Portal Stories: Mel Platform: PC, Mac, Linux Developer: Prism Studios Publisher: Prism Studios Total score: 7.5 out of 10 stars - HEX: 4 - BAJO: 3.5

DARREN

Now I know how much you two love rigorous testing at the hands of a robot, so it's time to play Portal Stories: Mel! Ahahahaha!

BAJO

Portal Stories: Mel is a free community made mod for Portal 2 - it is free, but you will need Portal 2 to play it. The game was made by an 8 person team - amazing! Set in 1952 you play Mel - an Aperture Science test subject. But, in classic Aperture fashion, everything goes wrong, and after a short cryosleep you wake up in a rundown facility.

HEX

The storyline is heavily based on characters and events from Portal 2. And it's really cool to see a new take on this world, with new characters and a new setting, and that old school portal gun!

BAJO

You can tell that the developers have clearly worked hard to make something interesting with this, and they've stayed pretty true to the magic of Portal. Although the voice acting leaves something to be desired.

DARREN

Affirmative. Humour is one of the hardest things to do well in a game, and whilst their efforts were commendable, it did not live up to the sharp wit and dulcet tones of GLADoS.

HEX

Um, I think somebody's got a bit of a crush!

DARREN

Negative!

BAJO

Darren, are you blushing?

DARREN

Negative! Negative! My reactors just running a little hot today. Ahem, moving on! Whilst you don't need Portal 2 actually installed to play Portal Stories, you will need to own it in your Steam library. But it's probably best to play this after finishing Portal 2 anyway, because the game can be rather difficult, and there is no tutorial.

BAJO

Yes, absolutely Darren. You'll need to use all the tricks you learned in Portal 2 - such as using gravity to propel yourself across long distances, or coating surfaces in blue repulsion gel so you can bounce off it. You are very much thrown into the deep end, so it's either sink or swim.

HEX

Yes, the puzzles in Portal Stories use elements without really explaining them. Even I had trouble remembering what some of the gels did, so I imagine it'd be really tough for a brand new player who's never played Portal before.

BAJO

Yeah, and things do get pretty tricky! Shooting consecutive portals, flying across steep drops, mid-air portals, turrets! There can be a lot to wrap your head around at times, and sometimes I just did not know what to do next.

DARREN

In my experience, humans require periods of respite to allow new perspectives to flourish!

BAJO

What are you saying, Darren?

HEX

He's saying that sometimes you need to take a break from the puzzle so you can look at it with fresh eyes.

DARREN

Affirmative. Spawnlings should not get discouraged if they get stuck, because sometimes rest is the best way to progress!

BAJO

You know, I think you're right, Darren! Sometimes I would be totally stuck, then I would go away, play with my cats a bit, bake a cake, have a nap, come back - Bam, I had the solution. It's like my subconscious was figuring it out for me.

DARREN

It's called 'incubation', Bajo. It's the idea that an answer sometimes comes when you're relaxed, rather than overly focused on finding a solution. Social psychologist Graham Wallas wrote some very important, and interesting, papers about it. I could show you if you like!

HEX

Wow, Darren! Maybe later though. But you're right, focusing on puzzles for too long can get a bit frustrating. Most of them took me a few tries to solve too, and some of them left me scratching my head for ages. But that portal mechanic is still so much fun.

DARREN

However, they've made a couple of changes to the gameplay that create a rather different feel. For example, you can now shoot portals while you're still standing halfway through one. They've also added new elements, like these incineration barriers that can turn into lasers. An entire wall of lasers! Ah hahahaha!

BAJO

Yes, OK Darren, settle down. Well, these changes and additions change how you approach a puzzle, and it certainly feels unusual. Can I go here? Nope! But it's not a bad thing really - I quite liked trying different things to see how they worked.

HEX

But it's not quite as polished as the real deal, is it?

DARREN

Negative. In Portal you always get the sense that the placement of every single wall and grate exists to help you solve the puzzle. This makes it easy to take inventory of everything available and decide what to do next. It also makes it super satisfying when you finally do figure things out, because the answer then seems obvious, and you feel super clever for seeing it correctly. But in Portal Stories: Mel it feels like there are a few hidden or unnecessary elements.

HEX

I know what you mean, Darren. Like a switch or something that you have to use, but you can't find it, and sometimes you don't even know you're looking for it! Or a jump that doesn't feel right.

BAJO

And the subtle cues Portal uses to lead you across visually complex areas are lacking here. Sometimes I feel like this game is leading me to irrelevant areas! Why is this light here? Is this wall important? Where am I going?! It's not always clear you're going the way you need to go, and the problem with that is sometimes the solution doesn't feel like it's the way the puzzle should be solved.

HEX

Yeah, it may sound like we're nitpicking a little here, but it's hard not to do because we love the Portal series so much. But this really is a well put together game, and you can tell that it's been made with love, so I'm giving it 4 out of 5 rubber chickens.

BAJO

Yeah, this is still certainly impressive. And it's challenging, which is my favourite part of the game. If you loved Portal 2, you will absolutely love this. I'm giving it 3.5 out of 5 rubber chickens.