How clever is this: a Flash-driven, totally free, ridiculously addictive recreation of Valve's new [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] freebie Portal by some guys called [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] and hosted by a site called [Only registered and activated users can see links. ] The "plot," as it were: It is finally time for your physical test, subject 15837. The ASHPD [Apertyre Science Handheld Portable Device] is now in your hands. Show us what a motivated test subject can do. Prove us [sic] you are legitimate for the job. Think with portals. [Only registered and activated users can see links. ].
You use the A and D keys to move left or right and the W key to jump, while moving the mouse around to aim and the left button to launch a portal. As you progress between 2D side-scrolling levels, you have to somehow get over barriers or onto platforms while contending with anomalies like moving panels and surfaces that can't be affected by your portal gun and which limit your zone of creation. Momentum, susceptibility to environmental factors (electricity, crushing spikes, etc.), buttons to press, and turrets that shoots at you all eventually come into play. Point the mouse at light-colored areas and click to open a portal -- you can have up to two open at once. Enter at either end, and you pop out the other side. In this example (minor spoiler, sorry) the spikes drop as soon as the level begins, so you have to quickly fire a portal at the upper level (blue) and then open a portal beneath you (yellow) to pop to safety on the ledge.
On my first go (a few moments ago), I was only able to rather pathetically get to "Task no. 15" out of 40. Momentum acts a little weird at times, occasionally bouncing you but at other times blasting you out of portals regardless of how fast or from what angle you enter. The learning curve escalates quickly, and sitting here staring at it, I still can't see how I'm supposed to get past the 15th level (comment solutions are welcome!).
My only technical complaints are that in the process of dragging the pointer around to drop portals, I kept inadvertently clicking on those annoying baseline Google ads, like NewsGator's "Free RSS Webinar" which canned my game (hitting 'back' forces you to reload the full 7.6 MB Flash script). To be fair, the game remembers which levels you've completed and lets you start immediately from the last one finished.
There were also a few completely invisible areas in levels where clicking would bizarrely surf to the site's home page (I'm looking at you, level-15-upper-left hand-wall). Also, a few level exits erroneously reset you to the starting point if you're jumping (as opposed to running) when you move through them.
Otherwise it's probably worth a look, though I wonder how these guys are getting away with calling it "Portal" and using a logo clearly aimed at aping / tributing Valve's. Incidentally, you can check out the latter's 3D version, just released as part of the Half-Life 2 compendium [Only registered and activated users can see links. ], in this cool YouTube clip.
I was quite surprised by Portal (real game in TOB), highly entertaining and a lot of fun. Wish it was longer though, but then it never felt repetitive or anything so perhaps it was the perfect length?
Linear Mode
