The Turing Test
The Turing Test is a challenging first-person puzzle game set on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. You are Ava Turing, an engineer for the International Space Agency (ISA) sent to discover the cause behind the disappearance of the ground crew stationed there. Upon arrival a series of puzzles awaits you – tests which, according to the station’s AI, Tom, can only be solved by a human. These puzzles have apparently been set by the missing ground crew – but why have they created them and what are they hiding from? In an evolving story based on mankind’s instinctual need to explore, protect and survive, you’ll delve deeper into Europa’s ice crusted-core and discover that the lines between man and machine begin to blur. Armed with the Energy Manipulation Tool (EMT), solve puzzles to open the way forward as you learn the true cost of human morality.
Steam User 16
Fun game like Portal or The Talos Principle. I thought it was much easier than both of those though.
Steam User 9
Puzzle game + existential dread = fun to play
Steam User 12
“We must address, individually and collectively, moral and ethical issues raised by cutting-edge research in artificial intelligence and biotechnology, which will enable significant life extension, designer babies, and memory extraction.” — Klaus Schwab
The Turing Test is a ultimately a puzzle game in the vein of Portal and Q.U.B.E. — while its narrative is more analogous to a walking sim.
Taking place on the Jovian moon of Europa. You'll control Ava, a character investigating the team originally sent to the base. The base has an AI companion named Tom that will assist you through the tests as well as pose interesting yet traditional questions about the nature of AI and its purpose.
Gameplay
Ava has a gun that can move different energy or plasma balls in and out of circuits. So puzzles are largely based on moving switches, positioning and using delays to have the circuits function appropriately to reach the door and escape the puzzle room. As you may suspect, some of the puzzles require a human element. Something that may not logically follow that an AI simply would not engage with in the same way. A Turing Test, if you will.
The Gist
It's on the shorter side, about 6-7 hours if you skip the optional puzzles. While I did enjoy the story, and there are multiple endings. I found a few of the puzzles, especially in the final area, to be complicated enough to siphon my overall enjoyment. Which effectively impacted my emotional response to the game's final moments. I'd pick it up on sale if you enjoy games like Portal.
If you've found this review helpful, consider following my curation — Station Argus
Steam User 4
We are playing as Ava Turing, space engineer awakened by the station's AI Tom from her long sleep on an orbital station near Jupiter's moon Europa, in a task of contacting the ground team on Europa which has gone silent for some considerable time. As we take steps into the ground station we are met with a series of tests that only the human mind can solve, as stated by Tom, and which are supposed to protect the crew from… Tom? As we navigate through the station we get to learn more about the research undergoing on Europa, the members of the team and ourselves. Complex questions considering humanity rise up and finding an answer for them is gonna be a challenge… oh yeah.
As for gameplay I would say it's like Portal but without the portals... and danger. All we have is a "weapon" that can store energy balls, with it we can transfer these balls and power up closed doors, inactive bridges or platforms. As we progress new mechanics are presented and with them the rooms become more complex. I was rather surprised how well I was able to cope with it, I usually struggle in such games. Most of the levels are pretty straightforward, you overlook the room and see the solution, but few of them were pretty challenging and required a bit of outside the box thinking. Little bit problematic were mostly "timed" sequences where you needed to be quick and precise. I would say that Portal was harder, although it has been some years since I played it last.
As for the story, well, that's a hard nut to crack. I am gonna admit that I was pretty lost in the Turing test and Chinese room talks and I am not sure what exactly the ending was supposed to prove in that aspect… If we look aside from the talks about AI we can learn more about the crew and their lives on Europe prior to our awakening from audio logs, notes or emails. All of these draw a pretty clear picture of what has happened on the station. And yet our heroine seems to ignore all of these "hints" and acts completely in the opposite way. I was truly baffled from this development. I don't want to spoil you, but the ending is very, very much unsatisfying. I don't see any sense in it. Also, no one else finds it strange that five people are living in an extremely huge station that allows building over 70 puzzle rooms? Weird that they had so many resources in a such limited environment. o_O
My biggest complaint (aside from the story) goes to missing subtitles during audio logs. It wouldn't exactly be a problem if you can actually hear what they are saying, which is pretty hard with all the static sounds, hushed voices and so on. Huge oversight from the developers. Otherwise I haven't encountered any problems or bugs.
Even though I said that it was somewhat easier than Portal, I am glad it wasn't much difficult and I rather enjoyed the puzzles. Just don't play it for the story.
Steam User 3
Pretty good puzzle/riddle game aka Portal, with talking AI and somewhat interesting twist near the end.
Steam User 5
As boring as comparing every first-person puzzler to Portal gets, the clean aesthetic & conversive AI do make for an obvious comparison still. I certainly am not complaining, being stuck on a deep space station filled with puzzles (with an in-game justification for those) provides for a nice backdrop for enjoyable puzzles. The kind that feels like an intricate machine you can understand. There's also some timed elements impossible to do on a gamepad so I switched to KBM.
If the name's not telling, there is philosophy in this game. Some pretty good stuff there, that is genuinely relevant in the modern day & age.
Steam User 5
4/5
No subtitles on audio logs sucks considering they are important story-wise and often have interference making them hard to understand.