PortaBoy+ is a Warioware like horror game where you play several mini games while your console turns evil. It starts off pretty simple at first, and you get a chance to learn how each of the mini games work. Then after a bit, your console and the world around you changes to a dark and spooky world.
The games get a bit more difficult to focus on since you have to fend off video game monsters with your shotgun. Though it’s not too bad, you just need to keep looking up at the end of every game or so. It might take you a few tries to get to the high score of 50 where you’ll unlock all gallery photos, and hints to the secret ending.
I really enjoyed all of the mini-games and figuring out the puzzles to unlock the secret ending treasures. The change of the PortaBoy+ from fun and colorful to dark, gruesome and horrifying was pretty cool. Another horror game I would highly recommend if you liked Portaboy+ is Spookware! Both the full Steam version, and the game jam version.
Story Explained and Closing Thoughts
If you check out the images in the gallery, you can see the PortaBoy+ is not all that it seems. The company that designed it had many evil plans in mind. Besides taking all of their money, it also seems to be an intense mind control machine. Not like video games at all in real life, very scary! It has a pretty rough effect on players brains, and bank accounts. Putting some in the hospital.
I’d highly recommend this game to any horror game fan. It has really great attention to details, and is very re-playable. The random screens like games that were cancelled were pretty neat to see. It caught me off guard a few times because I thought I’d get to play them!
You also get a health or ammo bonus if you’re doing bad later on. It’s better to take the ammo since health is cheaper! Though it will restore all five hearts. The length, amount of games, and ending are perfect for an indie horror game.
PortaBoy+ How to Get the Secret Ending Guide
Many spoilers ahead! Honestly, it was more fun to figure it out how to get the PortaBoy+ secret ending on my own rather than use a guide. For those who don’t mind, here’s what you have to do. There are 5 purple treasures you have to collect. Some of the mini-games have a secret trick to get one. As you unlock more images in the gallery, the last page of each set of 10 has a hint. When you click the final image, a number will pop up shortly. Typing that will unlock a hint image.
Starting at level 20 or so is when you will start being able to earn the purple glitch “treasures”. Get each at the earliest chance you can get. The crystal in Soccer Except It’s Exciting is earned by purposely running into one of the bombs. If you look at the building in the background to the left, a certain number of windows will be open. Depending on the number of windows lit is the bomb number you should run into. So 1 window means run into the first, 2 lit is the second bomb, and 3 lit is the third bomb.
The simplest one to get is in Kart Knight. The purple/black glitch square will randomly appear on the road. Make sure to run into it. One of the trickier ones to get is in Bale Out. The square will appear randomly somewhere beneath your paddle/platform. You have to guide the cow into where it was.
Another trickier one is Fish Fighter. This one showed up later on for me. When you punch the shark, four numbers will appear for the damage dealt. Type those numbers in while playing the game. Then you have to click on the next screen, and white dots will show up. Click each one until it’s complete.
Lastly, when playing Perfect Present eventually some numbers (coordinates) will pop up next to the desired item. Remember those numbers! The next time you play Pet Scope match up those coordinates you saw with your cursor position. Check the top right corner for your current coords and click on the same ones.
After you get all 5 treasures, a glitch square will appear in the game next to the PortaBoy+. Click it to finally get the Secret Ending!
