PC Hardware & Games

Not just a puzzle game.

Video: 4
Sound: 4
Gameplay: 5

At first glance, Portal is either a tech demo or a simple puzzle game. It’s both, and more.

Portal starts with a fade into a locked room. Soon, a portal opens in the wall, and you can see yourself step through. Prey introduced the world to this portal concept, but Portal takes it to the next logical step. The result is incredibly fun.

There are no weapons, per se, in this game. Instead, you are armed with a portal launcher. You can hit most walls (and the floor and ceiling) with this weapon to create a portal. For example, you can shoot one portal at the wall, then the other on the ceiling. You walk through the one on the wall and fall out of the one in the ceiling.

As you can imagine, this takes a little getting used to, and that’s part of the brilliance of this game. It introduces you to a concept that your brain has probably never considered. If you walk through a wall and come out the ceiling, you’re now facing the floor. What if you have a portal in the floor and the other high up on a wall? What direction then? Imagine what your view does when you make that kind of twist.

Each level consists of one or more puzzles. Some are simple, like having a box drop on a button. Others are more complex and involve physics, conservation of motion, and other delightfully nerdy concepts.

And there is more to this game than just puzzles, but that’s all I’ll say about that.

Portal uses the Source engine, just like Half-Life 2, and even uses some of the objects from that game. There isn’t quite the level of visual flair of Half-Life 2, but that really isn’t the point in a game like this. There are 4:3, 16:9, and 16:10 aspect-ratio choices, just as with every other Source-based game. Resolution choices go from the minuscule to well past HDTV standards.

That’s you, as seen through two portals side-by-side.

The sound choices are headphones all the way up to 7.1. The sound, like the visuals, don’t really tax the Source engine or your audio system. The voice work is clever and fits the mood of the game extremely well. It’s even quite amusing in parts. The soundtrack is also very fitting and well written. It’s almost worth beating the game just to hear the song by Jonathan Coulton during the closing credits.

Portal is available alone for $20 or is included in the $50 Orange Box (which also includes Half-Life 2, H-L 2: Ep One, H-L 2: Ep Two, and the brilliant Team Fortress 2). Look for a review soon.

That’s you from above, as seen though a portal on the wall and the other on the ceiling.

As awesome as this game is, it is way too short to spend $20 on. I beat the game in a little over two hours. There are a few advanced puzzles that unlock after you complete the game, but even these won’t take more than an hour or so.

Seeing as any self-respecting gamer should purchase the Orange Box package anyway, this length complaint rather moot. So, really what I’m saying is, when you’ve bought the Orange Box, play Portal, as it’s exceptionally fun and will twist your mind, even if it’s just for a short while. If Valve releases a longer version, or a sequel, in the future, I’ll be the first in line to buy it.

That’s you from the front, as seen though a portal on the ceiling and the other on the wall – the same position as the previous picture.

The blue portal on the right is on the floor, the orange portal on the left is on the wall. Stepping through wall portal makes you emerge sideways on the floor.

Same setup, but reverse. Now falling through the floor portal makes you come out the other feet-first and sideways!

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