GOL Cast: Spraying And Tagging in Aperture Tag: The Paint Gun Testing Initiative

There have been many discussions and reviews of this Portal 2 mod that landed on Steam with a price tag. So, I think it's time we take a look at it and see for ourselves what lies beyond the doors to the Aperture's Paint Gun Testing department.

Aperture Tag is a Portal 2 mod developed by a group simply called Aperture Tag Team. It replaces Portal's well-known portal gun with a gun that shoots two types of gels, repulsion gel and propulsion gel to be precise. So, instead of getting from point A to point B by using portals, you will have to spray the surfaces of the testing chambers with either of the gels to reach places you otherwise wouldn't be able to. But don't worry, portals are also part of some tests, though in a less important role.


This mod has been heavily criticized, especially by the community of Portal fans. The main gripes have been the learning curve, the story, the voice acting, being dependent on the customer owning Portal 2 before the mod is playable and the price. While I'm okay with a mod being sold on Steam and I for me the learning curve wasn't too bad, I have to agree with some of the things mentioned.

Everyone by now should know that Portal and Portal 2 were absolutely fantastic. They were simple and rather short, but they were designed so well, that “cake is a lie” is huge meme even these days. (Though our Windows gamer counterparts are starting to get sick of it.) It's really difficult to top that. And because Aperture Tag is very much tied to the franchise, everyone naturally compared it to these masterpieces. And it's fair to say that the mod didn't impress them.

Let's start with the story. Like in Portal games, most of the story is carried out by the narrator, in this case a core named Nigel. He's sort of like a less moronic version of Wheatley, he's friendly and guides you through the test chambers, but also makes a mistake or two on the way for some comedic relief. But that's basically it. The story is just a couple of attempts at Portal-ish humour, few remarks of your performance, occasional comments about Aperture and an abrupt end. Usually in stories you have at least three parts: setup, conflict and a resolution. Aperture Tag basically ignores the part two and goes directly from the quick setup to the resolution. There really isn't any story to speak of. Oh, and by the way, there are two endings and the so-called “secret ending” is a lot better in my opinion. Hint, hint.

On the gameplay side, things look a bit better. Test chambers are like the typical levels you would see in Portal. You will have to manipulate weighted storage cubes and buttons to gain access to the exit that is at the end of the level to proceed to the next one with increasing difficulty. Though this time you will have to think differently to the original games, because you are wielding a gel gun instead of the iconic portal gun. Sometimes regular portals, light bridges and tractor beams are also thrown into the mix to make getting to the exit just a little bit harder. I enjoyed using the gel gun and I think the puzzles were well designed with it in mind. Especially messing around with the propulsion gel with high speeds was super-fun and luckily the game had a few levels designed precisely for that.

Overall, the mod is okay and the gameplay mostly redeemed it for me. However, you should not pick it up for the story, because sadly there's barely any. If you like difficult puzzles and feel the need to cause more mess with two of Portal 2's gels, then get it when it's discounted. Oh, and please play both Portal and Portal 2 before trying this. When I said the learning curve wasn't too bad, I meant that from the perspective of someone who has beaten both of the Portal games. If you are just getting into the puzzles of Portal then you might feel lost, frightened and frustrated while playing through the test chambers of Aperture Tag.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.