"Bridge Constructor Portal" Review

It's been far too long since GLaDOS pumped out passive-aggressive taunts as gamers struggled to make their way through increasingly torturous puzzles. "Bridge Constructor Portal" may not be the full-fledged follow-up to "Portal 2" that puzzler fans have dreamed of, but it's more than a serviceable stopgap.

A 2D, single-screen, connect-the-dots strategy challenge, "Bridge Constructor Portal" challenges you to build load-supporting pathways from one platform to another that can withstand the weight of freight trucks. All the while, GLaDOS chides you with her barbed snark.

While the game feels decidedly more like a mobile affair rather than a full-figured release, the square peg that is the Aperture Science world manages to ram into the round portal hole without much trouble. "Bridge Constructor" puzzlers stand up well on their own without additional branding, and the clever "Portal" writing only enhances what's already a solid base.

The puzzles force you to think quickly and juggle physics estimates on the fly, adjusting your load-bearing needs to the demands of wacky variables that get tossed at you. A hold-your-breath successful run provides every bit as much of a thrill as tackling a brain-bending, portal gun blasting, companion cube-aided triumph from a mainline "Portal" game.

While more of a trifle than a meaty puzzler "Portal" fanatics crave, the fact that GLaDOS is "still alive" yields hope for a dystopian future.
Publisher provided review code.