This is a rare experience for me. "Reviewing" this game is unlike any other game I've covered. I barely get to play PC games and, by extension mods of games. At least a game born as a mod of a thing before it becomes known as its own real thing like Ms Pac-Man or DayZ.

Like those games, Portal: Revolution is its own game. They did such a good job making this as much of a new experience as possible from puzzle design and new mechanics to having an original story with fully voiced characters! That alone is quite the achievement. However, doing this well means I think the game should be judged accordingly.

The game was really fun to play and I got through it in like two or three sittings. The way items or pieces of things have been altered to make new mechanics shows a high level of ingenuity I came to appreciate. Making use of the gels and specifically washing them off, repurposing the laser redirect cubes, and even daring to make players backtrack a bit were all fun ways to keep things fresh. The various new elements are introduced at a good pace as you play through and the difficulty feels like it picks up where Portal 2 ended. It's a great time as far as being something built from something else.

This isn't Portal 3. It can't be really since it's built from parts of Portal 2. It IS probably the closest thing we'll get to it though. Despite the positives in gameplay I feel it does have, the lack of oomph kinda stands out. I dunno if it's fair to compare a fan made Portal mod to the games it came from but they come up nonetheless. Both Portal games I can think of distinct moments that had me in awe. For as good as this feels to play, that missing element makes it stand out all the more.

Another pain point is the story. Don't get me wrong, it's awesome that they have a story at all. Just again, when comparing to Portal 2 especially, it just falls on its face. It doesn't help that it's an interquel and has to reside in those confines. It feels derivative of Portal 2's story in all the worst ways down to having another character you interact with who is also markedly dumb but with none of the charm Wheatley had. It is amusing to find out WHY this newcomer is so dumb but its better left discovered on your own.

Also there's another new character introduced later on that is actually quite good and brings a fresh twist of perspective and relatability the series in general hasn't had before. Pretty neat character and made the second half a little more interesting narratively but again not something ai want to divulge much about.

So yeah, it's a solid game. The spirit of Portal games are there and it feels like a game Valve would make level design-wise. It falls short of great in a handful of areas but was ultimately nicely short and fun experience. I won't remember it on the level of the Valve made Portal games but it will be something I look back at say "it's pretty good for what it is" and that's decent enough praise I think. Recommend to people who REALLY like Portal.