The Turing Test, developed by Bulkhead Interactive and published by Square Enix Collective, is a first person sci-fi puzzle game originally released for Steam, PlayStation 4, Xbox One (Check Out our review!) and is now available for Nintendo Switch.
The character you play, Ava, is part of a team of scientists tasked with building a base on the moon. Ava has been in cryosleep, scheduled to wake up when the base is complete, and is awake when her teammates are in danger. T.O.M., the team’s AI companion, explains that the team has changed the layout and purpose of the base to work as a Turing Test. According to Wikipedia, “The Turing test, developed by Alan Turing in 1950, is a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human.” T.O.M. also explains this, stating that that is why he needs your help, he can’t complete these tests himself. I definitely get horror and mystery vibes from this game on top of the obvious sci-fi aesthetics. I’m definitely wary of T.O.M. from the get go even though there is no real reason not to trust him.
I really enjoy puzzle games so The Turing Test is right up my alley. The game play reminds me of the Portal games, where you need to figure out how to use energy and gadgets to open doors and advance through the base. I found the game play really easy to get a grasp of and I felt it was very user friendly; however, I have an aversion to first person games due to getting motion sickness really easily. I usually avoid motion sickness by playing on smaller screens but even playing The Turing Test in handheld mode, I would get sick. This made it difficult to play for more than 20 minutes at a time. The puzzles were definitely challenging enough to keep me interested and engaged in the game but not so hard that I ended up rage quitting.
I really enjoyed the graphics and the cutscenes in this game, though I would have liked the cutscenes to have been a break from the first person. The design of the game definitely adds to the creepiness of the tone due to the rooms feeling empty and almost asylum-like. This game also vaguely reminds me of the film Alien. I think this is because of the isolated and ominous vibe the game has. The voice acting is really well done and I always feel that games with voice acting just takes it to the next level. The sound and music in The Turing Test is also well done. I feel that it definitely adds to the creepiness of the game.
Overall, I think The Turing Test is a really fun and well made game. I do have to take some points off since the perspective made it hard to play for longer than a couple minutes at a time. If you enjoy games like Portal or other sci-fi puzzle based games, then The Turing Test is definitely one you should check out.
7/10
Check Out The Turing Test Trailer:
The Turing Test will launch on Nintendo Switch on February 7 for $19.99/£14.99/€19.99 with a launch discount of 10% (ends February 21).
Nintendo Switch Review
I'm a postgraduate Information and Library Studies student at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. I'm originally from Texas and have a BFA in Creative Writing from SFASU. I grew up playing video games and now enjoy watching other people play as well. I love anything with a good story!
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