Yesterday I got carried away and played Portal all the way to the end. I can’t even remember the last time I played a game on a PC before that. But they’re giving it away for free, and it got upvoted on Reddit, so I decided to take a look.
I really liked it—it practically blew my mind. It was all I could think about for a couple of days. I really enjoyed the story, the humor, and the gameplay mechanics.
The premise is that you play the role of a guinea pig in experiments involving a portable device (a “gun”) that can open teleporters (“portals”). Instructions come over the speakers in a pleasant female voice, made to sound slightly “computerized,” belonging to an artificial intelligence that also has an excellent “bureaucratic” sense of humor.
The gameplay mechanics are simple but addictive. There’s no point explaining them—you have to experience them yourself. If the first few levels seem boring, try going a little further. Portal isn’t exactly a shooter, and it doesn’t require any particular skill or quick reflexes, plus Save/Load works.
To download the game, you need to install the Steam application, which you can do on the official website.
You can also watch the introductory video: