Watch on YouTube | Subscribe to Polygon on YouTube
Making an unofficial entry in the Portal series is a daunting task, considering the quality and nearly unreproducible charm that Valve's puzzle-shooter possesses. That's what makes Portal Stories: Mel, an unofficial prequel to Portal 2 made by indie outfit Prism Studios, so impressive: It can actually hang with Portal 2. It's a fully voice-acted, gargantuan take on the franchise, with the hardest puzzles the series has ever seen and production values for days. Also, it's totally free, only requiring that you own Portal 2 on Steam in order to gain entry.
In the Overview video above, Nick and I become willing participants in the Aperture Science testing pool, and tackle a couple of Portal Stories: Mel's super difficult puzzle rooms. If this six-minute video makes it look like we're puzzle-solving gods, keep in mind it was culled from two hours of video. That should give you a good idea of what you're going up against.
