Portal homebrew release for DS

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 2nd June 2008

StillAliveDs draws inspiration from the Flash-based adaptation of Portal.

Here at bit-tech we love to dabble in homebrew games because, though they may be a little frowned upon by the likes of Nintendo and Sony, they can offer some of the most exciting and interesting experiences - especially on the Nintendo DS where bedroom codemonkeys are still finding new ways to exploit the innovative interface.

One release in particular caught our eye this morning on French homebrew database Dev.fr in fact and it looks like it could be the homebrew release of the year - a Nintendo DS adaptation of Portal, complete with level editor.

Titled StillAliveDS, the game is an adaptation of Valve's mind-bending puzzler and draws inspiration from the existing flash version of the game.

The aim of the rather short singleplayer game is simple - use your portal gun to navigate the levels and collect pieces of cake (lie!) along the way. The experience is given a bit more longevity though by the addition of a easy to use level editor through which you can make your own puzzles.

The game is played using the stylus to aim and the D-pad to move and shoot your two portals, just like the original game. This version however is less of a brain-breaking 3D spew-a-thon and more of a cutesy 2D platformer with a heart of gold.

You can download StillAliveDS from the official site of the developer, and if you're a bit of a newb when it comes to DS homebrew then you can check out our comprehensive introduction to the topic. Then you'll be all set to share your creations via the forums.