While Valve's game output isn't as big as it was in the mid-2000s, the Washington-based developer has some IPs that are still rich experiences. One of these beloved properties is Portal and its sequel Portal 2, both of them having mind-bending puzzles and incredibly witty writing. While Portal 2 hasn't seen a fully-fledged sequel, there are plenty of fans who are able to maintain interest in the franchise, especially through the use of mods.
These Portal mods help breathe new life into the first-person puzzle game, as well as expand and change how the game is played. This can range from adding a third portal to the gameplay of Portal 2 to an experience that changes it into a psychological horror game. One of the biggest and most extensive mods, however, comes from a team known as Emberspark Games and its mod known as Portal 2: Desolation, where it takes place several years after the second game.
Portal 2: Desolation tells the story of a cybernetically enhanced Aperture Science test subject, Diana Mendez, where she has a number of robotic upgrades and even her own built-in portal gun. The last major update given about the mod was given in 2020, showing off the new gameplay and design of Diana's portal gun. The team has remained silent for the past year, with no updates given to fans. However, that has changed as a new showcase has detailed the game's graphical facelift.
The main thought process behind the overhauled graphics was the idea of making Portal 2 more akin to Half-Life: Alyx in terms of graphical fidelity, according to Technical Artist Cory De La Torre. This includes more realistic rendering for surfaces in the game, as well as an upgraded lighting system. Both of these components are demonstrated in this video uploaded by the team, showing off the amount of effort that went into making them.
One of these visual upgrades includes how lights are now no longer static but rather flicker and move around the game's environment. This includes real-time light sources that can allow the artists on the team to set the mood with certain lighting, allowing for editing in these modded levels without interfering with the gameplay of Portal 2: Desolation. Torre notes that the mod is still being developed and still could be a while before everything is complete. He thanked the many fans who have been continuing to follow the project despite the radio silence.
The Portal 2 Desolation mod is in development for PC.
Source: Portal 2: Desolation