I don’t get to play as many puzzle games as I’d like to. I always find them to be some of the most creatives game I get to play, but very few really scratch that itch I’m looking for. Now I want to be crystal clear before moving forward, this isn’t my first time playing Portal 2, I first played it nearly 4 years ago, and absolutely adored it. Funnily enough, I had played it before the original Portal cause I didn’t own the original Portal at the time. Back then, I adored it, but it’s been as I mentioned, nearly 4 years since then, and with the numerous games I’ve played since then, I wanted to look back on Portal 2 and look at it with new eyes. And simply put, it’s still downright one of the best puzzles games I’ve played.

Yet again, the actual mechanics of the Portal Gun are still amazing. The act of being able to travel through portals is seamless, and it feels amazing. This is even more enhanced by the new puzzle mechanics introduced in Portal 2, especially the Gels. The Gels were really fun to play around with, and it was really fun to see how they interacted with certain objects. The fact that the Repulsion Gel can make enemies or cubes spontaneously bounce was really fun. I’ll definitely say that I struggled more with the puzzles here than I did with Portal 1, but I still didn’t need a guide. Honestly half of the time I just got lost, which is on me, and also it makes complete sense that a sequel would be harder than its original. But it still amazes me how Portal 2 is able to perfectly evolve the incorporate new mechanics into the game, and still feel as perfect.

And it’d be one thing for Portal 2 to just be a really good puzzle game, but it goes far beyond that because of the character writing and the general story of the game. I love how comedic Portal 2 is, from Wheatley, Cave Johnson, and of course my favorite, “The Part Where He Kills You”. Even now replaying the game, I found myself still smirking and getting a good laugh out of these moments, not only are they written well, they’re also so well delivered. But the story as well is a nice sort of book-end for the world of Portal, getting to learn more about Aperture Science, the man behind it all, and GLaDOS herself is really nice. While I would love for there to be a third Portal, I would also be as content if this is where Portal ended.

Portal 2 is still absolutely one of the best puzzle games I’ve ever played, even after all this time. Its mechanics are so fleshed out and so unique compared to other titles I’ve played, there’s really not much of a contest. With no shadow of a doubt will I likely return to this game. It feels like it has the perfect length to a puzzle game (it took me about 6 hours to beat it), and I have no doubt there’s still some stuff I haven’t discovered yet. While I would be content with Portal as a series ending, I would love for a new puzzle game of some kind to come out of Valve, one that could be as creative as Portal 2.