Bridge Over Troubled Water?? (Bridge Constructor Portal)

Game: Bridge Constructor Portal
Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, Linux
Played On: Xbox One
Price: £11.99
Available on Xbox Game Pass: Yes

Can a basic concept that’s been around on flash games for many years, make it over to console and be a fun game? That’s the question I gave my self this week when I played Bridge Constructor Portal. A 2017 release by ClockStone and published by Headup Games. This game started life out as a mobile and desktop game, so with me playing the Xbox One version released a few months later in 2018, how does it hold up to console controls?? That’s why I installed it to find out.

Now puzzle games in the form of bridge builders is nothing new, I remember many an IT lesson where I’d have a tab open on a flash game where I’d have to get something from one side to the next by constructing a bridge over, rather than doing my work. Probably why I’m writing reviews rather than something more important but hindsights a wonderful thing. And i know it’s a story familiar with many. Flash games ruled the room in IT. So I was pleased to load up a nostalgia train and play along, especially with this being free on Xbox Game Pass and with the added portal element, it was an easy enough decision to give it a go.

It starts off humorous enough when you get into the game. You see a scene with some 2D figures applying for a construction job at Aperture Laboratories. You get given a few questions to answer, (nothing baring on the actual game) but give an unsatisfactory reply and you’ll be sent through a trapdoor and move in to the next 2D figure. And early indication that this game won’t take itself too seriously.

We get to our first level ,which is as you’d imagine, a very basic tutorial level. We also get to see our good friend GLaDOS who we know and love from Portal games. GLaDOS is your shorty teacher, helping you navigate the first few levels (and a few later levels when new mechanics come up). Also you’ll be treated to a few humorous quips from her that genuinely made me chuckle.

The aim is very simple, you have to get one truck, from point A to point B dodging hazards along the way. You’ll also be tasked with avoiding certain Portal staples such as turrets as lazar barriers, as well as having to get Companion Cubes in the right place. Once you’ve got to point B you’ve done the level and can move on, or if you wish see if your structure is good enough for a convoy of trucks. Because although your bridge was good enough for one truck, it might not be good enough for 10 so that adds an extra layer to the gameplay.

It’s all rather straight forward as one would expect with the difficulty getting harder the longer you play. They’re are 6 chapters overall (not counting the DLC) with 10 levels per chapter. And sadly like most puzzle games of this style once you’ve done one level, in essence you’ve done them all.

Sadly it all gets rather stale and when the levels involve being more intricate we got out next problem, the controls. It’s often a problem when these games reach consoles that the controls don’t quite work fully, and this is no exception. Having to be precise can become very difficult when having to build bigger, more complicated structures.

This being said I downloaded it on a whim and wasn’t disappointed to begin with, but sadly as the nostalgia of year 11 IT wore off the game became a clunky, white repetitive experience. That being said it wasn’t overly long and being free on game pass, it was by no means anywhere near the worst game I’ve played, but still it’s not scoring highly. It would seem that putting this game onto consoles might have been a bridge too far.

3/10

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