Every Portal 2 Mod, Ranked - Investment Policy

Amongst games ever created, Portal 2 stands out for its high degree of modifiability. Featuring a user-friendly level editor, simple access to the Source engine it runs on, and Valve making some versions available through Steam, you can effortlessly discover numerous fan-made Portal games online.

Through the devotion of our loyal fans, you’ll find numerous mods available for download, each one adding fresh chapters and innovative features to the game’s existing content. I’ve been eager to experience them all and provide my own ranking for quite some time now.

I will exclusively select mods from the Community-Made Mods page on Steam, so it’s just official content for me, and I plan to evaluate each one that I can access at the moment of writing, ranking them all in the process.

If you’re looking for additional experiences beyond what we have now, you can certainly find some. However, when it comes to substantial fan-made expansions for the main game, these titles stand out as the best options currently available.

I’ll solely focus on the user-created mods available on the Community Page for Portal 2. If you notice any mod missing, it’s likely either yet to be released or not featured on that particular page.

7. Portal: Forbidden Testing Tracks

Uses Generative AI, -10 Rep

Among all the modifications available, Forbidden Testing Tracks stands out as the most problematic one. It frequently crashes when attempting to adjust audio settings, lacks the option for subtitles, and is excessively loud with an overall rough and unrefined feel, which only exacerbates its issues.

Instead of choosing to work with aspiring voice talents for free to promote them, this game prefers AI-generated narration that sounds like J.K. Simmons, which I find incredibly annoying.

I find the gateways reminiscent of those from Minecraft’s Immersive Portals mod quite intriguing, but unfortunately, that’s almost the sole appealing aspect of this game. To be honest, I’ve encountered more engaging puzzles utilizing similar portals within Minecraft itself.

It’s astonishing to me that such a mod, with its jarring jump scares, lack of care in design, borrowed elements, and poor audio quality, could be considered official. It’s not even amusingly bad; instead, it’s disheartening.

6. Aperture Tag: The Paint Gun Testing Initiative

Let’s Get Messy

Among all these titles, Aperture Tag stands out uniquely as the sole paid game in the group. Although it’s priced at just $5, this singular characteristic makes it a tough sell, regardless of its quality.

If the cost were validated by a superior overall experience, it wouldn’t be an issue. However, the new visuals appear dull and require revision, the audio is unremarkable, the script leaves much to be desired, and the voice acting comes across as awkward and subpar.

The paint gun primarily disperses gel, transforming the whole gaming experience into physics-driven puzzles. If you’ve tinkered with the Source engine for even a short while, you’d realize that physics can be quite uncooperative.

In many instances, you’ll find yourself navigating an agile tank amidst the skies, but its movement often seems slow and unpredictable, giving each puzzle an element of chance.

5. The Cleaning Game

Something Else

Ranking The Cleaning Game was quite tricky because, unlike Portal 2, it’s a modification but not a direct sequel, as it lacks the puzzle-solving, testing, and portal mechanics that are characteristic of Portal games. Instead, it offers a more philosophical experience.

This game is heavily narrative-driven, allowing you to make decisions and investigate various paths leading to multiple conclusions. As you clean up a cluttered office, you’re also tidying up the storyline along the way.

It struck me as rather fascinating how they managed to adapt Portal 2 into a game with sentient characters, and it left me somewhat melancholic about modern technology, knowing that it now seems capable of experiencing emotions.

Without a doubt, this game is enjoyable, but let me clarify that it’s not like Portal. If you’re here hoping for a Portal-like experience and are open to an adventure game where you press E repeatedly around ten thousand times, then I’d recommend giving The Cleaning Game a try.

4. Thinking with Time Machine

Take it Back Now Y’all

As a gamer, I can tell you that there are times when you come across a game so unique in concept, it overshadows most of its minor flaws. That’s exactly how I feel about Thinking with Time Machine – it’s a game that captivates me with its originality.

This creation may not be the sleekest or most refined one out there. On the contrary, it’s filled with a lot of rough edges, and the primary function isn’t explained as thoroughly as it ought to be. However, the delight I get from solving its puzzles is so great that I hardly notice the flaws.

The notion of capturing and replaying your own movements side by side with your past self in real time is incredibly intriguing, and it significantly amplifies the challenge posed by traditional Portal puzzles, as you are essentially solving two games simultaneously.

In another game further down the list, I believe the concept of time travel was presented in a much more self-explanatory manner. However, I find the implementation in this game perfectly acceptable. Despite its brief playtime, I wholeheartedly suggest it as it’s well worth playing.

3. Portal Stories: Mel

A Step Back

In the game Portal 2, a lesser-known figure named Mel was initially intended as a replacement for the main character, Chell. However, there’s not much information available about her in the official release. Consequently, Mel has become the central focus of a fan-made mod from 2015.

In Portal Stories: Mel, the storyline predominantly unfolds in areas within Aperture Science that were less extensively covered in Portal 2, these spaces now being significantly dilapidated and barely operational. The ambiance of this game is exceptionally intense.

The settings are so intricately designed that it’s hard to believe they aren’t authentic. While the voice acting is decent, it doesn’t quite match up to J.K. Simmons, but it’s the mechanics and gameplay where issues begin to arise.

The occasionally gloomy ambiance tends to blur puzzle solutions and create a perplexing experience, while the physical interactions seem erratic, in contrast to what one might expect from Valve’s more consistent approach. Portal Stories: Mel possesses an appealing aesthetic, but it can become infuriatingly frustrating at times.

2. Portal Reloaded

Time to Party

If you’re open to investing around five minutes into crafting a latte while enduring a lengthy introduction and a somewhat monotonous, not-quite-humorous narrator whose tone resembles that of a robot, then I assure you, Portal Reloaded can be an enjoyable experience.

The puzzles in the latest Portal game perfectly meet my expectations. It’s not just that the third portal serves as a mere gimmick; instead, it takes you on a journey through time and challenges your mind to think in four dimensions, making the experience all the more satisfying.

Unlike many fan-made games, it doesn’t presume players are already experts in puzzle-solving. Instead, it offers a standard level of challenge, making it seem as if Valve themselves developed it, particularly given the high quality of its futuristic elements.

As an ardent admirer, I’ve got a couple of concerns that don’t necessarily impact the gameplay, but they do affect my overall experience. Firstly, the chatter can be a bit excessive for my taste. Secondly, I find it lacking a unique visual style that sets it apart from games like Portal 2. The similarities are quite striking, and it seems to stutter noticeably each time an autosave kicks in.

1. Portal: Revolution

Retrofit Revisit

I adore the game Portal: Revolution; I’ve given it a spin, yet there’s a part of me that dislikes it, affectionately so. If you find Portal 2’s persistent dialogue during prolonged room confinement irritating, then this game doesn’t improve on that aspect. However, it offers an exceptional experience for exploration.

Each testing room resembles those from earlier Portal games yet shows signs of decay that encourage you to approach it with a fresh perspective. Adding to this unique experience is the outstanding voice acting for the eccentric janitor who communicates via your earpiece.

This game creatively incorporates underused mechanisms similar to those in Portal 2, leading to an extended period using a portal-shooting weapon, solving cube-based puzzles, and finding humor in the use of explosives that span multiple rooms.

Although all irritants from the original game are present and accounted for, there’s an unfortunate pattern where you’re often required to repeat the same series of actions 2-3 times in many rooms, not because of mistakes on your part, but as a deliberate aspect of the designed solution.

2025-04-10 16:10