Review: Portal 2
My Half-Life mini-series is almost at an end. Today, I’m going to talk about a game that I’ve wanted to review for quite some time, Portal 2. I posted my review for the first Portal game earlier this year, and in that review, I praised the game for its unique gameplay elements and originality. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the sequel would be able to top the original. But, somehow it did.
Portal 2 was originally released in 2011 for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. It saw success on all of these platforms. But without a doubt, the PC is where the game truly shines. I should also note that many years later, a version of Portal 2 was also released for the Nintendo Switch. But it is the PC version that I played for this review.
Portal 2 is a direct sequel to the original game. After the events of the first Portal, the lead character, Chell, was put back into hibernation. It seems that in the years (or centuries) since the events of the original game, the Aperture lab has fallen into extreme disrepair. Now, on the verge of complete destruction, Chell has been awakened from her stasis in order to be evacuated. With the help of an obnoxious robotic assistant, the player controls Chell as she is guided through the dilapidated complex where she inadvertently revives the GLaDOS system that she destroyed in the original game. What happens next is a wild ride through a number of interesting environments that require not only inventive use of the classic portal gun, but also a clever understanding of Aperture’s other whacky inventions.
If you’ve played the first Portal game, then you already know what to expect here. But in case you haven’t, the basic premise is that you have a gun that can create “portals” on flat surfaces. To be more specific, it can create both a red and orange portal. Whatever passes through the blue portal, will emerge from the orange one (and vice verse). This portal technology allows the player to navigate mazes, avoid hazards, and reach areas that would normally be unreachable. The portal gun is the key to solving the various puzzles that are thrown at you. However, this time around, the player will venture outside the confines of the “portal testing area” that made up the majority of the original game.
The first Portal game gave players some very obscure peeks into the backstory and lore behind the game’s universe. Portal 2 provides much more detail. Early into the game, you will escape the testing center and get a behind-the-scenes look at what’s really going on at Aperture. In this way, Portal 2 takes players into a bit of unfamiliar territory. This time around, not every puzzle can be solved with just a portal gun. As you progress further into the game, and explore more and more the Aperture’s other divisions, you will encounter puzzles that will require you to engage with other “experimental” technologies.
For example, some puzzles will require you to use the portal gun in tandem with certain “gel dispensers”. These gels have various effects when walked on (fast speed, high jumps, etc). So now, it’s not just portals that are needed to navigate certain areas. Instead players may have to coat the floor in jelly in order to speed through a portal so that they can fling across a chasm only to bounce through another portal in order to reach their goal… Whew.
By far, my favorite thing about this game was getting a chance to learn more about the lore behind Aperture (and how it connects with Half-Life). I don’t want to spoil anything. But, there are areas in this game where you are introduced to the founder of Aperture, a man known as Cave Johnson, and to say that these encounters are amusing is an understatement.
But overall, I found the puzzles in Portal 2 to be much more engaging and entertaining than those from the original game. Perhaps it was the change of scenery, or maybe it was the story elements, but I enjoyed this title much more than I did the original.
Once the main scenario is complete, there’s actually more content to conquer. Aside from the single-player scenario, Portal 2 also features a co-op multiplayer experience. In this mode, two players will team up in attempt to solve puzzles. These levels are similar to the single player experience, with the exception that the players are usually separated, and therefore must use “portal logic” to help each other overcome obstacles in order to reach the end of the level. This feature is, without a doubt, better when experienced with real-life friends. But, none of my friends were really interested in playing Portal 2 in 2026, so I ended up turning to the online matchmaking… It took a considerable amount of time to be paired with a partner. But, once I was, it was an admittedly fun experience.
But that’s not all that Portal 2 offers in terms of content. There’s also the option to enjoy player-created content – and boy, there’s a lot of it. This feature uses the Steam Workshop, so players are able to create levels using the Puzzle Maker that’s built into the game and then upload it for other players to try. This means that you can create something as simple as a modification of an existing level, or craft an entirely new playable scenario (complete with new puzzle elements). Naturally, the quality of player created content can vary greatly, but you are also able to rate player creations, so it’s easy to see which custom content has received the highest player rating across the Workshop and avoid the low quality trash.
Between the excellent storytelling, the amazing voice acting, the cleverness of the level design, and all of the new bells and whistles, I found Portal 2 to be a massive improvement over the original. It takes an already great concept and improves on it in nearly every way. The multiplayer capabilities and the user-created content also give the game a slew of replayability that simply wasn’t possible in the original. For this reason, I can easily declare Portal 2 to be the superior of the two games.
Version Reviewed: PC
Difficulty: Medium – As was the case with the original, Portal 2 does not feature a variable difficulty setting. The game consists of a series of puzzles that introduce the core gameplay concepts. These puzzles increase in difficulty over time. The real challenge here is not a gauge of player’s speed or reflexes, but rather their intelligence and ability to solve logic problems using fantastic concepts. I feel like the game was designed to be moderately challenging, while also being very fair. This is only true for the main game, of course. When trying out the multiplayer content, you’re going to be tied to the skill of whoever you’re playing with. On top of that, the player-created content is going to vary wildly in difficulty.
Multiplayer: Yes. Online Co-op.
Story: This time around, there is a bigger focus on the backstory. Whereas the first game was a little vague and only hinted a certain concepts, this time, there are plenty of new details brought to light.
Originality: This game takes the core gameplay concepts from the original title and expands them by forcing the player into different environments. It also introduces a number of new gameplay ideas and masterfully merges them with mechanics that players from the first game are familiar with.
Soundtrack: The music in this game is sparse, but when it appears it is used very effectively. I found the music in this title to be considerably better than what was found in the first game. Also, once again, the voice acting in this game is absolutely top-tier.
Fun: I found Portal 2 to be quite entertaining. It hooked me from the very beginning in a way that even the first game wasn’t able to. In fact, I found myself wanting more once I was finished with the single-player scenario. That’s always a good sign.
Graphics: The version of the Source engine used in this game is by far a superior build when compared with the original Portal. With better lighting effects, ambient occlusion, and reflection improvements, Portal 2 looks absolutely stunning, even by today’s standards.
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: Yes – via Steam Workshop
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): 95 – Portal 2 is one of those rare games that actually manages to capture the magic of the original game and improve on it. All of the great things from the first Portal are present here, but it’s the small, subtle additions that really make this game feel special. Combine this with a fun and clever multiplayer experience and the an ability for custom-created content and you have a real winner.
Original System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
Available today on: PC, Switch Xbox Series X|S – (Updated as of Fall 2026)
Best Modern Experience: PC – (Updated as of Fall2026)
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