This attention to detail in how to use music most effectively in a game like Portal 2 impressed me and set a high bar for the presentation in the game. Not only was the approach novel but the execution was without fault as well. If the player stepped on a jump pad and was thrown across the room the music would temporarily swell in volume and tempo to match the visuals. What Portal 2 did for the puzzle rooms was to have subdued ambient music that built up momentum depending on player action.
If the player instead were to leisurely explore the environment to this soundtrack the dissonance in what is heard and what is seen would make the player think he is doing it wrong somehow. By building up momentum and excitement the player will be put in mood where he/she will want to keep moving and live up to the expectations set by the soundtrack. Whether the music is calm, excited or if it’s even present at all frames the expectations of the player on what is about to happen. A critical component of establishing context is music. In an episode of the podcast Irrational Interviews Guillermo del Toro and Ken Levine both agreed that 50% of any story is context.
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