\ Like a Phoenix
ZThemes

relatedworlds:

Aperture Science

“Portal 2 [is] a darkly humorous science fiction … what? Story? Puzzle? Game? ‘Experience’ seems like the best word to use, even though typing that makes me feel like shoving my fist in my mouth to punch my brain from an unexpected angle. The game mechanics of Portal 2 are almost impossible to describe without diagrams, but I’ll try: you wander around a 3D environment trying to escape a series of rooms by firing magic holes on to the walls or floor; holes you can walk or fall through. So if I fire a hole on to the ceiling, and another on to the ground, I can jump through the ground and re-appear falling through the ceiling. This simple dynamic provides the basis for a series of fiendishly clever puzzles you find yourself working through – all of it tied into a humorous narrative that unfolds with more confidence, charm and sophistication than was strictly necessary. And before you whine about the solitary nature of games, it also includes a cooperative two-player mode in which you and a friend play through a parallel game together. The whole thing is stunningly clever and immensely enjoyable. …

Portal 2 is essentially a demented series of puzzles – like being stuck inside a physics-based logic problem designed by the Python team.” - Charlie Brooker