Condensing the 60 maps from the base game down to just five, here are top five.
Portal 2 is often and justifiably praised on its seamless blend of challenging puzzles with rich and in-depth storytelling. The two elements feel totally meshed and dependent on the other instead of feeling separated. This is mostly thanks to the amount of thought and precision that was put into designing the levels. There isn’t a single chamber in Portal 2 that isn’t satisfying or fun to some degree. Here is a short list of some of the best chambers that the Portal sequel has to offer.
5 - ‘Turret Intro’, Chapter 3, Test 13:
Take out these turrets one by one
Enjoy the freedom of this brilliant puzzle
Despite regularly having to escape certain death and occasionally overpowering a rogue AI, Portal 2 is by no means a combat game. However, this re-introduction of the Aperture turrets is about the closest thing we come to experiencing combat in the entire game. This chamber requires you to evade a series of trigger-happy sentries with your trusty portal gun in a variety of different ways. One of the brilliant components of this chamber is that it encourages you to improvise and deal with the turrets however you see fit. Do you want to rush them, holding another turret as a shield? Or would you prefer to be a little smarter and use portals to slam a cube on top of them? You could even grab one turret and throw it at another. Being a pretty early puzzle, this chamber is definitely not a particularly challenging one, but the sheer fun and satisfaction factor is enough to earn its place on this list. A similar but more challenging puzzle is found just two tests later, ‘Turret Blocker’ Chapter 3, test 15.
Why is this map so good?
- Experience how combat might feel in a Portal game.
- Features the re-introduction of Portal turrets.
- Improvise and complete the puzzle however you like. You don’t even technically need your portal gun!
4 - Column Blocker, Chapter 4, Test 18:
Don't let the size of this map bother you, it's a great challenge without being frustrating
In the first chamber of chapter 4, right after GLaDOS’ fake ‘surprise’, the player enters the arena from a raised office on the side of the test. This allows the player to have a quick look at the huge area before getting fully involved. Although to some, it might seem overwhelming and even intimidating, I find that having to figure out the individual steps to a massive puzzle area is often some of the most satisfying and rewarding moments held in the game. This test involves all of the classic Portal 2 mechanics; discouragement redirection cubes, lasers, light bridges, aerial faith plates, buttons and even a pesky turret to top it all off. Use the light bridge to stop the laser redirection cubes from falling in the goo, redirect the laser into two of the laser receptacles, then use the other cube to destroy the turret, where you can then point the laser into the two other receptacles, opening the way out. Easy, right? These chambers are great because even if you’ve played the game countless times already, it still makes you stop and think “how do you do this one again?”
Why is this map so good?
- A huge chamber featuring most of the new basic mechanics that were introduced to Portal 2.
- One of the earliest real puzzle challenges in the story.
- This point of the story features the hilarious (but dark) ‘surprise’ from GLaDOS that turns out to be a total hoax.
3 - Propulsion Gel Introduction, Chapter 7, Enrichment Sphere 4:
Speed through portals with the help of the new propulsion gel
Almost just as good as playing the level yourself, check out this gameplay of the propulsion gel introduction
Now, we’re at the start of chapter 7, where the real challenges present themselves. This is the first puzzle to feature the orange propulsion gel, which allows the player to rapidly speed along surfaces that are covered in it. This is the perfect demonstration of the gel as it requires you to make high-speed jumps across deadly trenches in order to find the right equipment needed to make the final ramp to the test’s exit. Some of the most freeing and exhilarating moments in Portal 2 come from soaring through the sky. Whether it's from your own portal momentum, or with the aerial faith plates, there’s something so satisfying about launching yourself around the place without a care (thanks to your long-fall boots). And there’s something more gratifying still about simply sprinting at crazy speeds across ramps and landing perfectly where you need to, thanks to Aperture’s Propulsion Gel.
Why is this map so good?
- The introduction of the new propulsion gel mechanic.
- Allows you to sprint at inhuman speeds and clear huge gaps to progress.
- Features a vital narrative moment at the beginning, involving GLaDOS and Cave Johnson.
2 – Ricochet, Chapter 3, Chamber Test 10:
Launch yourself over and over with this perfectly designed level
Check out this walkthrough of 'Ricochet'
Another map that features Chell soaring through the air. This puzzle known as ‘Ricochet’, requires you to use a series of aerial faith plates to climb up to the exit. An aerial faith plate is an Aperture device that launches anything that touches it into the air. The invention is often used as a means of instantly gaining powerful amounts of momentum or getting yourself to places that portals alone simply can’t manage. The catch is, that the paths to the subsequent faith plates are blocked off in one way or another. Unlocking this area piece by piece with various Aperture equipment is so satisfying to figure out, and the pay-off is a graceful succession of catapults, all the way to the finish line. Who would’ve thought that being treated like a pinball machine could be so fun?
Why is this map so good?
- Soar through the air more and more gracefully as you solve this progressive puzzle.
- Features the new Aerial Faith Plate mechanic in full-effect.
- One of the tallest and most impressively scaled chambers in the game.
1 – Propulsion Catch, Chapter 8, Chamber 15:
A real challenge, the difficulty in 'Propulsion Catch' is what makes the fun
This walkthrough might be necessary for some
At this point in the story, Wheatley is very haphazardly rustling tests together on a whim, giving them the impression that they don’t have a particularly clean-cut solution like the others. This is a fantastic in-game explanation for the increase in difficulty for these final tests, because they aren’t legitimate Aperture tests at all. On this particular one, Wheatley realises that there isn’t actually an exit to the puzzle that he’s presented to Chell. The idiotic robot ‘fixes’ this by ripping apart a separate, nearby test and telling the player to use the exit for that one. Beside the humorous and unique creation of this test, the puzzle itself has many layers and steps to its solution. The player must use the tractor beam to first collect the turret-cube which is then used to trigger a constant flow of propulsion gel. You then need to repurpose the tractor beam to carry across the gel over the runway so you can sprint across it and over the ramp. Just remember to portal the tractor beam over where you’re about to land, otherwise you’ll just fall into the pit that Wheatley just made. An added little secret can also be seen in this map. When Wheatley first destroys the nearby test, P-body can briefly be seen before he runs off, through the exit. This is of course because Wheatley later reveals that he’s found ‘two little robots built specifically for testing’ that he intended to replace Chell with. This seemingly insignificant detail is actually so exciting for players in the know. Personally, I never noticed this easter egg until many years after my first play through.
Why is this map so good?
- Features unique gimmick of being created on a whim by Wheatley.
- This is a late-game puzzle and so is a real challenge.
- Features an easter egg P-body appearance.
