Portal Reloaded Is The Closest Thing To Portal 3 Available

Portal 2 turned ten years old on April 18, and since Valve has shown no signs of continuing the series itself, a modder – Jannis Brinkmann – has essentially released a fan-made Portal 3, titled Portal Reloaded. The Portal 2 mod is available for free on Steam for PC and has received thousands of overwhelmingly positive reviews since its launch on April 19, 2021. The game has been in the works since 2014 and features 25 new puzzles, more than 100 additional voice lines, and an album of new tunes, making it a must-play for any diehard Portal fans.

Portal Reloaded doesn’t just give gamers new areas of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center to explore, but it breaks new ground for the series. The mod introduces a third portal that’s rectangular and green, which lets players travel through different timelines. This means users will need to solve puzzles during different time periods for even more mind-bending fun with stunning new game mechanics that feel straight from a theoretical Portal 3 release, something Valve hasn’t even introduced to its marquee puzzler. That being said, Portal Reloaded is exclusively single-player, unlike Portal 2, which featured a separate two-player co-op campaign.

Brinkmann noted that he developed Portal Reloaded with “Portal veterans” in mind. A time-traveling portal adds another layer of depth to Portal 2‘s already tricky physics puzzles. The mod features a comprehensive tutorial of the new feature, but newcomers to the series might want to try their hands with the original Portal game to get a feel for its core mechanics before diving into a more complicated version. Still, Portal Reloaded is the perfect breath of fresh air for players who have been patiently waiting for the highly-coveted Portal 3 that’s seemingly nowhere in sight.

Portal Reloaded Is A Fan-Made Portal 3 (Sort Of)

Portal Reloaded has creatively enhanced Valve’s beloved series, but fans shouldn’t expect a seamless continuation of the franchise’s story from Portal 2. The mod is a spin-off of the game’s main plot that shifts the focus away from Portal‘s silent protagonist, Chell, and gives players control of a previously unknown test subject that explores a sealed-off area of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center. In Portal Reloaded‘s FAQ page, Brinkmann explained that his creation is disconnected from the Portal‘s mainline plot and that it won’t “alter any established story threads.“

Instead of expanding on Portal 2‘s story, Portal Reloaded is more about recreating the same sense of wonder long-time fans experienced when they were first learning how to use the Portal Gun. Valve appears to be a long way from releasing any details about Portal 3, but Brinkmann’s mod is a masterful example of the types of stunning work a passionate game community can produce. It will surely keep gamers busy as they await official news about the series.

Source: Portal Reloaded FAQ