When it comes to reviewing games, the writing part is usually my less preferred element of the equation, but when it comes to Portal 2 it has to be equal, at least. There aren’t many games that can make me use the phrase ‘Game of the Year contender’ this early on in a gaming year but Portal 2 has managed to do just that. The original Portal was an incredible breath of fresh air and had fans die for a proper sequel. Valve listened and did exactly that, except they went above and beyond.
GLaDOS is still at the heart of Aperture Science headquarters in the follow up title and, when she eventually ‘wakes up’, wants to kill you more than ever, with science. Players will again take over the silent protagonist Chell and go on to quickly realize that Aperture has gone to hell over the past ‘few’ years, well, we don’t really know just how long it’s been but let’s just say, long enough to appear as a few decades. Once Chell wakes from her ‘time off’ as an escaped and re-retrieved test subject, a new character is introduced. Wheatley is a friendly and slightly ‘less capable’ AI in charge of the hyper-sleeping test subjects. After the rather interrupted but hilarious introduction players are thrown right back into the mix of test chambers. While trying to sneak past a, previously defeated and lifeless GLaDOS, Chell and Wheatley realize that she is now alive and well and their escape attempt would probably fail. While Wheatley tries to help Chell escape the chase ends in the inevitable return to testing as GLaDOS regains the reins of Aperture and testing can commence.
Portal 2 is a full length retail release as opposed to the 3 or so hour adventure from Valve original outing. The game includes single player and coop campaigns of about even length, which is around 6 hours or so. As mentioned before, Chell is the playable character in the single player campaign, guided by the hilariously clumsy Wheatley, and battling GLaDOS, which is not the only other character in play at Aperture, but going any further would dive straight into spoiler territory. I will leave you to find out about the actual story.
Portal 2 is incredibly well written and had me laughing aloud during several points of the campaign. This witty excellence in style is met by well thought out level design and art direction. The fundamental portal gameplay is replicated and extended from what was known previously. In addition to ‘simply’ solving puzzles with cubes and portals, Chell will need to use light bridges, tractor beams and several gel types in order to solve the complex and extremely rewarding puzzles in Portal 2. I have never felt more like a mad genius in a game than after solving a mind bending puzzle in Portal 2. I felt like going outside and handing autographs to random passersby but I digress.
After getting used to the concept of portals once again it did not take me long to ‘get it’ and run with some of the new elements Valve introduced in this fantastic sequel. The first new thing involves using portals to shoot light bridges across rooms in order to get from point A to point B, catch a companion cube or block turrets from killing you, not with science but actual bullets. Another new puzzle tool was the occasionally reversible tractor beam which can be placed around different areas to move cubes, Chell or some of the new gels in order to put them into spots where they’re actually needed.
It is certainly worth diving into the gels a bit more since they are probably the coolest new addition to the Portal universe. There are three gels to be concerned with. The blue repulsion gel allows players to reach areas higher up as they create great bounce. The second gel is orange speed gel which allows players to run faster and boost themselves across a room using portals or a jump. The last gel is a white gel which allows players to create portal-able areas and create new possibilities for traversable where it wasn’t previously possible.
On their own these gels may not sound as wild of a game-changer as they really are but when tasked with combining all three in order to reach a top platform, your mind will truly be tested.
All of the new elements can also be used in the all new coop campaign mode which, at times, can be even more challenging than some of the single player puzzles since we are now talking about using 4 portals using light bridges, tractor beams and gel. Combining all of these tools while working with a partner is some of the coolest gaming you’ll do this year. The two characters in coop are a couple of robots which are adorable. The two walking bots can also communicate using timers and mark spots to apply a portal on. This system is very intuitive and along with voice chat made the coop campaign an incredible an equally fun experience as the single player was. Plus, who doesn’t like to high five a robot, right?
Portal 2 is one of those games that do not come around often, it creates a feeling that is reminiscent of when I was a younger and less jaded gamer. I think the word I am looking for is ‘magical’. The amount of effort put into this game is incredible as the detail and accuracy to the Portal universe are stunningly spot-on. Whether it’s the witty writing, voice acting or puzzle design, all of the elements to make a unique game are there and executed beautifully. GLaDOS and Wheatley as well as a third character, to be revealed later in the game, make the journey through Aperture Science’s labs entertaining and almost chilling at points as the story unfolds. Portal 2’s coop is equally well done and creates some of the best cooperative play we have seen in gaming to date. If you do not play Portal 2 you are making a giant mistake, so for science’s sake, don’t make that mistake.
Score: 10 / 10
Portal 2 was developed and published by Valve for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC on April 19th. A copy of the game was provided to us by Valve for reviewing purposes.
