Is the bridge a lie?
Enter the Aperture Science Enrichment Center and experience Bridge Constructor Portal – the unique merging of the classic Portal and Bridge Constructor games. As a new employee in the Aperture Science test lab, it’s your job to build bridges, ramps, slides, and other constructions in 60 test chambers and get the Bendies safely across the finish line in their vehicles. Make use of the many Portal gadgets, like portals, propulsion gel, repulsion gel, aerial faith plates, cubes, and more to bypass the sentry turrets, acid pools and laser barriers, solve switch puzzles, and make it through the test chambers unscathed. Let Ellen McLain, the original voice of GLaDOS, guide you through the tutorial, and learn all the tips and tricks that make a true Aperture Science employee. The bridge is a lie!
Well here’s a crossover no-one saw coming…Portal meets Bridge Constructor. I mean, the sheer randomness of merging the two franchises is nothing short of genius as you try and build bridges to get the vehicles across by making them go through portals at certain angles and speeds, to avoid turrets, acid pools, laser barriers, land on switches and reach the exit. Of course, building a bridge is a lot more complex than it would seem…
Using the controller to select a type of bridge or support is easy and seamlessly done, while the tutorial does well to explain the fundamentals on building them. Having said that, it’s still incredibly complex and the layout of the chambers does little to help. It starts out fairly simple but by the first few chambers, it’s just complicated beyond belief and only true geniuses will figure it out.
It’s great to hear Ellen McLain reprise her role as GLaDOS since her appearance in Lego Dimensions and makes me pine for Portal 3, even though I doubt it’ll happen…a man can dream! The sound effects are also mostly taken from Portal for that nostalgia feel. Visually, the game is simple but has that sterile office vibe that Portal is known for and it runs at a solid framerate.
The Verdict
Bridge Constructor Portal merges two franchises that I never thought would work together, but it does and it does well. It may not sway those of you who aren’t fans of Bridge Constructor, but it’s well worth a look just for the Portal references alone.