More puzzles, more story, more of Portal and its strengths: Portal 2

I have a long time without talking about Valve if their games, maybe because this last week I have dedicated myself to only try short games that I could play and analyze in one day, but Portal 2 is a real work that took me by surprise by how it expands the entire universe of Aperture Science and gives a new sense to the story without ever giving up being a puzzle game that challenges the player in each chamber that has the game, because this is not a game like the first, the first area of the first Portal was more dedicated to understand the tone of the game and how everything was going to progress, yes, we were trapped in a chamber but the radio with the funny music and the sarcastic and humorous voice of GLaDOS made us a strange company and unmarked the game of any thriller, instead here we wake up in a room that seems to be common and ordinary but immediately we see that we are still trapped, only there is no radio and the blow of reality back to the tests is much more intense and dark, although Valve knows how to keep the humor from the first moment we know that this is a much more serious game, at least in its history.

The quality, as it was (and is) Valve's custom is undeniable at all ends of the game, from its mechanics, through its much deeper atmosphere than in its previous installment and even in things that the first game took as secondary as the story and the small details that made the universe rich are crucial in the whole experience and as always are polished in a very good way, making this game an instant classic and putting all gamers in agreement with the quality of this work, it is, in essence, more of the first game but enhanced and improved, the dream sequel for Valve.

Starting with its playable mechanics, we have as always from the beginning a small introductory to learn all the controls of the game, but throughout the adventure you can see what I had commented in my previous analysis of Portal, in Valve are very clear how to guide the player and introduce new mechanics so that we understand perfectly and know how to combine them with the most basic techniques, Each chamber that we enter gives us a small tutorial to the different possibilities that exist when we use the portal gun but what is surprising is how each situation has a callback to a previous one that we have already seen, making that in each new puzzle we chain this knowledge to pass each of the tests, of course in this installment Valve let us loose the hand every so often for us to test our skills in unfinished cameras where not everything is what it seems and the solutions are not in sight of us.

Speaking of the chambers or tests, from the beginning they put us in a peculiar situation since many of the tests that we will have to overcome mix that technological and controlling atmosphere of Aperture Science with the deterioration of the facilities and the introduction of nature that gives that touch that humanity has abandoned everything and has left it in the hands of GLaDOS, which again is that guide that gives color to the whole game with his comments, I was quite surprised all the nuance they have given to this character and the whole story behind that we can go unveiling if we are attentive to the scenario, This seems to me perhaps one of the most remarkable things of the game, Valve has taken advantage of all the stories that the community made with GLaDOS and Aperture and has transformed them into a great background to stay hooked in the adventure, that although the game is mainly about puzzles can be seen from a distance that have also added this style similar to Bioshock where we can go unveiling through tapes or in this case small stations where we see pieces of the history of Aperture Science.

Each of the facets of the game is taken care of in a mimosa way, each one shining separately but making a solid set in a game that may challenge us and ask a lot of us in certain tests but that the prize and the outcome is worth it, the introduction of another character as Wheatley as a counterpart or in some ways rival GLaDOS also makes us run into funny moments, because yes, Portal and sense of humor are more present than ever, maybe not much of the clever way I saw in the first installment but manages to be an extra addition to the adventure.

In summary, it is a game that enhances and improves everything seen in the first installment, from its maps and the puzzles and challenges it presents to the story and sense of humor, nothing has changed and the much that this game achieves is to improve each of the facets that were seen in Portal, there are new mechanics that work great to vary in certain tests as well as to challenge us much more, much more content but still for me it is short, also knowing that this game has been on the market for almost a decade hurts me a little that Valve did not want to release a third installment. I guess you have to appreciate what we have and be thankful for these quality experiences that Valve delivers.

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