES games of all time, so drawing inspiration from it is probably not too surprising. The way that it inspired him, according to what Weier says in the interview, is that it gave him the idea to start Portal 2 in a sort of dilapidated version of the Aperture testing facility from the first game. This is similar to Super Metroid in that Samus is tasked with returning to the place she left in the previous installment, in which the player "kind of goes through it backwards." This was the catalyst that made a bulb go off over the designer's head when it came to creating the opening moments of the Portal sequel.
It's a fascinating insight into how developers work through some issues, and using older games, especially ones that they remember from their past, shows just how much of an impact some of the classics have on modern gaming. There are also some video games which are inspired entirely by real-life stories, so ideas can come from pretty much anywhere, not just games.
As for the title itself, Portal 2 recently got updated for the Steam Deck, which makes sense given that both are properties of Valve. It may be more than ten years old at this point, but it's a game that is beloved, and to understand how some of the aspects of it were inspired by a 28-year-old SNES game is interesting.
Portal 2 is available now on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360, with a Switch version coming in 2022.