Review: The Turing Test (Nintendo Switch)

The Turing Test is the latest passion project to arrive on the Nintendo Switch from Square Enix Collective – a subsidiary of Square Enix that is devoted entirely to indie games. The game is a first person puzzler which has you playing Ava Turing, an engineer for the International Space Agency. Ava Turing is trying to find out the truth behind her crew’s disappearance. This plotline is very reminiscent of Alien: Isolation which I also scored highly. Although, despite how similar it might seem on the surface, it is still very much its own narrative.

For instance, Alien: Isolation doesn’t have T.O.M., an awesome artificial intelligence (A.I.). This artificial intelligence is how the story unfolds; with Ava Turing and T.O.M. having a spoken dialogue to carry the storyline further. T.O.M.’s interactions with Ava are priceless, too, questioning her about the inner-workings of the mind whilst traversing the puzzle rooms. This philosophical approach about the differences between a human consciousness and that of an AI is an interesting concept – and one that is very well portrayed. Furthermore, the serious nature of T.O.M. and Ava’s conversations is a welcomed differentiation from the witty writing that the Portal games offer.

In terms of gameplay, the puzzles were some of the best I’ve ever experienced. I’d even go so far to say that it is a spiritual successor to Portal 2 – that’s how inherently fun the game is! Despite the puzzles not being the most difficult of the bunch, they were difficult enough to keep me on my toes and thinking, which I prefer. The seventy puzzle sectors can be solved in approximately five to eight hours, but that wasn’t a hindrance to my enjoyment. In fact, the abundance of puzzles and varying designs made it to where I could feel comfortable jumping in again and replaying them. Each puzzle has you tasked with rerouting power to rooms and doors using a Portal-like EMT gun. This EMT gun will let you absorb all the electrical charges from various power boxes and redistribute them in a way that allows you to make your way to the exit point of each sector. This creative usage of the gun is really fun in practicality and it was further amplified by the excellent level designs.

With most video-games that utilize guns, e.g. Call of Duty, it is important that there are no frame rate issues and that everything runs smoothly. Fortunately, even if The Turing Test isn’t as violent as forsay the Call of Duty franchise, there are no frame rate issues and everything runs smoothly, which I can appreciate.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The Turing Test and have no complaints about it. I think it was a solid port from Square Enix Collective and it gives me hope for their future games that come to the Nintendo Switch. The puzzle gameplay is some of the best in the genre and it’s further enhanced by the creative level design. If you are looking to learn more about Alan Turing’s famous test or just simply want to add a puzzle game to your Nintendo Switch collection, The Turing Test is a no-brainer. Honestly, The Turing Test is one of the best puzzle games I’ve ever played! It is literally ‘out of this world’.