Portal

Game: Portal
Developer: Valve
Platform: PC
Release Year: 2007
Stephen's Rating: 8/10

Portal is a first person puzzle game developed by Valve using the Source game engine.

Basic Plot

The player takes on the role of Chell, who wakes up from a stasis sleep without any idea what is going on. A computer system called GLaDOS talks to Shell and instructs the player what to do. The game is broken up into puzzle rooms which GLaDOS sets for the player. As this continues, the story unfolds.

Gameplay

The crux of the game is the idea of a portal gun. This gun fires two portals - an orange, and a blue. These portals together create a doorway through space in which objects (including Chell) can pass through. The entire game is focused around problem solving using the portal gun along with the laws of physic to pass through various stages.

This shows both portals and the companion cube. Dropping the cube into the blue portal would cause it to rise out of the orange one.

The game is a first person shooter (the only weapon being the portal gun) which can only be described as an action puzzle game. One of the things that makes this game stand apart is that there is nothing comparable do it out there.

There are various objects and set pieces of puzzle which you have to interact with during the game including the infamous "companion cube".

Positives

What a lot of people love about the game is how Valve didn't anticipate its success at all. It was created by a small team on a small budget, but it all worked so well together that it won awards and took the gaming world by surprise.

The puzzles are challenging, interesting, and satisfying to solve. The story is excellent - it really begins to unfold at about the halfway point in the game. The world is detailed enough to create a consistent experience.

Chell can see herself when you face two portals toward each other.

Negatives

None.

Memorable Moments

I didn't know much about the game when I played it, I just heard it was awesome. When I started I was expecting a great game mechanic but not much of a story. When the characters and the story started to come together, it was pretty incredible. I didn't expect the game to be as rounded and complete as it was.