Wheatley

"I can't do it if you're watching!"

- Wheatley

Wheatley is a loose Personality Core, apparently one of the numerous cores seen awakening at the end of Portal, set to appear in Portal 2. Of masculine programming, he is slated to be Chell's sidekick and guide during the first part of the game.

Overview


During the centuries that elapsed between both games, Personality Cores have carved out sections of the neglected Enrichment Center as their own, while traveling around the facility via the laboratory ceiling rails they are confined to, as they are appendage-less. One of them, named Wheatley, is concerned about the facility's deteriorating conditions and has grown tired of being forced to travel on these rails, which hinders his mobility. He wants to detach himself, but he is worried his fall might damage him. He then notices Chell in stasis, and decides to awaken her so that she can detach him safely. To convince her, he promises to share his knowledge of an escape route, then detaches himself from a rail near a ruined Test Chamber 07.

The duo then takes on a journey throughout the defunct and heavily damaged facilities, while Wheatley blabbers incessantly. However he proves to be a very useful asset, as he can be plugged into various ports found throughout the labs, allowing him to access the mainframe and bypass obstacles. At some point on their journey they reach a massive cylindrical room populated with breaker switches, and filled with debris often blocking their path, containing what appears to be an escape pod to the outside. There Wheatley warns Chell that only the switch to power the escape pod should be flipped, so she leaves her Core friend to find the right one. Almost instantly, the neglected equipment malfunctions, and the floor below them reveals itself as an elevator that begins ascending, flipping all the switches on the periphery in the process. Acutely aware of the damage the malfunctioning has done, Wheatley scrambles to find an abort password while turning his face plates on themselves and moving the diaphragm of his unique eye, forgoing a practical algorithm for a sequential brute-force strategy: "AAAAAA? No, that's not it. AAAAAC? Wait, did I do B? Have you got a pen? Start writing these down!".



The climb halts as the platform comes flush with a door leading to an overgrown courtyard now housing the soulless shell of GLaDOS. Having failed to find the abort password, Wheatley fears to be punished by her. As the duo approaches, she awakens, and immediately recognizes Chell. After a short monologue, GLaDOS sends Chell back to the Test Chambers to resume her tests. What happens to Wheatley afterward is unknown so far, although they are likely parted.

Behind the scenes

 * Wheatley was first introduced during the Portal ARG, in one of the ASCII art images given by the BBS, that later appeared to be a screenshot of him being held by Chell. He was first described in the April 2010 issue of Game Informer, then seen animated for the first time in a gameplay video titled "Meet Wheatley" showcased by Valve during E3 2010.


 * Video game-wise, Wheatley appears to be an upgraded version of GLaDOS's Intelligence Core (the one telling the cake recipe), with a blue "eye" and three dots, though Wheatley has dots only on his right side. From early screenshots and the Portal 2 E3 teaser trailer, the model also appears to have been greatly improved and more detailed.


 * Wheatley's Cockney accent heard in the Portal 2 demo at E3 2010 is actually a placeholder voice provided by Valve animator Richard Lord. However, due to very positive feedback, Valve is considering making the voice official, although Lord himself was still stating later that his voice was temporary, saying that "theres no way you will be dissapointed with the final voice - im over teh moon with who it might be." [sic].

List of appearances

 * Portal
 * Portal ARG
 * Portal 2