When you've taken too much damage, the camera will drop to the floor, making it look as though you've collapsed, but there's no blood at all - although there are some slightly more mature themes at work here.Ī few of the other deaths are a little bit more unnerving. About as 'violent' as things get is when a turret shoots at you, which causes your screen to develop a red hue. With nothing in the way of sex, no bad language beyond 'hell' or 'damn', and very little that could be classed as violence (there are no human, or even living characters to face off against in the game), Portal 2 is about as clean as they come. The whole game's fully voiced and subtitled too, which eliminates two other barriers - although the game's still likely too difficult for a child who has yet to learn to read.Ī puzzle game at heart, there's very little for parents to be concerned about in Portal 2. Although it requires the use of both analogue sticks on the controller, the game's mostly fairly slow paced, so your child won't need to be a master of the gamepad in order to succeed. With a hefty dose of slapstick comedy, and a genuinely funny storyline, this is sure to go down a treat with kids - the only requirement being whether they have the patience to sit and think through the puzzles (or come and ask Mom and Dad). The game has a great learning curve, which helps newbies pick up the basics very quickly - but a lot of critical thinking is involved here, to say the least. It's this unique twist that's critical to solving the incredibly intelligent puzzles, whether you're directing lasers through them, dropping cubes into them, or even leaping into them yourself, effectively launching yourself off a cliff using a portal to gain momentum, and clear a gap. The gameplay revolves around a portal gun, which can be used to create a doorway to another part of the level - fire two portals, and you'll be able to reach the one by stepping through the other.

Portal 2 guides