Those who recall the initial discovery of playing PORTAL the first time will also proudly recall their excitement at the prospect of a sequel - Valve has a legacy of treating their properties and their narratives very seriously, so the idea of sequel to the beloved bonus chapter of The Orange Box created a genuine level of excitement that seemed impossible to match. Fortunately the team at Valve delivered on the promise of expanding the story of Chell and GLaDOS (and the newly introduced Wheatley) with a game nearly quadruple the size of the original game.
Well, the soundtrack is no different. Nearly quadruple in size and scope and just as well executed. Morasky's bright and startling synth work is notably powerful and dynamic, but its his moody atmosphere that shines in this entry - as the story expands and the lore and legacies of the central characters are defined, the score adds complex new layers. Given how much of the narrative is riddled with voice over and dark comedy, the score never deviates from the peril at stake for our leads, and never betrays the twists and turns of the labyrinthian nightmare of the Aperture Science center nor its dark past and chaotic future.
As with the last entry, we worked with packaging wizard Alan Hynes on finding an inventive way to present the five (!!!!!) disc set in a way that felt like the appropriate companion piece to his original magic trick package for the original PORTAL 1. This thing is massive, and the seamless art layout and its hidden details are devotional in brilliant ways.
PLEASE NOTE: This 5XLP set only contains the soundtrack to PORTAL 2 and unlike the digital album, and original CD set does not contain the soundtrack to the original PORTAL.
Disc 1
Side A
Side B
Disc 2
Side C
Side D
Disc 3
Side E
Side F
Disc 4
Side G
Side H
Disc 5
Side I
Side J