honestly even if im giving it more rating because of bias on the mod, looking back, some things aged like milk
I signed up for more Portal, and what I got was Portal with moon logic. Puzzles require mechanics that are considered more advanced and are designed for those who've mastered portal flinging. After around the halfway point and looking up a handful of puzzle solutions, my patience wore thin.
Even for the angle of trying to experience a take on a part of Portal's lore that's never explored otherwise, there isn't much. It's all just scientists who are psychotic and make tons of jokes that just don't land.
Maybe those who understand Portal's mechanics heavily will get a kick out of this, but I don't think I can stomach it anymore. Don't entirely understand how this mod is so iconic, but I suppose 2008 was a very different time.
Even for the angle of trying to experience a take on a part of Portal's lore that's never explored otherwise, there isn't much. It's all just scientists who are psychotic and make tons of jokes that just don't land.
Maybe those who understand Portal's mechanics heavily will get a kick out of this, but I don't think I can stomach it anymore. Don't entirely understand how this mod is so iconic, but I suppose 2008 was a very different time.
This review contains spoilers
Portal: Prelude is by far one of the most well-known and classic mods for the original Portal, for better or for worse. The 2008 mod has the setting of a Portal prequel in a GLaDOS-less Aperture Science facility and it sounds enticing enough, and I'd even say it's one of the most accomplished unofficial attempts at doing so at the time, but it falls flat as soon as you drop in and hear the first lines of dialogue from the scientists that talk to you during the entirety of the game, possibly the clearest example of the worst line delivery and dialogue with quippy and unfunny jokes and a very poor use of sarcasm. The use of text-to-speech for the scientist's dialogue just sets in the quality of the script in general.
Then there's the test chambers themselves. What starts out as a very simple series of puzzles turn into very artificially complicated ones that make use of unintended game mechanics and fooling around with the physics of your character to actually fling yourself around and actually land where you wanna land, it sucks.
The one redeemable part is most likely the final act where they actually install GLaDOS in and she takes over the facility, the scripted parts are cool but it feels a bit dull when you have to do so much back and forth between adquiring a new Portal gun and coming back for the final boss, and then the final boss itself gets rather annoying to fight since it's so janky. I appreciate the effort, though, but this mod isn't so deserving of all the early praise it got... nor an RTX remaster a decade later.
Then there's the test chambers themselves. What starts out as a very simple series of puzzles turn into very artificially complicated ones that make use of unintended game mechanics and fooling around with the physics of your character to actually fling yourself around and actually land where you wanna land, it sucks.
The one redeemable part is most likely the final act where they actually install GLaDOS in and she takes over the facility, the scripted parts are cool but it feels a bit dull when you have to do so much back and forth between adquiring a new Portal gun and coming back for the final boss, and then the final boss itself gets rather annoying to fight since it's so janky. I appreciate the effort, though, but this mod isn't so deserving of all the early praise it got... nor an RTX remaster a decade later.
This game definitely isn't for everyone, and I will admit some of the levels are straight up bullshit when you encounter them for the first time. This mod is less about solving puzzles (in fact, a lot of the time, the solution is fairly obvious) and more about execution/trial and error. Your portalling skills will be tested, more specifically your reflexes and your capability to perform advanced flings.
Simply put, most of the writing is pretty awful and dated. Jokes are not witty unlike the original Portal and instead the player is guided through maps by scientists who make unfunny sexual comments and are obsessed with death. Some of the dialogue though is very funny for all the wrong reasons: Most notably because of the mod's use of voice synthesizers (which I won't hold against it). Peter is like the only good character and he has a few actually funny lines.
But at the same time, I have to respect the huge project this mod ended up being, and for one of the earliest portal mods out there, it is still easily one of the highest-quality ones. It has this level of charm that I don't think any other Portal 1 mod has ever really managed to match. In particular, the last level of the mod really stands out above the rest and on its own is actually pretty awesome.
I certainly do have nostalgia for this mod, and I'm definitely part of the audience it caters to considering I really enjoy difficult Portal maps, but I don't think this mod is all that terrible. It has very apparent flaws, but for a first playthrough it can be a fun time. I would say it's worth a try for anyone looking for a more difficult Portal experience.
Simply put, most of the writing is pretty awful and dated. Jokes are not witty unlike the original Portal and instead the player is guided through maps by scientists who make unfunny sexual comments and are obsessed with death. Some of the dialogue though is very funny for all the wrong reasons: Most notably because of the mod's use of voice synthesizers (which I won't hold against it). Peter is like the only good character and he has a few actually funny lines.
But at the same time, I have to respect the huge project this mod ended up being, and for one of the earliest portal mods out there, it is still easily one of the highest-quality ones. It has this level of charm that I don't think any other Portal 1 mod has ever really managed to match. In particular, the last level of the mod really stands out above the rest and on its own is actually pretty awesome.
I certainly do have nostalgia for this mod, and I'm definitely part of the audience it caters to considering I really enjoy difficult Portal maps, but I don't think this mod is all that terrible. It has very apparent flaws, but for a first playthrough it can be a fun time. I would say it's worth a try for anyone looking for a more difficult Portal experience.