NEW FEATURES BRING ADVANCED PUZZLES
The new puzzles in Portal 2 feature some interesting elements. Each one is introduced slowly so that the test subject can learn their features individually before combining all the elements to form dastardly hard puzzles.
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Thermal Discouragement Beam: this replaces the High Energy Pellet seen in Portal 1, used to trigger events. It is a laser beam and can burn turrets or test subjects.
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Weighted Pivot Cube: It can do anything the weighted companion cube can do, except block thermal discouragement beams, which it is designed to refract.
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Aerial Faith Plate: send you rocketing over vast distances using a catapult mechanism. Often used in conjunction with each other or to reach high places.
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Hard Light Bridge: A physical bridge composed of light that test subjects can use to walk across, or stop moving objects with. It is similar in composition to the Combine’s Field Bridge in Half-Life 2.
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Repulsion Gel: A blue paint, a “slightly less non-toxic form of fiberglass insulation,” causing the test subject or object to bounce off, acting as basically a trampoline surface.
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Propulsion Gel: An orange paint, it increases the velocity of any object moving across or touching it. “Its [original] purpose was to increase the velocity of any food following it through the digestive tract, leaving the body no time to absorb calories.”
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Conversion Gel: A white paint, used to cover any metal or black surfaces so that the test subject can place a portal where they previously could not.
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Excursion Funnel: A spiraling tractor beam of sorts, this “churning funnel of liquid asbestos,” moves objects or test subjects slowly through space, ignoring gravity. Use it to travel to unreachable areas, or to pin an object against the wall or ceiling.
My greatest disappointment with the game is the overall simplicity of the puzzles towards the end of the game; I didn’t find myself getting stuck often at all, and it seemed like I was rushing through the game by accident at some points because a couple puzzles were just blatantly obvious. Perhaps this is a result of Valve trying to cater to consoles? They did explicitly state in some PAX interviews about not wanting to force players to have to twitch to accomplish puzzles. While I agree to a certain extent, there’s only so much you can do when you don’t require it. This then brings me to the absence of the challenge versions of the maps. I’m not quite sure why Valve wouldn’t include them except to try and make a quick buck selling some downloadable content (DLC) in the form of challenge packages. If so, its frightening to know that replayability of the game was sacrificed in the name of DLC.
A WELL CRAFTED EXPERIENCE
The detail poured into this game will go mostly under appreciated by your average gamer. The elaborate designs that are simply idle background as you fly past tunnels and chasms is simply astounding. Things like assembly line machinery constructing turrets or unraveling wall panels forming a simple wall, generally only appear for mere seconds, but it’s clear the time spent animating them was far greater. All that work for simple actions that contribute nothing besides improving the Portal 2 atmosphere should show you how focused Valve was on creating the environment and making it immersive as possible.
