Portabellows is a 3D platformer which is a mix between a rescue mission, a collectathon and a bakery game (because EVERYONE loves pies, right?). You play as Erma, an elderly lady enjoying her retirement on a colourful and plant-filled island, who happens to be a bit of an explorer. She couldn’t say no to a slice of adventure to spice up her time; why would we?
The look and feel of Portabellows
Portabellows is really pretty to look at. It’s colourful, the lighting is definitely helping to make everything pop. The island is divided into distinctive areas that are all well designed. There’s the jungle area, the lake, and plenty of other little corners to discover.
A special mention has to go to the underwater scenery. I wanted to follow Erma’s example and jump in for a swim every time I spotted a new area to explore. I especially loved Erma’s design! She looks absolutely adorable, and her clothes strike a great balance between practicality and playfulness. The narrative is presented in a comic book-like style, which adds a fun twist to how the story unfolds.
The Pros of Portabellows
The Portabellows demo starts a bit later in the game so that we can explore Portabellows straight up. It is really pleasant to play with a controller, as recommended by the developers (a team of two, by the way !). There’s also a colour-blind feature that offers several visual “strength” levels for players to choose from, depending on what works best for their vision. It’s a small addition, but always welcome.
Turning to the game itself, Erma, a newly retired woman, hears and sees a plane falling from the sky. After finding the pilot (alive, by some miracle), she decides to help him rebuild his plane. Which, naturally, means running around the island in all directions.
“But she is an elderly lady” you might argue. And I will answer that apparently Erma’s joints have not received the memo! She can double-jump, roll around, throw herself off cliffs, dive underwater, and so much more. Nothing can stop our dear Erma from enjoying her exploration to the fullest. And it’s truly refreshing to have an elderly character as the main protagonist, but also to see her having fun like a kid throughout the adventure. Erma’s age never feels like a limitation. If anything, it makes her enthusiasm for exploring the island even more charming.
Finding the ingredients for the pies (don’t ask me why pies. I don’t know. She’s hungry, I guess?) is fairly easy for some ingredients, while others require you to search almost every corner of the island. The baking itself is also more involved than I initially expected. Rather than simply throwing everything into an oven, you’ll have to travel to different locations and use various seemingly ancient machines to turn your ingredients into a proper pie. It gives the collectathon aspect of the game another reason to explore the island.
The Cons of Portabellows
One obvious downside for Portabellows is that it may not be the best fit for players who need a little more guidance in their game. Portabellows is pretty much a “here’s your main quest, aside from that, go wild !” kind of experience.
You may find yourself searching the same area several times before finally discovering that one ingredient you’re still missing for the pie. And, I’ll be honest, that started to get a little annoying for me after a while. That said, this is also part of what makes Portabellows feel like a proper exploration game. It simply means that a little patience — and a good memory for where you’ve already been — can come in handy.
Final Thoughts
The Portabellows demo is sweet. It’s fun, colourful and low-stress, and it could definitely appeal to players who enjoy a whimsical stroll through a game world. I know I certainly enjoyed my time with it.
I’m curious to see how the full game develops, and to what extent the island’s ruins and ancient-looking elements will become part of the wider narrative. There’s clearly more to discover, and only one way to find out, right?
The game is currently scheduled to release on November 12, 2026. Which is probably a good thing, because I suspect the taste of those Portabellows pies will still be lingering in your mind by the time the full game arrives. Happy Pieathon!
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