11 Video Games That Require Hours To Master Their Mechanics
7. Portal 2
Portal 2's premise, at first, seems reasonably easy to understand: you solve puzzles by using your portal gun to move objects around the world. What makes Portal 2 so magnificent is that if you are just looking for a great narrative and less of a challenge, that’s all Portal 2 has to be. For the more meticulous player, however, the portal gun is a tool for infinite puzzle-solving possibilities.
On the second or third playthrough of Portal 2, you start seeing the world in very different ways. By this time you have had plenty of time messing with the very fabric of science and can start seeing more elaborate opportunities. Difficult passages can be bypassed, bosses can be slain and areas can be navigated in elaborate and fantastic ways.
This level of mastery is furthered in the co-op mode. When there is a second gun in play, the realms of possibilities open up even further. This mechanical flexibility is exactly why Portal 2 is such a universally loved game. Taking the time to fully master this universe makes players feel invincible in all the right ways.