Mac Format

Bridge Constructo­r Portal

Taking GLaDOS to the bridge

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The game moves from being insultingl­y easy to quite frightenin­gly complicate­d

The results of mash-ups can be entertaini­ng: think of the endless and often amusing procession of StarWars mash-ups on YouTube.

But fusing Bridge Constructo­r with Portal? That’s a new one.

It works, of course. Both of the originals are physicsbas­ed puzzlers, and taking iconic AI GLaDOS – including original voice actor Ellen McLain – to the bridge works well. Sarcastic sadism gels nicely with what’s really Lemmings in trucks, and it’s great to return to the Aperture Science Enrichment Centre.

The mashing up isn’t just cosmetic, although the scenario is a tad contrived. While the basics of bridge building remain the same as in Bridge Constructo­r – you construct bridges from wires and girders, but can only attach the relevant parts to preset anchor points, and structures can only carry so much weight – the mash-up brings the familiar blue and orange portals too. They don’t quite work like the ones in Portal, in that you can’t put them wherever you fancy, but their presence alongside other Portal items such as gun turrets and propulsion gels adds in a fun mechanic. Over the course of 60 levels of increasing difficulty, the game moves from being insultingl­y easy to quite frightenin­gly complicate­d as the complexity increases, the vehicles crash at ever higher speeds and the body count soars. The fast and the furious Bridge Constructo­r Portal is well executed and becomes fiendishly difficult – tasks that seem straightfo­rward with one vehicle aren’t so simple when you’re trying to cope with a convoy, portals, Companion Cubes and some of the Portal universe’s many obstacles – but letting you have unlimited turns, albeit with an effect on your in-game finances, means it’s never impossible.

That doesn’t mean you’ll always want to continue playing, though. If you’ve ever thrown a controller aside after yet another unsuccessf­ul battle against an overpowere­d end-of-level boss, you’ll be familiar with the irritation that comes after having repeated a level too many times. Here, that sometimes happens simply because you haven’t quite got the positionin­g correct. You might also find the humour a little forced in places. The spin-off’s witticism feels a bit like a Portal tribute act in that it tries hard to emulate the original’s tone but doesn’t quite achieve it.

If you’re hoping for Portal 3, this isn’t it. But if you fancy a Bridge Constructo­r game that comes complete with added goodies from the Portal universe, that’s exactly what this game will give you.

 ??  ?? Bridge Constructo­r Portal resembles a high-tech version of Lemmings. Like the original Portal games it’s full of humorous moments, but not all hit home.
Bridge Constructo­r Portal resembles a high-tech version of Lemmings. Like the original Portal games it’s full of humorous moments, but not all hit home.
 ??  ?? The two different game worlds combine brilliantl­y in Bridge Constructo­r Portal.
The two different game worlds combine brilliantl­y in Bridge Constructo­r Portal.

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