Back at It Again — Time to Solve Some Puzzles "Portal 2" feels like catching up with an old friend — the kind who hasn’t changed all that much, but still brought along a few new tricks to surprise you. The story picks up right where the first game left off: once again, we step into the shoes of Chell, the unlucky test subject who just can’t seem to escape the dark and twisted maze of Aperture Science — aka the Portal Research Laboratory. And yes, our favorite sarcastic, murderously charming AI, GLaDOS, is back, still dishing out snark and building delightfully sinister challenges. At first glance, "Portal 2" doesn’t look all that different from the original. Same sterile white test chambers, same portals, same puzzles, same Companion Cubes (still my favorite character, by the way). The environments are bigger, sure, but visually the game sticks to its iconic look — which honestly works just fine. Why mess with something that already works? But where the game really shines is in its new puzzles and mechanics. The developers went all-in, adding loads of fresh elements. There are laser beams and refracting lenses that let you redirect them, light bridges you can walk on, and mysterious gels that alter surfaces — making you run faster or jump higher (if I’m remembering right). All of it is introduced gradually, so the difficulty ramps up in a way that makes you feel clever — until you suddenly find yourself staring at a puzzle for an hour, cursing your own brain for missing the obvious. In the end, "Portal 2" is a solid, well-crafted game with a lot of heart. It’s perfect for a good mental workout, a few laughs at GLaDOS’s biting humor, and some genuinely satisfying level design. For me, though, it’s a one-and-done kind of experience — I played it, I enjoyed it, sometimes I got frustrated, and then I shelved it under "great games I probably won’t revisit". But the memories of those portal-based adventures? Those stick around — and that’s a good sign. 7 out of 10