Chell, hero of the puzzle-packed Portal series, doesn't have a whole lot to say. Like many classic video game protagonists, she's intentionally silent: a personality-free avatar designed for you to inhabit and control however you'd like.
But she can talk, says Portal 2 writer Erik Wolpaw in an excellent interview published today by the Gameological Society. She just won't.
"Having people stand around while you talk is tough in games, so if we can actually remove one whole character's dialogue, that saves us a bunch of time for all the other characters," Wolpaw said. "At no point were we ever thinking that, 'Aw, we need to make Chell talk! This game is lacking in personality!' She probably can talk, though. In our minds, she can talk. She's just pissed off the whole time and is refusing to dignify any of the things going by speaking about them."
I love that explanation. Check out Gameological for the full interview—it's a great read.
Funny People: Erik Wolpaw, Portal 2 head writer [Gameological]
