Review: Portal

Chugging right along with my playthrough reviews of games from the Half-Life series, today I’m going to talk about another revolutionary title. Today, I’m going to share my thoughts on Portal. If you’re wondering what this game has to do with Half-Life, allow me to explain. While it’s true that Portal is not a branded “Half-Life” title, it is set in the same universe and is largely considered to be part of the series.

Originally released in 2007, Portal is another first-person game that was built using the Source Engine. However, instead of being a traditional shooter, Portal is a first-person puzzle game. In this game, the player assumes the role of Chell, a captive test subject. While the narrative of the game isn’t exactly clear on all of the details, it is assumed that Chell has been recently awakened from some type of suspended animation. Now awake, Chell is coerced into participating in a number of scientific tests concerning the use of “portals”. Portals are best described as wormhole-like doorways. Imagine if you will, a square room. There is a blue-colored portal on the wall in front of you and a red-colored portal on the wall behind you. If you walk forward through the blue portal, you will emerge from the red one on the opposite side. The game is comprised of nineteen unique test chambers that feature a number of puzzles that must be resolved using portal technology (often in very creative ways). These levels increase in difficulty as the game goes on.

Portal was originally released on PC as part of the Orange Box collection. This collection compiles a number of Half-Life and Source Engine titles. Out of all the games in the Orange Box, Portal surprised everyone by being a sleeper hit. In fact, the game was so popular that it was later ported to the Xbox 360, the Playstation 3, and even, many years later, the Nintendo Switch. Despite these options, most players consider the PC version to be the superior experience. When playing Portal on the PC, there are two options available. First, the original version of the game (which is inarguably the most popular). Second, for gamers with a modern Nvidia graphics card, there is Portal with RTX. The RTX version takes advantage of the RTX technology exclusive to Nvidia-branded GPUs. Aside from visuals, these two versions of the game are identical. Some players prefer the original look, while others appreciate the polished visuals of the RTX version. The choice is entirely up to you.

By reading the basic gameplay description that I provided above, you may think that there’s not really not a whole lot to the game itself. In fact, you might even wonder how a game like this managed to get so popular. On the surface, I can understand the confusion. However, once you actually spend a little time with the game, you’ll quickly see that things are not as simple as they seem. While the basic premise of the portal system may seem easy to grasp at first, it quickly becomes obvious that the physics system of the Source Engine complicates things in very interesting ways.

For example, the rate of speed in which you enter a portal maintains itself upon exiting the connecting side. So, let’s say you are trying to reach an area that is on the other side of a chasm. You can drop a portal behind you that faces the part of the room you are trying to reach, then, drop another one on the floor the bottom of the chasm. Once this is done, you can jump down to the floor below only to emerge on the back wall behind you. However, your “falling momentum” will launch you towards the goal on the other side of the room. Admittedly, this is a difficult concept to explain in writing. It’s just something you have to experience for yourself to fully grasp. But it’s things like this that give the seemingly-simplistic gameplay a mindbending twist.

The puzzles in Portal are the main focus. They start out quite simple, but increase in complexity with each new level. All the while, the player is being guided by a robotic voice. As the game goes on, it starts to become obvious that the voice may not have the best interests of the player in mind. The voice, also known as GLaDOS, slowly begins to reveal its malicious nature the more successful the player is. Also, the puzzles slowly begin to become more lethal. Before long, it is obvious that the player is intended to ultimately fail at the tests they are being forced to participate in. This is when the game really begins to get interesting.

While the majority of the game takes place in very polished, almost sterile looking environments. The player will soon figure out ways to peek behind the scenes. These peeks hint that the testing operation is being run by an AI-like system, and perhaps there is no human oversight remaining. I hate to drop that spoiler in the review, but it is essential to understanding just how the plot line for the game manages to build an anxiety-like suspense over time. This revelation is masterfully crafted and by the time the player actually figures out what it going on, all hell has broken lose. This where Portal really shines. It messes with the player’s mind in a subtle way that few games up to this point were able to achieve.

The first time I played Portal back in the day, I remember being impressed with how innovative it felt. It was a first-person shooter, without people to shoot at. The whole concept seemed fresh and unusual. Playing it again in 2026, I still had that feeling. This was a game that I never finished the first time around. So, finally playing it to completion gave me a good sense of accomplishment. Even today, I feel like Portal stands on its own merits. Despite being almost twenty years old, it still manages to create an air of uniqueness that allows it stand out from the competition. If this is one of those games that you’ve always heard about, but never took the time to sit down with, I urge you to give it a shot. Portal is legendary for a good reason. It’s an example of how you can reinvent the wheel by thinking outside of the box.

Version Reviewed: PC

Difficulty: Medium –  Unlike most first-person games, Portal does not feature a variable difficulty setting. The game is a series of puzzles that introduce the core gameplay concepts. These puzzles increase in difficulty slowly over time. The real challenge here is not a gauge of player’s speed or reflexes, but rather their intelligence and their ability to think outside of the box – at least until the very end of the game. The final encounter does require the player to be a bit quick on their toes. Once the main game is complete, the option appears to retry some of the levels with a higher degree of challenge. Setting aside these advanced levels, I found the main game to be of average difficulty.

Multiplayer: No.

Story: The storyline here is very subtle. But observant players will quickly figure out what’s going on behind the scenes. Even more observant players will connect the dots between this game and the Half-Life universe. Despite only having a very basic set-up in terms of storyline, the backdrop for this game is very well done if you’re willing to seek it out.

Originality: For me, Portal is one of the most unique games of its era. It takes the first-person-shooter concept and stands it up on its head. Yes, there’s a gun. But instead of shooting bullets, it creates doorways. Players must learn how to use these “portals” to both navigate their environment and also weaponize them against various threats. This is a game that requires brainpower instead of twitch reflexes.

Soundtrack: The music in this game is sparse, but when it appears it is used very effectively. There’s no real toe-tappers here. Which, considering the mentality of the game, is oddly appropriate. The real audio winner here is the voice of GLaDOS and various glitches and effects that build tension over time, enhancing the gameplay experience.

Fun: I found Portal to be a fun break from the standard FPS games of the era. It’s probably not for everybody. But it is still approachable enough that I think most gamers will at least be able to appreciate it for what it is. Those who love logic and physics puzzles will have a really good time with this one.

Graphics: The Source Engine really shines here in a number of unusual ways. At first glance, Portal doesn’t seem to present a lot to look at. There’s no sunny skies or a big variety of detailed textures and the game has a very minimalistic design to it. Of course, this is done of purpose. Despite all this, it still manages to impress with its lighting effects and use of color. Naturally, the RTX version of the game is quite stunning. However, this updated version does change a number of the original design aesthetics in order to show off the prowess of the Nvidia RTX cards. Even though it’s technically more beautiful, I personally think I prefer the look of the original release.

Playcontrol: This game uses the standard WSAD control scheme on the PC. It’s responsive and makes sense. Regardless, the controls are still customizable, so whatever you prefer, there is no real issue.

Downloadable Content:  No

Mature Content: Violence, Peril

Value: Portal is sold on Steam for $10. However, it frequently goes on sale. Even so, $10 for this game is an excellent value.

Overall score (1-100): 90 – Portal is a simple but radically unique game. It’s an example of what you can get when a developer is not afraid to take risks. The puzzles are clever and the entire concept is original and fresh. My only gripe with the game is that it is a little short. But, this complaint is largely rectified by the additional content that is available for players who really want an extra challenge. A game that’s as original as Portal only comes along once in a while. If you’re a PC gamer and you’ve somehow never played this one, you owe to yourself it see what all the hype is about.

Original System: PC

Available today on:  PC, Switch  – (Updated as of Early Winter 2026)

Best Modern Experience: PC   – (Updated as of Early Winter 2026)

Other Reviews In This Series:    

Portal  –  Portal 2