TheX-Menprove to be no slouches at fending off Marvel’s vampiricBlood Hunt,which mutant hero Magik proves with aplomb as she pushes her mutant gifts to their fullest potential. Using her teleporting “stepping discs” to save a village of human prisoners from an ancient vampire and his minions, Magik takes a page out of the famous video gamePortal’splaybook to put the kibosh on these bloodsuckers.
X-Men: Blood Hunt - Magik#1 – written by Ashley Allen, with art by Jesús Hervás, and Yen Nitro, covers Magik’s time during the Blood Hunt as she hunts for a vampire nest in Siberia. In the process, she uses a technique that seems to have been inspired byPortal,the classic Valve puzzle-and-platform game. Placing portals directly above and below her, Magik throws herself into freefall to build up momentum before launching herself toward her foe at terminal velocity –a move that comes straight fromPortal.
Marvel’s Mutants Make A Perfect Portal Reference
X-Men: Blood Hunt - Magik#1 – Written By Ashley Allen; Art By Jesús Hervás, & Yen Nitro
Portal’smain mechanic is its unique “portal gun”: a device that lets the player place linked openings on virtually any surface and travel between them.Portalprods players to think outside the box to solve its puzzles; for example, one can use portals to get the drop on otherwise unreachable enemies, or manipulate the flow of liquid throughout the environment to the player’s advantage. One ofPortal’smost iconic gameplay techniques consists of building momentum by infinitely falling through portals and catapulting oneself through the air – just like Magik does inX-Men: Blood Hunt - Magik#1.
Released in 2007 as part of Valve’sOrange Boxvideo game anthology,Portalplaces players in the role of Chel, a woman testing a physics-breaking portal device through a series of increasingly sinister (and deadly) test chambers. The game’s clever use of puzzles, wickedly funny antagonist, and catchy musicmade it a smash-hit success, prompting Valve to release an equally successful sequel,Portal 2,in 2011.
Magik’s use of the technique is an exciting and dynamic stand-out moment from an action-packed issue.Blood Hunt - Magik#1 features the mutant hero allowing herself to be captured, before she quickly turns the tables on the vampires, culminating in a duel with their leader, the legendary Ilya Muromets – although the storied figure quicklyflees before Magik’s power. It is at this point in the issue that thePortalhomage occurs; at least,it seems likely to have been a deliberate reference, given the similarities, and the enduring popularity of the game.
Magik’s Nod To Portal’s Legacy Proves The Game Is Still Fondly Remembered
A Game That Fits The X-Men Perfectly
Portalwas a major part of pop culture in the 2000s and 2010s, and while the series may currently be dormant,Magik’s tactics prove thatPortalis hardly forgotten. Even better,the outside the box solutionsPortalprompts in its players shine when embraced by the X-Men, whose diverse powers let them approach problems with far more tools than just punching or blasting. Magik and theX-Menare no strangers to pulling off unique and wacky super moves, andPortalis the perfect game to inspire more.
