In case you missed it, Emberspark Games released its first gameplay teaser video for its Portal 2 mod Desolation last December. The teaser showed off the mod’s current development state with gameplay, visuals, and music, as well as reveals and details the Portal Gun you’ll be using, along with introducing the main character, Diana Mendez.
According to the Desolation page on Mod DB, Desolation is a Portal 2 mod set in the Aperture Science ‘Industrial’ complex, which was constructed in the 1990s but is heavily weighted with 1980s tech. You play as cybernetically-enhanced test subject Diana Mendez, who received their suite of Aperture-grade cybernetic enhancements after sustaining injuries. Through the mod’s story, you’ll run Mendez through the expected series of Aperture Science lab tests and “embark on a perilous journey that will see her uncover Aperture’s mysterious past,” while hopefully discovering more about their own.
The major development update shows some thrilling gameplay by way of a brain-breaking test chamber called Chain. Right after Mendez enters the test chamber, a HUD displays the chamber’s info that marks it as the fifth chamber out of eleven. It’s one of those huge, open chambers seemingly built into a vast cavern, with wide gaps between chamber platforms that you’re sure to get dumped down into at least a few times.
With an amazing series of aerial faith plate jumps, Mendez effortlessly flies across the chamber to get to the exit platform. Mendez (and the gamer operating them for the video) then deftly bounces a Companion Cube through the same series of seven jumps, while also being boosted around the chamber themselves to perfectly deploy the portals needed to complete the test chamber puzzle. It’s nothing short of terrifying and outstanding.
The post further details the dev’s motivations and inspirations behind the Desolation mod, including a focus on the Portal Gun, the mod’s overall Industrial design appearance, the new HUD feature, the soundtrack (done by composer Roy Berardo), and the character design of Diana Mendez, who was created by concept artist Muii. Sadly, the mod notes don’t state a scheduled release date, but you can bounce over to the mod and studio’s socials linked to in the notes to catch that info when it gets published. Also, click over to Emberspark Games’ totally bodacious Desolation website for a fun and informative look into more of the mod’s details.
Source: Emberspark Games