To celebrate the launch of the Steam Deck, Valve has released a new Portal game. But this falls more into the category of “nice gimmick”.
Soon there will be a new game from Valve. This news alone triggers a whole range of feelings among game fans: Joy, surprise, disbelief and fear. Fear that it won’t be Portal 3, Half-Life 3 or Left 4 Dead 3 after all. Unfortunately, we have to tell you straight away: This fear is justified, because in fact it is a rather small game.
Aperture Desk Job, to be precise. The game officially takes place in the Portal universe, but otherwise has nothing to do with the main parts. The reason for the release is obvious: Valve wants to celebrate the launch of Steam Deck. We explain what the short game is about.
There is even a short trailer, which we of course don’t want to withhold from you:
What is Aperture Desk Job about?
This entertaining title offers the typical Portal humour, which is already evident in the official game description:
“It’s your first day at your new job, your heart is full of hope and your legs are full of dreams of climbing the career ladder. But life has other plans that revolve around chairs.
Lower your expectations: This is not a sequel to Portal. Now, raise your expectations a little higher, because it’s part of the expanded universe of those games. In Desk Job, Aperture Science puts you in control. All from the comfort of your versatile desk.”
Exactly what you will have to do as part of your job for Aperture Science remains to be seen. Contrary to the game’s description, you shouldn’t expect to be sitting solely in a chair in your office. Instead, you should also explore some other areas of the shady corporation, at least that’s what the first screenshots suggest:
The pictures show that you operate machines, are responsible for the production of some items such as toilets and washing machines, and make the acquaintance of a Wheatley-like robot.
The gameplay has an overarching goal: you are supposed to learn the controls and possibilities of the Steam Deck in a playful way. Because early pre-orderers will gradually receive the new Valve handheld, which wants to be inaugurated in a befitting manner. We have already tested what the device is capable of for you:
Steam Deck: All info on release and specs of Valve’s handheld PC
Get on the house!
The best news: Aperture Desk Job is free. So you don’t have to enter into a binding contract with Aperture Science to work for the company with full dedication. Isn’t that great! What’s more, the game can of course also be played on a normal PC. The only requirement is a controller, as input via mouse and keyboard is not supported.
Nevertheless, there is a small catch: Aperture Desk Job will not be released until 1 March 2022, so you’ll have to sleep twice more before you can start your new job. But it’s worth the wait. Because on your first day, you’ll get a cake.
