Portal Companion Collection

Genre: Compilation / First-Person Platformer / Puzzle

Players: 1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen / Online)

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Review:

Portal Companion Collection, released on Nintendo Switch in 2022, is a Compilation that includes two legendary physics-based First-Person Platformer / Puzzle games: Portal, first released in 2007 on PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 as a part of the bundle The Orange Box (that’s right, one of the greatest games of all time began its life as a pack-in title), and Portal 2, first released on the same platforms in 2011.

And because it’s probably required of me, I’ll just get this all out of the way right now: This collection is a triumph. It’s a huge success. It’s hard to overstate my satisfaction. It takes the cake. It’s… okay, you get the point. But joking aside, no, this is really, really good.

Here is what I thought of each of the games in this collection:

Game	Genre	# of Players	Grade
Portal	First-Person Platformer / Puzzle	1	A+
tl;dr What can I say about Portal that hasn’t already been said countless other times in countless other reviews? Absolutely revolutionary when it first came out and still a master class in gameplay design, level design, puzzle design, environmental storytelling, dialogue writing… yeah, this is just an all-around great game. Its only major flaw, its short 3-hour length, is something that many would argue isn’t even a flaw, it’s a feature. Either way, this is an absolute must-play game. If you somehow missed it before now… well, it’s time to fix that.
Portal 2	First-Person Platformer / Puzzle	1-2 Co-Op (Local Split-Screen / Online)	A+
tl;dr Everything Portal 1 does right, Portal 2 does bigger and better. The addition of the new character Wheatley and the disembodied voice of Aperture company founder Cave Johnson help to flesh out the Portal series’ story, the destroyed testing facility makes for a visually-captivating environment, the new physics-altering substances make for even more delightful puzzle possibilities, and there’s even a brand new co-op mode that’s completely separate from the game’s single-player campaign. People wondered how you make a sequel to a game as great as Portal. This. This is how you do it.

If you’re wondering which of the two games I think is better… honestly, I keep going back and forth in my mind. Portal 1 is so iconic, but Portal 2 expands on that so beautifully with new characters who are every bit as amazing as the first game’s villain GLaDOS, but Portal 1 is so tightly-paced, but Portal 2 introduces so many great new gameplay elements, but but but… look, it doesn’t need to be a contest, guys. Both games are outstanding, let’s just leave it at that.

When it comes to content, pretty much everything from prior releases seems to have been included here. Portal 1 comes complete with unlockable developer commentary and bonus maps, while Portal 2 comes with a series of promotional videos. In addition, both games allow players to reassign button assignments, and feature optional gyroscopic motion-control support that includes giving players the option to decide which Joy-Con will be used for motion control.

In terms of performance, the Nintendo Switch release of the game has a 1080p resolution in docked mode, with a 720p resolution in handheld mode, with both modes delivering a fairly consistent 60FPS framerate with only small dips when viewing some of the game’s more extraordinary effects (Thanks to Digital Foundry for the numbers). As Digital Foundry notes, this is twice the framerate of other console versions of the game, and with the addition of improved anti-aliasing in the first Portal and other more minor graphical improvements throughout both, I think it’s fair to say this is unquestionably the best-looking console release that these two games have ever received.

I should note that the performance in Split-Screen Co-Op in Portal 2 didn’t have any major hitches that I noticed. I believe that the framerate and resolution may be lower than in the single-player mode, but I unfortunately don’t have numbers to back that up, and in any case it’s not severe enough to interfere with the gameplay. I can’t speak to the online multiplayer as I wasn’t able to test it, but I can at least attest to it existing, something Nintendo’s page for the game doesn’t mention. Yes, this version of the game does support online play, at least so long as you have a friend with a copy of the game too.

Really, the one “performance” issue present here is one that I believe is in every version of the game – there are brief moments of loading time between each of the games’ sections (i.e. in between each of the “tests”). This is a minor annoyance, but not a game-breaking one.

Finally, as if it wasn’t enough to get two outstanding ports of two of the greatest games ever made, this release wraps things up in the extremely tempting price tag of $20. Given the caliber of these two games, and how well they have both aged, this is an absolutely stunning price. Again, if you have somehow missed these games prior to this release, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better opportunity to try them. What’s more, if you have played these games before, and want to get them on a portable platform, this is pretty much an ideal way to do so. This is simply an excellent pair of ports of a phenomenal pair of games.

tl;dr – Portal Companion Collection is a Compilation of the physics-based First-Person Platformer / Puzzle games Portal and Portal 2. These are two of the greatest games ever made, and this is a pretty comprehensive port with performance that makes it the best console release these games have ever seen. This is an outstanding package, and its outstanding price of $20 makes it a game that you should absolutely add to your collection if you don’t own it already… and perhaps even if you do.

Grade: A+

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards:

Winner:

Best Compilation / Collection – Portal Companion Collection doesn’t really bring much to the table that’s truly new, but it also doesn’t really have to. When you pack together two outstanding ports of two of the greatest games of all time, make them feature-complete, brush up the graphics to make this the best console port either game has ever received, and then sell the whole package for $20, you have created a near-perfect bundle.

Best Value ($20) – As I stated a moment ago, packing two of the best games of all time into a bundle that only costs $20 is an absolute steal. At such a low price, even if you have these games on another platform, you still might want to get the Nintendo Switch version.

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