Portal is so nice I played it twice.

I've had the Valve Complete Pack for years on Steam but I hadn't actually played many of them aside from the original Half-Life and Counter-Strike Source. Because of this, Portal was a whole new experience for me. I had heard people talk about it, and I knew the general concepts behind it, but I had never even played a hint of it until more recently.

So, how was my first Portal experience?


Well, first order of business: what, exactly, is Portal?

Yes, it's a puzzle game, but unlike many puzzle games, this game doesn't expect you to use science/math logic, at least not beyond common sense logic that everyone should have. I always did really well in school but it has been a while and even in spite of that, I hated math (and advanced science); I've never been one to think with cold logic and numbers, I've always been more of a "see the paths ahead of you" sort of guy and I can safely say that Portal is that kind of game.

You are expected to get from one end of the map to the other, and you have to do so by evaluating the layout, knowing how the mechanics work, and sometimes you need good timing as well. A good example of this is a sequence where you have to open a portal on a platform, drop down a deep pit and open a second portal there. This flings you up into the air and while you're mid-air, you want to switch out the pit portal for a new portal on a higher platform. You continue this onward until the end of the sequence, which requires some good timing and continued momentum in addition to the logic.

It also justifies these puzzles with story, stating that you're a test subject for Aperture Science, a company who developed wormhole technology and you're a tester for that tech. This justification is a huge part of what makes Portal compelling to people like me, who usually play games for the story.


Speaking of the story, this game's plot is actually very interesting, though you wouldn't assume that from looking at it. You start off as the test subject, locked in a doorless cell with a bed, toilet, radio, coffee mug and notepad. This subtle setup does a great job at environmental storytelling, showing you your first hint as to what Aperture Science is like. This, combined with a female robotic voice you'll begin hearing, begins to subtly unravel story about Aperture, your role with them, and the world at large outside of the facility.

It also has loads of environmental storytelling, starting with a few areas where you can go a little outside of the normal testing chamber grounds. In these offset areas, you'll encounter clues that show you that you're not the first subject, and that your precursor(s) may have been fleeing from something. This comes to a head when you reach the end of the test chambers: while that robotic voice is trying to kill you off, you have the opportunity to flee and this ends up taking you through loads of 'unapproved' areas of the Aperture facility.

What's funny is that all of this leads to a real sense of adventure and even a bit of a pulse-pounding adrenaline rush in some segments. All the while, as you're trying to progress, you begin to uncover more and more that really starts to paint a clear picture of what's going on. I won't spoil that, though; all I'll say is that if you're a Valve fan, you're going to like the story of these games.


Despite releasing in 2007, this game still looks fantastic, even without the ray tracing version (a free DLC). The Source Engine still holds up quite well today. It's very difficult to have a realistic, sci-fi art style that doesn't age poorly as graphic tech advances but Portal had no such difficulties. Sure, it doesn't look new, by any means, but it still looks appealing.

I think part of this has to do with the fact that you never see any sort of human characters, aside from brief reflections of your character that you might see if the portals line up just right. Character design tends to age the worst in game graphics, so this worked out great in retrospect. However, the overall art design, color palette and graphics tech work together to give you a very, very good-looking game even in the 2020s.

The funniest thing, though, is how it starts off deceptively monochrome. You see the sterile whites and grays of the test chambers, with a nice, subtle hint of bright blue and orange thanks to the portals you open. However, as the game goes on and you advance beyond the test chambers themselves, you get a really crazy palette shift toward dingy browns, rusty reds and oranges, yellowish lighting and so forth. This shift feels both natural and jarring, which I'm certain was intentional.

All of that comes together to create a game that I'm comfortable saying is still beautiful by today's standards. Oh, and let's not forget the simple elegance of Source Engine GUI design! It worked well in Half-Life 2 but it looks even better here because of the pseudo-utopian corporate aesthetics of the art design.


Regardless of whether you're normally a fan of puzzle games, I feel like you really need to give Portal a try. Not only should all of the above be reason enough, but it's also a total classic that I think everyone needs to try at least once.

It's not a puzzle game in the sense of Myst's obtuse difficulty, nor is it a puzzle game in the sense of some cheap puzzle game you'd find in the Walmart electronics section for $3. It's more like a first-person adventure game centered around logic puzzles where it's easy to pick up but a bit more difficult to master.

Besides, with the Orange Box pack and the Valve Complete Pack, you can grab it alongside some other downright incredible games (including the vastly improved sequel) for an affordable price point. You owe it to yourself to collect those games and Portal is yet another reason why!

8.5/10. Fun game, loved the look of it, my only gripe with it is that it wasn't long enough