Aperture Science DS

About

Aperture Science DS is a fan-made puzzle platformer for the Nintendo DS that mirrors the core gameplay of the Portal series. Developed by Smealum, it tasks you with using a portal gun to solve physics-based puzzles across test chambers. You place portals on surfaces to warp your position, manipulate objects, and reach otherwise inaccessible areas. The controls are tailored for the DS touchscreen and stylus, letting you draw portals directly on the lower screen. A built-in level editor lets you design and share your own challenges, though the toolset is streamlined compared to bigger-budget titles. The game stands out as a technically impressive homebrew project, created for the Neo Flash 2013 competition. While it lacks the polish of official Portal games, it captures the essence of the series with its spatial reasoning puzzles and minimal narrative framing. The DS port feels surprisingly faithful given the hardware limitations, and the level editor adds replayability for creative players. Released over a decade ago, it remains a niche but functional tribute to the franchise.