Prison Test

About

Prison Test is a single player casual simulation game. It was developed by Nikita "Ghost_RUS" and was released on May 29, 2018. It received neutral reviews from players.

This is a test game in which you can learn life in the russian prison, prison customs, prison riddles and answers to them, find out who are the prisoners and what they are in prison for, learn the articles and so on.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

41%

Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews

humor1 positive mentions

graphics3 negative mentions

Prison Test offers a unique glimpse into Russian prison culture through its quiz format, making it an intriguing cultural curiosity.
The game's minimalist design and lo-fi aesthetic effectively frame the content, allowing players to focus on the questions and moral choices presented.
For those interested in unusual indie games or achievement hunting, Prison Test provides an easy and quick experience.

The game lacks depth and meaningful interactivity, feeling more like a superficial quiz than a genuine exploration of prison customs.
With only a fixed set of questions and minimal gameplay, the experience is fleeting and lacks replayability, making it feel like a prototype rather than a complete game.
Many players criticize the poor writing and execution, describing it as shovelware that fails to deliver on its premise.

graphics
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's graphics reflect a distinctive lo-fi aesthetic that prioritizes simplicity and grit over polish, which some players appreciate as a deliberate artistic choice. However, others criticize the visuals for being crude and lacking depth, with one reviewer describing the graphics as non-existent in a text-heavy format. Overall, opinions are sharply divided, with some praising the unique style while others find it lacking in merit.
- “Its crude presentation and lack of depth would normally be considered flaws, but within its own modest framework, they become a kind of aesthetic choice.”
- “The graphics of this game are amazing and beyond Skyrim 4K!”
- “It’s all part of ghost_rus’s characteristic lo-fi aesthetic, a hallmark of the developer’s catalogue, which tends to embrace simplicity and grit over polish.”
- “The visuals and sound work not to immerse but to frame the content—everything is secondary to the text itself.”
- “This is how the game goes - basically, a 10-minute long 'text visual novel' which lacks any kind of graphics and characters, just some plain stupid text and nothing else.”
gameplay
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The gameplay is primarily centered around answering a fixed set of questions and moral dilemmas that reflect Russian prison culture, but it lacks depth and mechanical engagement, feeling more like a simulation or parody than a traditional game. Players navigate through poorly written dialogue in a visual/interactive novel format, leading to criticism regarding its quality and overall substance.
- “It offers a glimpse into the world of Russian prison culture, not through elaborate gameplay or storytelling, but through a sequence of questions, riddles, and moral choices that determine the player’s status within the prison hierarchy.”
- “Even the title, Prison Test, feels like a deadpan joke—a cold, mechanical framing of something raw and human.”
- “Gameplay, if one can call it that, revolves entirely around answering a fixed set of questions.”
- “It occupies that strange territory between simulation and parody, offering cultural flavor without mechanical substance.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written Russian dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
The music in the game features a minimal yet atmospheric soundscape, incorporating low-key prison noises and elements of Russian street culture. Players have praised the soundtrack, with some describing it as mind-blowing and a standout feature of the experience.
- “The soundscape, while minimal, adds a faint sense of atmosphere through low-key prison noises and snippets of music that evoke Russian street culture.”
- “Not to talk about the soundtrack...”
- “The music put me over the edge and absolutely blew my mind.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The atmosphere is enhanced by a minimal soundscape featuring subtle prison noises and snippets of music that evoke a sense of Russian street culture, contributing to the overall immersive experience.
- “The soundscape, while minimal, adds a faint sense of atmosphere through low-key prison noises and snippets of music that evoke Russian street culture.”
- “The overall atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth needed to immerse players in the game world.”
- “Despite the potential for a rich environment, the atmosphere is hindered by repetitive sound design and a lack of engaging visual elements.”
story
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The story has been criticized for lacking depth and complexity, leaving players who prefer intricate narratives feeling disappointed.
- “For players accustomed to deep systems or layered storytelling, this will undoubtedly feel disappointing.”
- “The plot twists are predictable and lack any real impact on the overall narrative.”
- “Character development is shallow, making it hard to connect with anyone in the story.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features a notable sense of humor that adds to the overall experience, whether it is intentional or not.
- “There is also a sense of humor, intentional or otherwise, that runs through the experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is criticized for its low replayability due to a lack of narrative depth and limited interactivity, primarily relying on a multiple-choice format.
- “It lacks replayability, narrative context, or any real form of interactivity beyond the multiple-choice format.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users find the grinding aspect of visual novels and e-books tedious, likening the experience to a frustratingly slow reading process where each sentence requires a click to advance, detracting from the enjoyment of the narrative.
- “Visual novels/e-books are tedious at best. Imagine the best novel you ever read, be it 'Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' or '2001: A Space Odyssey' or 'Twilight' (if you have terrible taste in literature), but then translate that to a format where the words dribble out and you have to click your mouse every time you want to read the next sentence, instead of just turning the pages.”