Portal 2(Nintendo Switch) Review

Portal 2 was a game I owned on PS3 for a while and when I originally beat it, I just wanted to beat it for the sake of saying I did. This was mainly because of the fact that I'm not big on games purely dedicated to puzzles, however after beating Portal 1 recently I decided to replay Portal 2 and for the most part, I'd say the latter game holds up mostly well. I do prefer the brevity and quick pace of the first game. With that said, considering Valve was already fighting an uphill battle of making the idea of Portal into it's own fully fledged game that didn't need to be packaged with other titles, they did a very admirable job.

The story is very entertaining with the voice acting and writing carrying much of it. It keeps the first game's idea of always being in control when major story beats are happening and creating attachment with fun and quick dialogue interactions. Wheatly is an entertaining villain in that he's esstentially a narcisstic man child who thinks he's way cooler than he actually is. First he tricks the player and then lets his arrogance get to him. It's also nice that Glados even turns face for a little bit. I have a soft spot for the trope where a previously established villain turns face for a little while due to bigger threat and Portal 2 executes it pretty well. JK Simmons also has an entertaining performance as Cave Johnson too.

The gameplay is of Portal 2 on a mechanical level is the same as the first game. You got the blue and orange portals and momentum jumping. You also have the various tools to help you solve the various puzzles like lasers, pressure plates, switches, and cubes(blocking lasers and pressure plates as well as redirecting lasers). Turrets are also back with water and death pits hazards.

Portal 2's early game does a good job at reintroducing the player to all of these concepts without it being overly slow and meandering. It's paced well enough that it feels natural and not overwhelming. What helps is the fact all of this is done before the major twist happens later on the game so it does a good job at being a rehash of the first game without feeling like one.

There are new concepts introduced in Portal 2 like hardlight beams, tractor beams, and aerial faith plates. There are also the various "gels" introduced. Orange propulsion jel, blue repulsion jel, and conversation jels.

The best part of all this is that it does a great job at making the puzzles more complex and varied without even introducing any brand new gameplay mechanics. Portal 2 is the same game as the first but with the addition of the various jels and beams as well as adding on to everything from the first game, the act of playing Portal 2 does not feel like you are going through the motions.

When it comes to being a full fledged game and being a sequel that expands on Portal 1, Portal 2 does do a very commendable and admirable job. My replay of Portal 2 was me playing the game for hours upon hours on end so playing Portal 2 in the moment was a great time.

With all that said, I do prefer the quickness and brevity of the first game. In Portal 1, it never felt like things dragged on but Portal 2 can feel like it can take a little too long for the plot to move. I also felt that while I enjoyed all the new gimmicks Portal 2 due to the nature of it being a puzzle game and all the gameplay revolves around is getting to the end of a test chamber or getting to a test chamber, it gets harder and harder to sustain the length. You ever wondered why there was never a Portal 3? This is a big reason. Portal 2 pushes the concept of Portal to it's absolute limit especially considering there are no new gameplay mechanics or anything else to the game besides solving puzzles. This could be a me thing, if you love puzzle games, Portal 2's length might not even bother you but for me, the more the game went on, the more I really wished things started to wrap up.

Portal 1 never really had this issue due to everything moving by at a brisk pace and the game's nature of solving puzzles never feeling it was slowly hitting into the wall of diminishing returns.

Overall, Portal 2 is a very good sequel and is a well made game especially considering the first game was there to give the Orange Box more value but at the same time, Valve's endeavor to make the concept of Portal it's fully fledged game does remove some of the charm the first Portal had. It's a still a good time with all that said.