Freebie Feelers... The Turing Test

Freebie Feelers is a series where we download the free monthly console-specific or newly released free-to-play games to test their worth. This series will contain some useful information as well as plenty of personal opinion. While these articles may not be reviews, we hope that you will be able to use them to help decide whether that free download is worth it.

What is it?

The best way to describe The Turing Test would be to think of Portal in deep space with a heavy dose of philosophy and thinking about human intuition. This title spends tons of time asking questions that are difficult to answer because they challenge the mind to consider things that you more than likely wouldn't normally. The name of the game refers to a test that an AI would have to pass in order to convince a human into believing the AI is human. Think about that for a moment; what would it take to convince you? All of this is explored in a fully-voiced narrative experienced through first-person puzzler gameplay.

What did you think?

I love The Turing Test. The main puzzle mechanics are fun and interesting, the voice acting is wonderful, the dialogue is thought-provoking, and the story isn’t that bad either, offering up just enough information in the form of conversation while saving finer details for items you can observe in the environment around you. That’s probably the best part about this title: you can play it at your pace. If you want to blast through and see the main puzzles and the end, then you can ignore the scenery and just rush to the end.

On the flip side, if you’d rather take your time and look around, you’ll be rewarded with story, character development, and extra challenges. These extra challenges can be accessed fairly early and feel impossible the first time you see them. Once you’ve gone through the whole game however, they feel like little prizes for all your hard work. To put it shortly, I can’t speak enough praise about this game.

Is it worth downloading?

Most definitely. Do not let this one pass you by. If you enjoy puzzle games like Portal or atmospheric games like Pneuma, you’ll adore The Turing Test. There are plenty of stages with enough variety to keep gameplay fresh all the way through. Since the game constantly reuses old mechanics in new ways, you’re forced to think even when you’ve seen it all before. Make it a point to grab this gem on Xbox One while it’s free between the 16th of October and the 15th of November.