Portal: Revolution is a free-to-play mod for the hit puzzle and adventure game Portal 2. In this community-made add-on, you get to experience an extra side story for Portal, sending the test subject back to Aperture Sciences after everyone originally thought that GLaDOS, the AI that guides you at first, was dead.

By giving players an entirely new experience, Portal: Revolution is a great addition to the base game. It enriches the franchise lore, in the same way that GTA Forelli Redemption does for Grand Theft Auto III. Puzzle-wise, it’s as mind-boggling as Q.U.B.E. 2.

Sharpen your portal-opening skills

Portal: Revolution offers a wealth of content that doesn’t feel different from the officially released Portal games by Valve. In terms of visuals, gameplay, or even audio, this compares to the original–a testament to the community behind it. For starters, the graphics are built on Portal 2, which makes its elements and styles the base of the game. Also, this mod features original and custom music made specifically for this spin-off.

The mod is divided into four chapters, each of them focused on an all-new environment that expands the Aperture Sciences we’ve known. It also features 20 new puzzles of varying difficulties, starting from the easy and familiar to those you’ve never seen before. In these new challenges, you also get to meet new testing elements and characters. This wealth of content already feels like it’s an official standalone.

Compared to the official releases, this mod has a significantly shorter playthrough. For experienced players, it might conclude faster than you think and leave you feeling frustrated and wanting more. However, its story adds weight to the entire lore and still feels relevant. Also, it might help you decide if you know that it's built on official platforms by Valve itself.

Nowhere to go but up

Since its initial release, Portal: Revolution just keeps on getting better and better. Thanks to the efforts of ardent fans who make up the development team, this single-player mod continues to evolve to meet the expectations of the community. Its transformation is so complete you can barely recognize the original version. Even unwitting players can easily mistake it as an original Valve title.

The goal is to make the experience as seamless as possible. That’s why the mod strives to keep up with Portal 2 standards with new and improved features. The layout, though complete for some time now, boasts improved level design and gameplay blocking. The maps redesigned for aesthetics and visual fidelity take up the bulk of improvements. Adding more maps is now possible, but only up to a point.

The overall choreography, which includes character voice-over, animation, and map logic implementation, is way better than it was in the beginning. As for the upgraded visual effects, their impact on the game dynamics is simply incredible. While music is unavailable in every chamber, the mod still features an impressive soundtrack and sound effects. Other new features include full Steam input controller support and authoring tools.

Just like an official release

Although Portal: Revolution is a community-made game mod, it stands on its own and has quality comparable to the official releases. It has the same graphics quality as Portal 2 and features its own music, on top of its expansive original content that builds on existing Portal lore. Its inclusive puzzles of varying difficulty levels are enough to keep you for hours.