Escher's Dream is a Portal 2 mod inspired by the classic artist's non-Euclidean works that will leave you feeling only slightly nauseated

Background: Escher-inspired games are rarer than the idea suggests

M. C. Escher’s striking sense of space makes it feel as if game developers should keep returning to his work. In practice, only a few titles come up: Monument Valley, Manifold Garden and Superliminal, among a handful of others. That scarcity makes Escher’s Dream interesting even if it is not a full standalone game. It is a neat looking Portal 2 mod with some trippy levels, and it brings Escher-like spatial logic into a modded Portal 2 setting.

Development process: Jack Phoenix turns gravity into a puzzle rule

The mod comes from Jack Phoenix, whose latest project continues a line of map mods made over the years across multiple Source-made games. What makes Escher’s Dream unique is its approach to level design. Some sections include stairs tilted at angles impossible to walk on, but the more distinctive idea is the way players are encouraged to bend the rule of gravity.

One level seems to loop in on itself. The player must angle portals in a way that makes them fall back into the room they were just in. Another level uses green gel to shift the axis of gravity, allowing the player to walk on walls. The design is less about hiding a twist and more about repositioning yourself in whichever way the level dictates you to do so. It is quite delightful, though it can also be potentially nauseating for those who are not so good with this sort of thing.

Latest progress: a short three-map mod with a spoiler-heavy showcase

Escher’s Dream is quite short, only three maps long, but it is still worth a punt for players who enjoy fresh custom levels. A video titled “Escher’s Dream | Portal 2: Community Edition” is available to watch on YouTube, and it shows the mod in action. Spoiler alert: the video spoils the whole thing, so readers may want to take only a glance before playing.

At this stage, Escher’s Dream feels like a compact proof of concept rather than a complete game. It gives Portal 2 players a small dose of Escher-like spatial trickery, while also pointing to two wider desires: another full game inspired by Escher’s works, and an expanded version of this mod. The original Portal 2 is such a short game, so custom made levels that add something fresh after all these years remain a treat.