A computer, for the uninitiated, is essentially magic. It is a thing where if you zap it with a bunch of electric, it will calculate stuffs and show a bunch of things on your screen.
But, ever wondered how we, as humans, have arranged a bunch of rocks in such a way that it can now actually “think” for us? Ever wondered what actually happens inside a computer and how did we actually built it from a bunch of rocks until you can sit down in front of a computer and read this article?
Turing Complete is that game where, by the end of it, you will truly understand how a computer works from scratch and marvel at the genius of the ones before us.
Is this an educational game? Urghhh.
So.. uh.. is Turing Complete an educational game where it is essentially a Electronical Engineering 101 course book?
Definitely not.
Now, if it is just a bunch of texts where you read some stuff and then answer some quizzes, then you might as well enroll yourself in a Udemy course.
It is a great puzzle game
What Turing Complete is, essentially, a puzzle game. And a really, really good one at that.
It is a puzzle game where it only gives you one piece of a puzzle. That is it. One piece. And from that one piece of the puzzle, you will be tasked to build a component. And then a slightly more complex component. And then a slightly more complex component. And a couple more times of that when suddenly, you have built a computer all on your own, all from one piece.
And don’t be surprised, but that is exactly how it works in real life too. The whole thing you see in a computer is essentially made from just one component.
Kidnapped by Aliens
So in Turing Complete, a bunch of aliens wanted to see what humans are capable of. So they decided to kidnap a human to test their abilities. Of course, you are one of the lucky ones that they have kidnapped.
So to actually see whether humans are just another species of animal or actually a species that is able to use high logical thinking, they decided to give you one component and then tells you to build a bunch of other logical components from that one component.
So now it is up to you to show those aliens that humans are actually slightly better than some animal and is capable of using logical thinking.
Building everything from a NAND gate
So, that first component that the aliens give you is actually a NAND gate, which is for the casual, is NOT AND gate. Basically it is a component that receives 2 inputs, and if both input is TRUE, the output will be FALSE. If any of the input FALSE, the output will be TRUE. A reverse AND gate, if you will.
I am not going to bore you with the details, you can read more from Wikipedia if you want, but even in real life, you can build every kind of logic gate from just a NAND gate. This is the basis of logic gates and where Turing Complete use as a base to create a compelling game based on reality.
I know, I did say we would build a computer from scratch, but in this game we will build from a NAND gate and not any lower. So, no transistors or resistors okay? Sorry for you electronics folks.
From Simple to Complex
What the game does well, well, for the most part, is how it slowly progresses you bit by bit from building a component to a slightly more complex one. It allows you to improve your logical skills, which you gained from building the previous component, to be used in the next more slightly complex one.
And when you build a component, that component is saved and, in nearly all cases, will need to be reused when you are tasked to build a more complex one. And the more complex one will then be needed to be used to build a more complex components and so on.
The way Turing Complete handle this progression and use of reusable components is what I feel makes the game feel great as a puzzle game, makes you appreciate the inner workings of a computer and truly understand how the logic inside a computer component works.
Progression
I know, I know, I did mention about how good the level progression in it. But I did say for the most part. There are actually a few levels where it is actually pretty tough to figure out what to do and I feel there probably should be another level in-between to prepare the players for that level. However, that may be simply a pet peeve of mine.
The good thing is, the game does give tips to you, which you can ask for if you could not figure out how to solve the current level. And if you absolutely could not complete a level, each level has a link to a Youtube video which has the solution for that level. But of course, if you are stubborn like me, just ignore those tips and hit your head onto the brick wall until you can solve that level.
Now, another complaint that I do have is about the Reusable Components itself. We can reuse the components, but I feel that the way the custom components can be handled could be somewhat improved. I could not pinpoint on what is it, but there are some parts where the reusable components are particularly frustrating to handle.
Judgment?
Turing Complete is a great game for computer enthusiasts that wants to understand the inner workings of a computer. I can guarantee that after you have played this game, you will gain more understanding on how a computer actually works. You will feel frustrated, you will feel stumped while solving each level, but what you gain from understanding the inner workings of a computer is very rewarding.
