Portal Stories: Mel

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Very Positive

Total: 120Positive: 115Negative: 5
96%
4%
Steam review score: 8

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Community review

Portal Stories: Mel scored 89.62 % rating
Portal Stories: Mel is a free, community-made mod for Portal 2 that delivers a fresh adventure in the beloved Portal universe. Set in the early days of Aperture Science, you play as Mel, a test subject who awakens decades later to uncover the mysteries of the facility. With 22 levels offering 6-10 hours of gameplay, this mod features logic-based puzzles, over 350 custom voice lines, and an hour of original music. The AI Community Rating of 89.85% highlights its quality, with players praising its challenging puzzles, engaging story, and impressive voice acting. However, some find the puzzles overly difficult or obscure, and the pacing in the early game can feel slow. If you love Portal’s signature blend of humor, brain-teasing challenges, and sci-fi intrigue, Portal Stories: Mel is a must-play—especially since it’s free!
ActionAdventureFree To Play
Single-playerSteam AchievementsFull controller supportCaptions availableSteam CloudRemote Play Together

What the community wishes

We analysed the 14 most impactful community reviews and collected 20 ideas and suggestions on how the game could be better.
Improve puzzle clarity and introduction
The mod assumes players know mechanics without proper introduction, leading to confusion. For example, the first puzzle expects players to fling themselves into Repulsion Gel, a strategy never introduced in the original games. Clearer tutorials or hints are needed to guide players through new mechanics.
Reduce reliance on obscure puzzle solutions
Some puzzles rely on obscure or unintuitive solutions, such as finding hidden portal surfaces or strict timing mechanics. This can frustrate players. Puzzles should focus on logical, clear solutions that align with the Portal series' design philosophy.
Improve Cave Johnson's character portrayal
The portrayal of Cave Johnson feels inconsistent with his character in Portal 2. He comes off as overly harsh and lacks the charm and development seen in the original. A more balanced and faithful representation of his character would improve the narrative.
Address pacing issues in early game
The first 15 minutes involve excessive walking and listening to dialogue, which slows down the pacing. The initial puzzles also lack clear goals and are overly restrictive. Streamlining the introduction and improving early puzzle design would enhance the player experience.
Enhance final boss battle execution
The final boss battle feels underwhelming compared to the buildup. Improving the mechanics, challenge, and overall execution of the boss fight would provide a more satisfying conclusion to the game.
Add more intuitive environmental puzzles
Some environmental puzzles are overly complex and frustrating, requiring players to reload saves to fix mistakes. Simplifying these puzzles or adding clearer indicators for solutions would make them more enjoyable and less tedious.
Improve difficulty balance in advanced mode
The advanced difficulty mode swings between too easy and impossibly hard. Adjusting the difficulty curve to provide a more consistent and fair challenge would improve the experience for players seeking a tougher mode.
Reduce reliance on emancipation grills
Some puzzles overuse emancipation grills, making solutions overly convoluted and frustrating. Reducing their frequency or designing puzzles with more creative mechanics would enhance gameplay variety and enjoyment.
Add clearer goals and exits in puzzles
Early puzzles lack clear goals or exits, making it difficult for players to understand what they need to do. Adding clearer visual or auditory cues to guide players would improve the overall puzzle-solving experience.
Improve joystick recognition on Steam Deck
The game sometimes fails to recognize joysticks on the Steam Deck, causing issues during gameplay. Fixing this compatibility issue would improve the experience for players using handheld devices.
Add more new mechanics to justify length
The mod introduces few new mechanics, making some puzzles feel repetitive. Adding more innovative mechanics or gameplay elements would justify the length and keep the experience fresh.
Improve writing consistency with Portal lore
The writing sometimes feels inconsistent with the established Portal lore, particularly with character portrayals. Aligning the narrative more closely with the original games' tone and style would enhance immersion.
Add more variety in puzzle solutions
Some puzzles rely too heavily on cubes and destructible objects, limiting creativity. Introducing more diverse puzzle elements and solutions would make the gameplay more engaging and varied.
Improve checkpoint and save system
Some puzzles require reloading saves to fix mistakes, which can be frustrating. Adding more checkpoints or a more forgiving save system would reduce player frustration and improve the flow of the game.
Enhance visual cues for hidden portal surfaces
Hidden portal surfaces are difficult to locate, leading to unnecessary frustration. Adding clearer visual cues or indicators would make these puzzles more intuitive and enjoyable.
Address achievement system bugs
The achievement system sometimes fails to register completions correctly, which can be frustrating for players. Fixing these bugs would improve the overall user experience and reward system.
Improve pacing in the final act
The pacing in the final act feels uneven, with some sections dragging on. Streamlining the final act and maintaining consistent pacing would provide a more satisfying conclusion.
Add more environmental storytelling
While the environments are visually impressive, they could benefit from more environmental storytelling to deepen the lore and immersion. Adding more interactive or narrative-driven elements would enhance the world-building.
Improve voice acting consistency
While some voice acting is praised, other performances feel inconsistent or lack the charm of the original games. Ensuring consistent quality and tone across all voice acting would improve the narrative experience.
Add more accessibility options
Some players find the puzzles too difficult, leading to frustration. Adding more accessibility options, such as hints or adjustable difficulty, would make the game more inclusive and enjoyable for a wider audience.

Reviews

Toxicity trend

N-Grams

Most relevant voices from the community
proof of whatpurely based onbeautiful atmosphere nicetons of effortno business beingit's challenging butgold standard inhighly outstanding it'sconstantly assumes thatbetter in everygreat puzzles greatseamlessly its charactersridiculously good it'swalking simulator whileblow my headbest Portal 2so entertaining forstrict timing andgreater challenge thangift from the

Keywords

Top 15 keywords for sentiments
What the community loves
We collected 267 positive keywords.
story
14
free
8
puzzles
8
great
8
challenging
7
quality
6
amazing
6
good
5
voice acting
5
fun
4
play
4
recommend
4
enjoyable
3
atmosphere
3
music
3
Where the community is undecided
We collected 295 neutral keywords.
puzzles
18
story
10
mod
10
difficulty
9
puzzle
7
Portal
5
prequel
4
ending
4
Valve
4
harder
4
time
4
achievements
3
level
3
gameplay
3
easy
3
What the community dislikes
We collected 136 negative keywords.
difficult
7
awful
4
bad
3
fun
3
annoying
3
hidden
2
execution
2
puzzles
2
writing
2
obscure
2
story
2
lost
2
walking
2
copy
1
crap
1

In-depth analysis of most impactful community reviews

Positive

i like it. it's challenging. (full disclosure, beta tested this back in 2015. saw it had potential thru the beta period.) 2024: had a longer review here but i've been scrubbing my old embarrassing steam reviews

  • Sentiments

    • I like the game and find it enjoyable.
    • I find the game challenging, which adds to its appeal.
    • I beta tested the game back in 2015 and saw potential in it during that period.
    • I had a longer review in 2024 but decided to remove it due to embarrassment over my old Steam reviews.

Positive

This mod has no business being so entertaining for free. It does everything the Portal series sets out to do, and it does it all incredibly well and with plenty of respect for its source material. The story leads directly into the events of Portal 2, and lovingly nods its head to the world-building presented in that game. It presents a greater challenge than either of the official Portal games, but not so much that the target audience is strictly veterans of the series. I would recommend this to anyone who loves puzzle games, and especially to fans of Portal (much of the story's charm hinges on the player having some prior knowledge of the mainline plot).

  • Sentiments

    • I find this mod incredibly entertaining, especially considering it is free, which adds significant value to the experience.
    • I appreciate how the mod successfully captures and respects the essence of the Portal series, staying true to its source material.
    • I am impressed by how well the mod integrates its story with the events of Portal 2, creating a seamless connection to the mainline game.
    • I enjoy the mod's nods to the world-building of Portal 2, which adds depth and charm to the experience for fans of the series.
    • I find the mod's puzzles to be more challenging than those in the official Portal games, which adds a fresh layer of difficulty.
    • I appreciate that the mod is accessible to both veterans and newcomers, making it enjoyable for a wide audience.
    • I would highly recommend this mod to anyone who loves puzzle games, as it delivers a satisfying and engaging experience.
    • I believe the mod's story is particularly charming for players familiar with the mainline Portal plot, enhancing its appeal.

Positive

Ridiculously good. It's harder than Portal 2 so it scratches "the itch". Great puzzles, great visuals, thoughtful Aperturey environmental lore, even very good voice acting, and not short of dialogue. Plenty interesting set pieces, which don't quite match Portal 2's polish, but polished it is, and its environments tend to meet and surpass Portal 2's.. Highly outstanding.

  • Sentiments

    • I find the game to be ridiculously good, which strongly conveys a highly positive sentiment about the overall experience.
    • I appreciate that the game is harder than Portal 2, as it effectively scratches 'the itch' for challenging gameplay.
    • I am impressed by the great puzzles, which add to the game's appeal and enjoyment.
    • I admire the great visuals, which enhance the overall immersive experience of the game.
    • I find the thoughtful Aperturey environmental lore to be a meaningful and engaging aspect of the game.
    • I am pleased with the very good voice acting, which adds depth and quality to the game's narrative.
    • I enjoy the abundance of dialogue, which keeps the game engaging and rich in storytelling.
    • I appreciate the plenty of interesting set pieces, though I note they don't quite match Portal 2's polish.
    • I find the environments to be polished and often surpassing those of Portal 2, which is a significant achievement.
    • I consider the game to be highly outstanding, which summarizes my overwhelmingly positive sentiment toward it.

Positive

[h1]Portal Stories: Mel is one of the few go-to mods for the Portal 2 fans.[/h1] All content was extremely filtered by a few of finest members in the Portal 2 modding community. And that includes the level design, music, modeling, animations and puzzle creation. It is the proof of what a few passionate Portal fans can acheive with hard work and dedication. It's a gift from the community to the community.

  • Sentiments

    • I feel that Portal Stories: Mel is one of the few go-to mods for Portal 2 fans, which highlights its importance and popularity within the community.
    • I appreciate that all content in the mod was meticulously filtered by some of the finest members of the Portal 2 modding community, ensuring high quality.
    • I am impressed by the level design, which reflects the dedication and skill of the creators.
    • I find the music in the mod to be well-crafted and fitting, adding to the overall experience.
    • I admire the modeling work, which demonstrates the creators' attention to detail and creativity.
    • I am impressed by the animations, which enhance the immersion and polish of the mod.
    • I appreciate the puzzle creation, which showcases the ingenuity and passion of the developers.
    • I see this mod as proof of what passionate Portal fans can achieve with hard work and dedication, which is inspiring.
    • I view Portal Stories: Mel as a gift from the community to the community, emphasizing its collaborative and generous spirit.

Positive

This is Portal 1.5 and I mean that in the most respectful way possible. This is VALVE QUALITY FANGAME. Hell if I didn't know about this being a fangame going in, I probably would assume this is made by Valve themselves. I dont think you can top this Portal 2 mod. The story is phenomenal with how it links to the events of Portal 2, exploring more of Old Aperture is always a treat, and reusing the cut character of Mel is such a smart move. The people behind this put TONS of effort and it SHOWS. Play it. Now.

  • Sentiments

    • I feel that this game is a high-quality fangame that rivals the quality of Valve's own games, which is a huge compliment.
    • I believe that if I didn't know this was a fangame, I would assume it was made by Valve themselves, which speaks to its exceptional quality.
    • I think the story is phenomenal, especially how it connects to the events of Portal 2, making it a deeply engaging experience.
    • I find exploring more of Old Aperture to be a treat, as it adds depth and nostalgia to the game.
    • I appreciate the smart decision to reuse the cut character of Mel, as it adds a unique and creative touch to the game.
    • I can see that the developers put TONS of effort into this game, and it clearly shows in the final product.
    • I strongly recommend playing this game, as it is a must-play for fans of the Portal series.

Negative

The store page advertises that the puzzles are purely based on logic. Then the second real test chamber in the game depends on strict timing and fiddly mechanics. Multiple earlier environmental puzzles are dumb "find the obscure place to shoot a portal ones".

  • Sentiments

    • I feel misled because the store page advertised that the puzzles are purely based on logic, but the game includes elements that contradict this claim.
    • I am frustrated that the second real test chamber in the game depends on strict timing and fiddly mechanics, which feels inconsistent with the advertised logic-based puzzles.
    • I find the earlier environmental puzzles to be unimpressive and tedious, as they involve finding obscure places to shoot portals without much logical challenge.

Negative

This mod forgets one of the core aspects of Portal level design: if you get past a part, you don't need something from the last part to continue. It constantly assumes that not only do you know you need to bring that object with you. And that's not going into how it decides to just randomly blind you, or how the beginning is a walking simulator while a man does his best Cave Johnson impression, or how the puzzles themselves start out with obtuse design. This mod forgets to introduce a concept that players need to use. Instead, it assumes you know what you need to do because it's so obvious. Guess what? It's not obvious. The first puzzle assumes you know that you're supposed to fling yourself downwards into Repulsion gel, becoming a bouncy-ball. That's never a strategy in the original and isn't introduced to the player here. That's not the only part of that puzzle either. This mod has the only puzzle where I found myself balancing a cube on a button so it'd press that button for less than half a second so I and another cube could go up. Not to mention, the writing for Cave Johnson feels more like an insult to the character than it does a genuine attempt to portray the character. When we're first introduced to him (his 50's era character), he's just an ass. And when you wake up? Instead of treating you like a War Hero, Astronaut, or Olympian, he treats you as an incompetent idiot. Yes, the original character's an ego-maniac. Yes, the original doesn't understand the scientific process. But in the short time you encounter him in the original Portal 2, he experiences change through those eras. This game... ignores that part and goes for the meme-character of Cave Johnson. It just all comes across as... spitting on the character for the sake of spitting on the character.

  • Sentiments

    • I feel that the mod forgets a core aspect of Portal level design, where you shouldn't need to backtrack for objects, which creates unnecessary frustration.
    • I find it frustrating that the mod assumes I know what to do without introducing concepts properly, making the puzzles feel obtuse and unintuitive.
    • I dislike how the mod randomly blinds the player, which feels like a cheap and unnecessary mechanic.
    • I feel that the beginning of the mod is tedious, as it turns into a walking simulator while a character poorly imitates Cave Johnson.
    • I find the first puzzle particularly frustrating because it assumes I know to fling myself into Repulsion gel, a strategy never introduced or used in the original game.
    • I feel that the writing for Cave Johnson is an insult to the character, portraying him as an ass rather than capturing his original charm and development.
    • I dislike how the mod treats the player as an incompetent idiot, which feels disrespectful and out of character for the original game's tone.
    • I feel that the mod ignores the character development of Cave Johnson from the original game, reducing him to a shallow meme version of himself.
    • I find the puzzle design overly convoluted, such as balancing a cube on a button for less than half a second, which feels unnecessarily complicated.
    • I feel that the mod fails to capture the essence of Portal's puzzle design, making it feel more frustrating than rewarding.

Negative

While it's clear that the developers put a lot of effort into this game, I really don't think that it captures what makes Portal 1 & 2 so great. When playing the official games, you never really feel lost, even when a puzzle takes you a little longer. And you always get a sense of satisfaction when you solve a puzzle. This game, on the other hand, does not deliver this at all. I have only played a bit of this, but for example, the "puzzle" in a room can be figuring out that you need to stand in a certain area to see a single, hidden location off in the distance where you could place a portal in order to continue. Other puzzles make excessive use of emancipation grills, resulting in a puzzle that takes a silly amount of steps to solve, or where a solution doesn't even really come to mind. A good puzzle doesn't just consist of a tough challenge, it also needs to be enjoyable to solve. The cherry on top was that even the writing is a little... eh. At least so far. Can't recommend. It's not enjoyable. Play the original games instead.

  • Sentiments

    • I appreciate that the developers put a lot of effort into this game, which shows their dedication and passion.
    • I feel that this game does not capture what made Portal 1 & 2 so great, which is disappointing.
    • I find that the official Portal games provide a sense of satisfaction when solving puzzles, which this game lacks.
    • I feel lost and frustrated when playing this game, as the puzzles are not intuitive or enjoyable.
    • I think the puzzles in this game are overly complicated, with excessive use of emancipation grills, making them tedious to solve.
    • I believe a good puzzle should not only be challenging but also enjoyable to solve, which this game fails to deliver.
    • I find the writing in this game to be underwhelming and not up to the standard of the original games.
    • I cannot recommend this game as it is not enjoyable to play.
    • I suggest playing the original Portal games instead, as they are far superior in quality and enjoyment.

Negative

First 15 minutes are walking and listening to a bad Cave Johnson impression. Next 15 minutes are looking around an unnecessarily large map for the one singular portal surface you're allowed to click on. First puzzle does not have a clear goal/exit, places all points of interest above you so it's impossible to surveil, and only contains only four portal surfaces (none of which can be seen at the same time as another, so they can't be used for navigation). What are we doing here, guys?

  • Sentiments

    • I feel frustrated with the first 15 minutes of the game, as it involves a lot of walking and listening to what feels like a poor imitation of Cave Johnson.
    • I find the next 15 minutes tedious, as I have to search an overly large map for a single portal surface that I can interact with.
    • I am confused by the first puzzle, as it lacks a clear goal or exit, making it difficult to understand what I am supposed to achieve.
    • I feel annoyed that all points of interest in the first puzzle are placed above me, making it impossible to survey the area effectively.
    • I find it frustrating that the first puzzle only has four portal surfaces, none of which are visible at the same time, hindering navigation.
    • I question the design choices of the game, as the initial experience feels unnecessarily convoluted and poorly executed.
    • I feel disappointed with the overall pacing and structure of the game's opening, as it fails to engage or provide clear direction.

Negative

It does a really good impression in regards of story connecting to Portal 1&2 with all of the dialogues recorded and extra levels in between the puzzles, But there just aren't enough of new things to justify this free DLC lenght and new puzzles are just unnecessarily overcomplex, difficult and just plain annoying, often with no way to fix a mistake other than by loading a quicksave (even on story mode).

  • Sentiments

    • I feel that the game does a really good job of connecting its story to Portal 1 and 2, which is a positive aspect.
    • I appreciate the inclusion of all the dialogues recorded from the previous games, which adds to the continuity.
    • I find the extra levels between the puzzles to be a nice addition, enhancing the overall experience.
    • I am disappointed that there aren't enough new elements to justify the length of this free DLC.
    • I feel that the new puzzles are unnecessarily overcomplex and difficult, which detracts from the enjoyment.
    • I find the new puzzles to be plain annoying, which negatively impacts my experience with the game.
    • I am frustrated that there is often no way to fix a mistake other than by loading a quicksave, even on story mode.

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