Portal

"Portals and cake."

Introduction
Portal is, put simply, a unique first-person puzzle game. As the title implies, you have to work your way through the various puzzles at the Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. If you're confused by the long names allow me to put it simply: You solve puzzles using a portal gun. That better?

Story: N/A
There really is no story here. You're character wakes up in a weird room and a computer-generated voice guides her (gender found out by using portals to create mirrors) through the first few puzzles, eventually just giving you a few tips and warnings. There is one goal, however, besides feeling smarter: you are promised cake by GLaDOS (the voice). That's enough to make anybody happy.

Graphics & Sound: 7/10
The graphics are great, using the same engine as Half-Life 2, but they are boring. While the character models, what few there are, are good, the test chambers are all similar. Each consists of white and black tiling (denoting where portals can and cannot be placed) and sometimes sewage liquid. Even later on when you're not constricted to the test chambers the environment seems really bland. The sound effects and voice acting are really good as well. Although I can't really get into the voice acting as it would spoil the story, what little there is.

Gameplay: 10/10
The shiny spot on top of Portal's bald head (I‘m not trying to sound like I‘m insulting the game). As I stated in the introduction, you must solve puzzles using the unique Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device, or Portal Gun for short. As you progress through the various rooms, the puzzles get harder and there are more tasks. Some of these tasks include carrying the Weighted Companion Cube through the room or moving through smaller rooms while avoiding, or taking out, Friendly Turrets (“friendly“ because they say nice things while shooting you).

After you beat the game once, there are four new game modes unlocked. The first is Advanced Mode which takes certain helpful items away and/or modifies the room to make you think more. The second is Least Portals Challenge which, like its name implies, limits you to the number of portals you can place. The other two self-explanatory modes are Least Steps and Least Time. Each makes you think even harder and be more creative than the main game. I should add that these extra modes are only available on the later levels.

Final Thoughts
A unique first-person puzzle game that should satisfy anyone who likes to think.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/08

Game Release: Portal (US, 10/09/07)