Valve's Portal Actually Runs On The N64

Since its launch in 2007, Portal has become something of a cultural phenomenon. From "the cake is a lie" to GLaDOS herself, the game and its magnificent sequel were a huge deal for good reason - practically redesigning and reframing what puzzle games could look like.

Portal also offered a genuinely compelling narrative that kept the player on hooks until the closing moments. The title might seem like it came out ages ago, but that doesn't mean it's mechanically faulted by today's standards, as it's still seeing speedrun attempts and replays galore. But as it turns out, Portal can be operated on much more primitive hardware.

Portal Can Run On The N64

One Portal fan is currently working on a brand-new demake of the classic puzzler for some even more classic hardware - the N64. Demakes are all the rage these days, and after Bloodborne became a PS1 classic, Portal is getting a similar treatment for the Nintendo favourite. 

Though it may seem that the actual development of the portal system would require some more intensive processing, it turns out that in the right hands, portals can work perfectly even on the N64. You can see it in action in the new demake currently in development from programmer James Lambert.

A new development update from Lambert reveals exactly how the portals work in the demake, and they look fantastic - looking just polygonal enough to feel incredibly retro, and the ability to look through up to four portals at once go to show just how intensive development on the game must be.

The Portal Demake Is Exclusive To The N64

Though it might seem as though the demake is being developed to look like an N64 game to be emulated, the opposite is in fact true - as Portal is being developed exclusively for the N64 itself. The captured footage in the recent developer update is taken directly from the console using N64 capture hardware too.

The demake is incredibly impressive with a wonderfully crunchy visual style, and we're hoping that we can soon get our hands on it before Valve tries to pull the plug. The N64 is pure nostalgia fuel these days, and now we've seen Portal running on it, it's a reminder of how far the gaming industry has come and how far away our childhoods actually are.