A downloadable game for Windows

Take a moment to embrace your surroundings as you uncover Canada's boreal forest. Portage is a minimalist experience that encourages a mindful attitude whilst canoeing and hiking through the landscape.  t

Canoeing & Portage

As you reach impassable waters, it will be wise to beach your canoe, pick it up, and set off on foot until a new waterway presents itself. This action is known as portage and will play an important part in your journey. It will give time to experience both the calming waters, and the surprises the forest has to offer.

Wild Encounters

Being the largest intact area of forest in the world, Canada’s boreal has a lot to offer in both scale and variety. You might see a squirrel scrambling between branches; a moose taking a drink out of the lake, or even the remarkable northern lights. 

Play at your own pace

Portage is meant to be a personal experience so you can choose whether you want to make it a quick trip, or embrace every inch of nature along the way. This is your journey, your time, so you do what works best for you

Controls:

The game is set up to be used with either mouse & keyboard, or Xbox one controller on Windows. The controls are as followed (they can also be found in game by navigating through the journal):

Walk: WASD or Left Joystick

Interact: E or Button A

Paddle when in canoe: D or Left Joystick

Swap Tools: Mouse Scroll or LB/RB

Pause/Open Journal: ESC or Start/Select

Note: 

We're developing this game as part of our Final Major Project at University. This is a very much work in progress game so please expect bugs. We'd love to get your feedback and any issues you come across and appreciate you taking the time to play our game!

Changelog:

- We've tidied up monty a lot. He is a lot less buggy now!

- We've added some more interactions to the world as well as some more ambient decorations to add more life to the forest. 

- We've fixed a lot of bugs so things run a lot smoother now too!



StatusIn development
PlatformsWindows
Rating
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
(3 total ratings)
AuthorThe Hut
GenreAdventure
Tags2D, dog, mindful, Pixel Art, Relaxing, Singleplayer

Download

Download
Portage V5.0.0 (Windows).zip 45 MB
Download
Portage V5.0.0 (Mac) 45 MB

Install instructions

1. Click the download button for the operating system you are running.

2. Extract the file to somewhere on your computer

3. Launch "Portage"

4. Enjoy

If you are playing on a Mac and do not own an Xbox One controller, please use the keyboard and mouse as support for alternative controllers has not been added yet!

Development log

Comments

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Hi guys, a really appealing game and concept! I have a few constructive comments as there was so much to this third build which is great!

1. Text at the beginning goes too quick

2. The menu style, ability to open it and flick through pages is great! It really sets the tone for the game straight away and was just pleasing in general. We did, however, have some issues when selecting certain options when using controller.

3.The font used in the journal for general text doesn't match the aesthetic for the rest of the game - it's almost too scary!

4.Starting to play the game became frustrating as the spot for us to progress - where we place the canoe, push it into the water and then paddle - just was not working. We had to restart. It seems as if the progression "sweet-spot" itself is very narrow. It would definitely help to widen the spot where we can place the canoe!

5. I didn't know what the stretchy thing was - maybe where the items are listed in the journal you could place an image next to it that matches the in-game asset? 

6. Quite a few glitches - two canoes popping up when placed in the bushes (the bushes also hid the canoe), we got stuck when we walked to the fallen tree (near the blue bird) - going into the journal and back out helped for a second but then we couldn't move at all. Monty also acted glitchy when getting into the canoe.

Aside from that, the game itself is beautiful. The sound effects work really well in bringing the experience to life - Monty is super cute, is he a St. Bernard? Lastly, the ability to move backwards and forwards in this 2D game is really exciting and I can't wait to see where it'll take me!

good job guys, look forward to future builds! - Jess.

There was this bug that allowed me to walk across the river, trees, sky and pretty much anywhere. It happened when I reached the second section and I just walked off the river end. I found the bug really cool and I think it should stay in the game as an easter egg for people who forgot to bring their canoe with them to the second river. 

Hello! Thank you for leaving feedback. We hope you enjoyed your playthrough!

Version 3 is much expanded come and take another look.

Yh will do mate 👍🏽

version 4 is out lots of fixes

Awww hopefully you didn't get rid of that out of bounds glitch! That was really fun 😂

(+1)

I cannot get over how good it looks and feels, there is a lot of potential with this game. The love and passion the developers have put into this game is obvious and the game-play really fits the moral the game is trying to put across, to take your time and to embrace the environment around you which is especially relevant in the circumstances we are all experiencing at the present.

 

The art in the game is spectacular and characters feel like they really belong in this environment. The game itself has very unique goals, which really feel at home in the style the developers are going for, like being stealthy whilst trying to capture snapshots of local wildlife, to the feature key feature of canoeing between different locations, which really helps to make this game more distinctive.  

 

Though there are a few bugs in the game such as some of the broken canoe mechanics, which can sometimes break the immersion of the game and the how it could really benefit from some additional content, the overall premise of the game really overshadows these issues and makes a game that I really look forward to playing once it is completed. The hard work put in by everyone working on this game really shows and they should all be very proud of the progress made so far.

(+1)

Really lovely experience! 

Thanks Bobby, version 3 is much expanded please take another look when you have a moment.

(1 edit)

thanks Bobby version 4 is now out

(+1)

In love with the art style, gameplay mechanics feel intuitive and responsive. Great pace to the game so far and very excited to see where this leads!

Thank you for your kind words! 

(+2)

Really immersive, sound design and visuals are brilliant and the fact your canoe moves without needing to paddle is a nice touch that fits with the intended style of play. I also like how all the important information is stored in the Journal as opposed to a separate tutorial screen. I encountered a couple of jarring animations when pushing the canoe into the water but bugs like this are expected in an early build of a game and I'm excited to see what future updates bring. 

(+1)

Hi thank you for your feedback! We're so glad you enjoyed the game! More updates will be coming soon!

(+1)

I can see this game being a great game to just boot up and relax with. Love the direction you guys have gone with the art style and gameplay. They come together to create a serene, calming experience, and I'm sure that with future updates and more content this game will be adored by a lot of people. There were a few bugs that I experienced. First was that some of the twigs and trees were above the player and dog instead of being below and vice-versa. Second was that when you are on the second water crossing, you can just walk across it instead of paddling. The final bug I found was that sometimes the dog or boat would snap to a certain position which I think is something important to fix for this kind of game. Other than those minor bugs I thought it was a great game. Cant wait for future updates!

(+1)

The passion of the team behind this game really shines through in everything from the art style, audio design and the gameplay. There were a few bugs here and their but nothing that ruined the experience for me. All aspects of this game come together to create a relaxing atmosphere which is rare to see in a video game. I am excited to see where future updates may lead to. 

(+1)

A cool start to the game, you can tell a lot of work has been put in already, the visuals and audio definitely create a calming atmosphere and the mechanics (Canoe/Axe etc.) add the depth to make it a relaxing single player experience. I'll be awaiting future updates for sure.