Faraday Protocol

Among the many Portal clones there is a spectrum. On the one pole there are shameless clones, and on the other are the "inspired by" homages.

Faraday Protocol is more of a clone. The premise and setting are practically identical to the OG, and even some of the plot points play out the same way. Well, I have to admit that the background story and overall design do try to claim an independent identity, but they only kinda succeed.

As for the game itself, it's mostly satisfying. It's not very long and not very hard. However, it's also uneven. The first part of the game is its best, as it focuses on environmental puzzles. That's what we've come for! The second part diverges into pattern puzzles. They are OK, but not as exciting. It might have been better to mix the puzzle types more for a change of pace, rather than shove them all in one big section.

There are some clunky aspects. The 3D platforming (there's not a lot of it) is annoyingly easy to mess up. The punishment is minor, as you just have to try again. But still, annoying. Also, there were a couple of places where the game's affordances were unclear. Without spoiling, I'll just say that they had nothing to do with the puzzles per se, and were more about just figuring out how to navigate specific things. They were so poorly indicated that I had to look up what to do online, and the solution made me angry at the game.

The problems are really small. All in all, fans of the genre would enjoy Faraday Protocol. It's neither original nor excellent, but it's quite nice and it does scratch the itch.