Modder manages to bring a portion of Half-Life 2 to Nintendo Switch via Portal Companion Collection

A modder has managed to get portions of Half-Life 2 running on Nintendo Switch. It is not a full game by any means since it is based on Portal 1. They put up a post on Twitter on Jun 29 stating the same.

With the recent release of the Portal Companion Collection on Nintendo Switch, fans have been wondering if Valve's other series Half-Life will make it over, too. The iconic 2006 sci-fi first-person shooter is one of the most revolutionary PC games ever made after all, and now that dream might be closer to reality than ever before.

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Portal Companion Collection has allowed Half-Life 2 to be brought to Nintendo's portable with restrictions

To cut to the chase, this is not a port. The fact is, Portal, the original game, is based on Half-Life 2 as they share the same engine called Source. It can be described as a mod for the iconic FPS game. Moreover, the fact that NVIDIA Lightspeed Studios, the team behind the Portal Companion Collection, also left assets from Half-Life 2 in the port made things a little easier. Essentially, the files were already present to tinker with.

But things are not perfect. Only a few maps are playable, for one thing, and can't be progressed through. In the YouTube video, whose link can be found in the tweet, players can see some iconic levels, like Ravenholm running via the mod.

The animations are buggy, and the mod can crash as well. Furthermore, the save files do not work, and the world cameras can also face issues. Regardless, the game seems to operate at 60 FPS for the most part, with some stutters caused by shader compilation in the background.

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What is Portal Companion Collection about?

The Portal Companion Collection consists of two critically acclaimed games: Portal and Portal 2. The first game was released in 2007 and blew away gamers and critics alike with the innovative concept of connecting areas via two portals. As Chell, players will explore the Aperture Science Lab facility while guided by the malicious AI GLaDOS through puzzle test chambers.

Its successor turns the heat up to 11 with a grander puzzle design and set pieces and also introduces a new NPC called Wheatley. Chell is back under GLaDOS' watchful eye, and the duo must find a way out. Portal 2 introduces new mechanics like the Goo, which enhances or inhibits movement.

All DLC content is included in the Nintendo Switch port. Portal 2 also features the full co-op campaign, which is a separate mode that is entirely different from the single-player portion. Both Portal titles run at 1080p at 60 FPS in docked mode and at 720p with 60 FPS in handheld mode. The Portal 2 co-op in split-screen mode meanwhile only operates at 30 FPS. This collection also marks the first time a Valve game has appeared on a Nintendo platform.