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Posted on April 15, 2011, CJ Miozzi Top 10 Portal Mods

Portal was a delicious little bite-sized nugget of a game. I don’t think any of us were fully satiated after realizing the cake wasn’t quite a lie–a few more levels certainly wouldn’t have had us vomiting out portals, hoping the game would come to an end. And that’s what gives the modding community a chance to shine–an opportunity for them to put the icing on the… well, you get the idea.

So instead of staring at the countdown clock until Portal 2 is released, why not play some of the best Portal mods around?

1. Portal: Prelude

This unofficial prequel to Portal revolves around the pre-GlaDOS epoch, even before she was plugged in. At this time, test subjects were monitored by real Aperture Science employees, whose work was tedious, lengthy and repetitive. It offers more gameplay hours than the original Portal, with 8 chapters, 19 test chambers, 48 challenges, 6 advanced maps, a brand new storyline and more than 400 lines of English speech with dozens of subtitles translations.

Download Portal: Prelude.

2. Blue Portals



Faster. Higher. Stronger.

Well, maybe just the first two. This 10-chamber mod is for Portal masters, restricting players to a version of the Portalgun that only fires blue portals. A variety of cubes with distinct properties will help you navigate the chambers, but you need to rely on your speed and your puzzle-solving powers to get through these levels–and there is a Time Trial gamemode.

Download Blue Portals.

3. Factum Solus





Factum Solus is a story driven episodic Portal mod. Player plays as Chell from the original Portal, but in a new universe where the Aperture center is not controlled by GLaDOS but a AI called Ben. It includes new elements and puzzles, while maintaining a moderate difficulty level–this one is more about the story than the challenge.

Download Factum Solus: Episode 1.

4. Portal Pro



Some of the Portal levels–and many mods–focus on performing intricately timed maneuvers that sometimes require a dozen practice runs before nailing it. Portal Pro presents puzzles with an emphasis on logic over skill–the solutions are difficult to come up with but easy to actually perform.

Download Portal Pro.

5. Portal Memories



If you’re really itching for Portal 2, this mod may come close. Portal Memories is an episodic mod, with every chapter based on a new theme. The theme of Chapter 1? Portal 2.

The first two chapters have been released, and word has it that Chapter 3 will be… in space!

Download Portal Memories Chapter 1 and Portal Memories Chapter 2.

6. Portal: Project-Beta



Project-Beta is a full content mod that includes new textures, new models, new particles, and a new story mode with two possible endings–which we won’t spoil for you.

The improved visuals add to Portal’s atmosphere of tension, and improvements range from the obvious–the portals–to the subtle, such as bullet holes, scorch marks, and craters.

Download Portal: Project-Beta.

7. Aperture: Déjà vu



One problem with puzzle games is replayability–once you’ve beat a level once, you’ll generally remember how to beat it in the future. This mod solves this issue with non-linear level design. Beat the level? No problem; you can go back and try to beat it another way. And then another. And another.

Level design is similar to the original Portal style, along with a similar difficulty level. This mod also features jump pads, moving box-droppers, floor lifts, bridges, a boss battle, and Easter eggs in every chamber.

Download Aperture: Déjà vu.

8. Gamma Energy



Gamma Energy visits the Aperture Science East facility, built after GLaDOS gained sentience. Featuring a brand new story and over 30 test chambers, this mod is more difficult than vanilla Portal, but less difficult than some of these other mods. A few “Advanced” chambers are included for those seeking a real challenge.

Some of the chambers are built to an immense scale–the word “epic” comes to mind–and explosive barrels and breakable glass are neat new features.

Download Gamma Energy.

9. Portal: Unity



This mod includes new textures, a new protagonist, a new antagonist, redesigned portals, custom voice acting, and new story levels.

Levels in Unity tend to be more difficult than in vanilla Portal–the mod assumes you’ve completed the stock game and continues ramping up the challenge with new gameplay mechanics.

Download Portal Unity and Portal Unity Patch 1.

10. The Projex

This tribute to Portal is more of a re-skin than a full mod, but with additional puzzles. As the screenshot above illustrates, it takes the white Stormtrooper polish of Portal and brings it over to Darth Vader dark side.

Projex is aimed at advanced players who have completed Portal and know the game inside and out.

Download The Projex.