Portal in 2D: Gateways by The Adventures of Shuggy dev out now on PC
Indie platformer channels Valve, P.B. Winterbottom, Metroid.
Gateways, the latest offering from The Adventures of Shuggy creator Smudged Cat Games, uses the conceit of a 2D Portal as a jumping off point for plenty of puzzle/platforming madness. It's out now on PC for $10, with an XBLIG release planned for later this year.
"What if Portal had been made in two dimensions?" said the opening caption to Gateway's trailer - shown below. Only in Smudged Cat's retro rendition of Valve's puzzler, portals change size, manipulate gravity and alter time. The trailer closes with an army of scientist clones running and jumping in a way reminiscent of P.B. Winterbottom or a bunch of Super Meat Boys about to meet their maker. Further upgrades allow inventor protagonist Ed to change his size and walk up walls.
The game is set in an open-ended Metroidvania-style laboratory, and a two-tiered hint system allows players to trade collectible orbs for aid.
In other Smudged Cat news, The Adventures of Shuggy recently saw a PC release.
Eurogamer's Kristan Reed raved about it in a June 2011 digital round-up stating, "The controls are silky smooth, the visual style is adorable, and it doesn't involve shooting men in the face. All this for less than the price of a Spectrum game."
Both titles can be purchased from the developer's official site, where a demo for Gateways is also available.