Turnip Boy Duology Review
Played on Xbox One (base)
Developed by Snoozy Kazoo
Turnip Boy has essientally become the mascot of Snoozy Kazoo, the developers behind these two great games. While the studio is relatively young, having only started in 2020, it doesn't seem like they will stop pumping out joyrides or reinventing themselves, any time soon with two hit games in three years, and a guaranteed 3rd given how successful these they have been, scoring a 74 and 82 on Metacritic, respectively. Due to both games being fairly short experiences, clocking in about 3-4 hours to 100%, I figured I would review both together.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
Released 22nd April 2021
Story and Characters
The story was surprisingly gripping for the first entry in this duology, 'Commits Tax Evasion'. Initially, I thought this narrative would consist mostly of dumb fun that was incoherently put together. Instead, it developed into this comedic mystery unravelling that captured my intrigue far more than it should've. Many secrets circulate inside the game's world that simply make you wonder: where did these talking vegetables come from, what is this mystery ooze, why are there human ghosts and more. Obviously, this game is still quite goofy and doesn't take it too seriously, but this mystery and this level of comedy are combined excellently. The great 4th wall-breaking humour was simple and reminiscent of games like 'DEEEEER Sim', 'Donut County' and 'Frog Detective', but in a pixelated, Zelda-like presentation. For a 3-hour game, the characters had more depth to them than I would've expected and they tie into the outrageous plot points as well as they can produce humour. Mafia ties, godhood transcendence, tax evasion, nuclear holocausts; this all sounds so ridiculous, and it is, but in the best possible way and it made me thoroughly entertained throughout.
Gameplay and Bossfights
The gameplay varied between having basic combat function and basic puzzling, however, when mixed to create this "Zelda-lite", that so many other publications refer to, it worked to a surprisingly satisfying depth. The combat consists of a dash where you "trip" over a large distance, a single attack input and that's it - as I said, it's basic. For the puzzles, they are in similar vain as they all consist of you watering a plant that can grow into something that is conveniently placed there to help you progress; a moving explosive that destroys the blocked path, a melon that you can move to fit into a coincidentally shaped melon hole that you can then walk over and more. Alone, these two did make for some bland circumstances, but when they mixed, it did result in some decent encounters, especially during the bossfights. However, the bosses lacked as much depth as the combat did with them cycling through two attacks, and even with the implementation of the puzzle combat, their impact would get undermined the moment you figure out how to easily cheese the boss. For example, the Stag boss was entertaining since it shot out projectiles, charged out of the melee distance and spawned in enemy rabbits, but once you realise you can make it charge into your position, you can spam the explosive plant repeatedly. As a whole, the game is essientally child's play when it comes to difficulty, and even if that isn't its main appeal, stricter timing on attacking or greater depth to movesets (both the player's and bosses') would've benefited the experience greatly.
Atmosphere
For a game that takes much of its surroundings and characters as comedic relief, it sure does make the most of its visual and audible design. The highly detailed environments with the simpler sprite work create a contrast that makes for a marvellous pixelated aesthetic that is both adorable and pleasing to the eye. The soundtrack is equally as fantastic as it, whether the occasion for it calls it to be frantic, mellow or expressive, it does so smoothly. That being said, it's not like every visual or sound byte is so amazing that they're unforgettable, because they aren't. But they work together to make something worthwhile, something you'll remember enjoying, even if you don't remember the specifics.
Limitless Line
In the form of a free update, 'Commits Tax Evasion' received free "DLC" called the 'Limitless Line', which was an endless mode taking place on a train with a rogue-like upgrade system and a new boss. This feature was quite delightful and it made for a more fun gameplay experience, at least from a combat standpoint. It does feel like the integration of the plant puzzles could've added some much-needed variety because, even if the rogue-lite upgrades changed the pace of the gameplay for the better, there isn't enough here to prevent it from feeling less repetitive by the time you're on your 5th run.
Wonderfully sweet game with a great and easy 100% completion journey.
-GOOD-
Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
Released 18th January 2024
Story and Characters
The second entry, 'Robs a Bank' serves yet another surprisingly solid story that continues to build off the formula the previous game set up. Wacky, dumb fun, with several sprinkles of outrageous and insane plot points. In terms of world-building, and a narrative identity, it's clear that it wasn't as much of a priority as it was in the first game as such elements felt richer and more nuanced when Turnip Boy was dodging the IRS. The questlines with side characters that are found across the world are brimming with more personality than the cast of the previous game and it did make for better sidequests, but as for the people who'll B-line the main story, you won't get nearly as attached to the characters or tale as 'Commits Tax Evasion'.
Gameplay and Bossfights
While the story got slightly less attention this time around, the gameplay received an improvement on all fronts. It's fast, it's smooth, it's precise; this switch into a top-down shooter with rogue-lite features is the best possible direction the game could've taken to make it more entertaining. The game cycles through a 3-minute timer, during which you have to rob the bank and unlock new sectors to figure out where the ultimate prize pool is. While you go looking, you can enter procedurally generated safes that contain large amounts of money that you can then use to unlock: new permanent weapons like a revolver and Atomizer, permanent upgrades like increased time per run and bonus damage, or tools needed to progress like a crowbar or Build-a-Bridge. Once the timer ends, you need to escape the bank otherwise you'll first be swarmed by SWAT officers and then poisonous gas. This cycle was greatly entertaining and whether it was the second, 10th or 50th run that I was doing, the joy of blasting enemies, accessing procedurally generated rooms, battling amusing bosses and more, made my 4-hour 100% completion experience become one of my favourite games from this year. The bossfights here are significantly better than in 'Commits Tax Evasion', with a wider range of attacks, better humour, better designs, multiple phases and even some clever 4th wall breaking that feels like Turnip Boy's cheat code to make a moment funnier than it currently is automatically. The bossfights aren't perfect, mostly because the final boss felt lacklustre due to the severity of the story not translating effectively to gameplay, but they are the improvement that Turnip Boy's formula required.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere has been upgraded to surpass the goodness of 'Commits Tax Evasion'. The finer work and detail in the pixelated visuals make the colours pop and the lining crispier than before; the higher-quality production that went behind the soundtrack makes the game feel more complete and achieves that chaotic yet relaxed energy far better than whatever the first game had going for it. Some unremovable borders square down the aspect ratio and at first it did detract from the game initially, but it did grow on me and ended up putting more emphasis on the visuals occurring on your screen and a greater highlighting of how much better the artwork had gotten. Just like the original, the music and art aren't something that will stick with you as much as world-class, GOTY-winning titles, but they do help amplify the joy that comes from playing a short and sweet game of this calibre.
It's just more of that high-energy fun that Turnip Boy provides, just with better presentation and playability than before.
