“Portal” videogame review

« Stand back. The portal will open in three, two, one. »  This is the beginning of a simple puzzle game where you can complete levels by walking between portals or moving cubes around. Seems simple? Wait until you unlock the “Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device” and explore the ability of creating your own portals, then the game will get really interesting. In later levels you will find High Energy Pellets which disintegrate in a very short time requiring fast response time. Even though Portal (1) is a pretty short game (around 6 hours of playtime), once you complete the main plot there are challenges where you have limited steps, time or portal placements, advanced maps where you learn shortcuts and new mechanics, and mods you can play one of them being Rexaura which expands the mechanics of Pellets. Alternatively, you can play Portal 2 which is similar to Portal (1) but with more mechanics levels and plot, such as the introduction of personality cores which are AI robots. Portal 2 is also the best rated game on Steam (while portal 1 is number 6). There are more games made by Valve that happen in the same universe such as the Half-Life series. Portal is also frequently on sale, up to 90%, which makes it definitely worth the price, you can also buy a bundle of all valve games including the original Counter-Strike, Portal 1 and 2 and many more.

Przemyslaw Kedra, S4PLB / EEB1 Uccle