As some of you have certainly heard: a prequel to the famous game “Portal” has been released, by a little mod-makers community. This “mod” might have been a nice one, and the idea of a “more difficult Portal” which happens “before” the actual one was good. Nevertheless, this mod is a TOTAL FAILURE. Since Portal is not an action game but a brain teaser, a prequel should have had the same kind of gameplay: one based on thinking. Instead of that, Portal: Prelude is an action game, with a reflex-based gameplay. Actually, levels are pretty simple, considering the puzzle, but insanely difficult considering timing and placement. That means, for example, that you understand the way out in few seconds, and then, waste half an hour struggling to reach the exit.

And, the reason why I labeled the game a “total failure” in bold caps, is the following: many things are well done in this mod, and, the ambiance is nice. But all this isn’t significant at all regarding gameplay. In fact, so grave are the gameplay issues that playing this mod becomes HIGHLY FRUSTRATING. This really prevent the player to have fun in any situation, and on the top of all, has driven me so crazy that I uninstalled the mod before finishing the ninth level, even through I was really interested and motivated.

So, if you ask me, I’d recommend you to not try this mod