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Portal 2 is developed by Valve and released in 2011.
It's the logical continuation of Portal published in 2007.
The first Portal was an excellent "First Person Puzzle", but seemed like a tutorial disguised as a game because it was so short.
Its long-awaited sequel Portal 2 is much more elaborate and accomplished in all areas.
You play once again as Chell, who wakes up after a sleep in cryostasis that seems to have lasted an eternity.
She discovers that Aperture Science's labs are partially destroyed because of her past actions.
Wheatley, a "Personality Core" seeks to help you so that you can both leave these ruins.
But that's without counting GLaDOS, who seeks revenge for what she once suffered...
Escape the Test Chambers, try to learn more about Aperture Science experiments,
and the motivations of its charismatic yet intriguing founder Cave Johnson.
A richer lore and a plot full of twists and turns await you!
The gameplay and level design are even better than in the previous opus,
which was already particularly brilliant.
The puzzles are very well thought out and really original, some are still quite difficult,
and that's not a bad thing.
You still have the Portal Gun, which works the same as before:
you can open two portals and carry small objects,
in order to solve different puzzles to escape from the Test Chambers…
The Puzzles with Buttons and Cubes are back, along with new mechanics, like:
- lasers whose trajectory must be diverted towards receptacles using specific cubes with a glass surface,
- platforms that catapult the cubes or even the player allowing them to make huge jumps,
- bridges made of light which can connect one area to another,
and even act as a protective wall,
- tractor or thruster rays which can either attract or push the player or an object towards a given direction,
- gels giving new properties to the surfaces they cover:
• The blue gel makes the Cubes and yourself bounce once in contact with it,
• the orange gel makes surfaces slippery and makes you reach impressive speeds,
• the White gel allows the opening of portals on any flat surface covered with it.
The artistic direction is way more detailed than in the first game.
The decors are now much more varied and less minimalist.
Aperture Science is now the shadow of its former self.
The Test Chambers are partially destroyed, several machines and mechanisms (superbly animated) malfunction before your eyes.
Time has passed since the first adventure, God only knows how long.
Nature has reclaimed its rights, water has infiltrated almost everywhere in the center, vegetation has invaded...
Some areas are covered in graffiti with curious messages from the Ratman,
like in the first Portal.
Despite all that, the atmosphere is not as bad as you might imagine.
The particular dark humor that made the charm of Portal's narration is once again omnipresent.
GLaDOS likes to recall what Chell did to her in the first game.
She likes to make fun of Chell, demean her with false compliments…
Later in the game, pre-recorded radio messages from Aperture Science boss Cave Johnson can be heard.
He is as megalomaniacal as he's eccentric and devotes his life to science.
For him, sacrificing the health of his employees in often bizarre experiments is nothing compared to what it can bring to science.
He seems to have inexhaustible financial resources, and despises modest people.
The messages are often hilarious and disconnected from the apparent seriousness of the situation.
Many short videos explaining certain experiments and the philosophy of Aperture Labs are displayed near the elevators at the beginning and end of the level.
Mike Morasky composed all the music for Portal 2, and the least we can say is that the soundtrack is simply masterful.
It has futuristic electronic sounds, sometimes robotic if you can put it that way.
Some are calm and relaxing, while others are more rhythmic in more scripted gameplay phases.
The music is also dynamic, the melody and tempo changing depending on where you are and your speed.
The soundscape features natural sounds contrasting with those of various machines.
Portal 2 takes all the best elements of its predecessor and improves the formula in every way.
Longer, richer and even more fun than the first Portal, this sequel exceeds expectations.
Enjoy this essential game which I cannot praise enough, a true work of art.
And I affirm that as of this writing, Portal 2 remains Valve's latest masterpiece,
before they start developing tasteless GAAS and VR games inaccessible to most people, especially since we were already waiting for Half-Life 3 at the time.