Ever since legendary game developer/distributer Valve released the first Portal back in 2007, I’ve been a big fan. And Portal was just (if not less than) one third of the incredible Orange Box release, also containing Team Fortress 2 and Half-Life: Episodes 1 and 2. Portal, though, was arguably the most innovative. A puzzle/platformer, it forced players to test their wits and thinking skills to solve a variety of quirky puzzles. Equipped with a special gun, players can create a blue and an orange portal, which connect in time and space. As for how the portals work, just think of the old physics rule: “What goes up, must come down.” In this case though it’s more “What goes in, must come out.” By placing these portals in strategic spots around the levels the user/protagonist Chell has the ability to teleport to various locations in order to escape the facility known as Aperture Science.

Not only is this sequel exceedingly fun, but funny as well. New to the series is a character named Wheatley, voiced by Stephen Merchant. His dialogue throughout was on a level that truly made me laugh out loud. Other top notch voice acting came from those such as J.K. Simmons (Cave Johnson) as well as Ellen McLain returning as the voice of GLaDOS. After surviving the catastrophic events of the first portal Chell awakens from stasis, again in the Aperture Science Labs. You are soon confronted by the voice of a friendly robot, Wheatley. As you quickly discover, the Labs have been dormant for quite some time. Overrun by decay and natural growth, the labs look extremely different, while still retaining that classic feel.

As you begin to make your escape you awaken the sleeping giant, GLaDOS. She was down but not out, it would seem. For some reason, she continues to harbor resentment towards you for your actions of attempted murder during the events of the first game. While piecing herself back together it is clear that she has retained much of her original poise. Hearing her voice only confirmed that I was in for yet another marvelous adventure. New to the sequel are a couple Aperture Science original inventions. Repulsion Gel allows the player to bounce high into the air, Propulsion Gel allows for increased speed, and Conversion gel allows any surface coated with the goo to have a portal placed on it. The combination of aspects from previous puzzles along with these new paint-like Gels results in some pretty thought-provoking and challenging puzzles. Getting stumped on a particular puzzle only to finally solve it 20 minutes later felt extremely rewarding.

Filled with humor around every bend, this game kept me entertained the entire time I spent playing. Not once did it get old, or feel re-hashed. The voice acting was superb, the puzzles new and fresh, and the environments on a whole new level. The first game took place mainly in the labs of Aperture Science. While that’s mostly true for this sequel, this time we get a behind the scenes look of what goes on at Aperture science. Much like the final scene in Monsters Inc., Portal 2 invites us to explore a side to the labs we have yet to see: assembly lines, the birth and death of Aperture turrets, the inner-workings of how things are created and transported at the labs. There is an increased sense of history and back-story as you progress throughout the game and it just adds yet another layer of depth to an already creative, intelligent title.

One gripe of the previous title that many people had was that it was too short. While some may claim to still have this opinion regarding the sequel, I do not. I’m not quite sure exactly how long it took me to complete, but playing for about 3 days for a good 3-4 hours each time, I’d say around 10 – 12 hours. I was extremely pleased with the length of the single player campaign and was throughly impressed with what Valve did with the game. The ending was unbelievably good and fills me with anticipation for more content down the road, like the free DLC coming later this summer! Overall I enjoyed every aspect of this game. It forces you to use your brain and leads you along on an incredible adventure. Its smart, witty, and packed with puzzles. If you’ve played the first, you certainly don’t want to miss Portal 2. Even, and especially, if you haven’t, this is one you should give a shot.