Turnip Boy Robs a Bank Review
Steam/PC, XBOX, Switch
1/18/24
Snoozy Kazoo/Graffiti Games
Reviewed by SilentSigns
Wake up, babe. New Turnip Boy game just dropped. That's right, Snoozy Kazoo just released the follow up to 2021's adorably deviant Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion and the crimes have become significantly more heinous. We're not just evading taxes any longer, this time we're trying to get that bag.
Turnip Boy Robs a bank opens up with crime boss Dillitini from the Pickled Gang calling our anti-hero with an offer he can't refuse-- take advantage of the chaos that you most definitely created in the last installment by teaming up to rob a bank.
It's a really silly and simple set up for what ends up being an appropriately silly and simple game. Unlike the former Turnip Boy title, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a timed, run-based single-player adventure with roguelite elements. Don't let the buzzwords frighten you, my sweet summer children; this game is easy to jump into and even easier to find yourself addicted to. Each run begins with Turnip Boy choosing a loadout at home base from an ever-increasing array of weapons.
From there, it's off to the bank to shake down innocent civilians, destroy furniture, take out all sorts of security guards and, most importantly, steal cash and precious valuables. While you're frantically searching for more money and attempting to journey deeper into this massive bank, you'll encounter lots of wacky NPCs, some of which you will recognize from the prior game and others that are brand new to this title. Many of these characters will have a quest for you to complete, like collecting pet rocks, destroying a certain number of enemies or separating their fused bodies from one another by obtaining a vegetable separator from the dark web. You know, the usual.
Once the built in timer runs out, you'll be swarmed by the fuzz, the heat, the pigs-- no, literally, law enforcing peaches, peppers and bacon will ambush from all angles until you return to the escape vehicle or purchase a ticket out of there.
Back at the safety of your base, you can purchase upgrades with your spoils, such as extending the timer, upgrading bullets or adding hearts to Turnip Boy's health meter. In fact, there are lots of helpful enhancements you'll be able to purchase to upgrade the leafy lawbreaker. Once you're done shopping, you can also turn in weapons you've discovered on your latest escapade for research. The more wacky weapons you research, the more weapons that you'll unlock for loadout.
Then there are photos to take for Annie and desirable items up for auction on greggslist. So much to do and so little time. Just kidding, you can take as long as you want in here. That timer only applies to the actual robbery. That would just be ridiculous.
Once again, there are collectable and equipable hats, each of which is more absurd than the last. From a tiny turnip to a rabid dog, almost anything can be a hat in the turnip universe and collecting them all is a fun reason to go back in for one more run.
Apart from completing the tasks, which you can track from your smartphone pause screen, your motivation is to reach deeper and deeper locations within this highly elaborate financial establishment and perhaps learn a little more about the TBCU (that's the turnip boy cinematic universe, of course). I don't want to say I'm disappointed that Turnip Boy Robs a Bank takes a different gameplay approach than its predecessor, because it's very clear I enjoyed my time with this title, but I did miss a bit of the lower-stakes exploration elements from the original title.
Sure, there are still fun tasks to take on, hilarious NPC interactions and over-the-top bosses to beat down, but having to navigate your way through the same path each time with a deadline did take away a bit of the joy of exploration for me. Trust me, it's not a dealbreaker, it's just different. Change is one of the few guarantees in life after all, other than death and taxes. But turnip boy already figured out how to avoid at least one of those!
My feelings on run-based gameplay aside, this is a fun game that gets its hooks in you pretty quickly. This is no doubt partially because everything is adorable. The graphics? Too cute to handle. The puns? PUNstoppable. The writing in these titles is what really makes Turnip Boy stand out in my mind, and I love how the writers always commit 10000% to their craft.
Then there's the soundtrack. I can't even adequately put into words how fun the soundtrack in this game is. It's feet-tapping, head-bobbing goodness to accompany the absolute absurdity on your screen. You can actually purchase new tracks by trading in souls, which can then be selected from your pause screen menu. There are all sorts of tracks -- from fast and frantic electronica to more lo-fi, chill songs to rob banks to. The one thing they all share is they're all great. The best compliment I can give to these songs is that I was still humming them after I finished playing, which means they stuck in the old brain synapses. They're that good.
As a fellow Masshole by birth, Snoozy Kazoo makes me proud to be from Western Massachusetts and I do look forward to seeing what other misadventures their reprehensible root vegetable will take part in. I am awarding Turnip Boy the Silver Genie Lamp of Approval. Despite being a root vegetable, turnip boy does not break new ground, but it does fertilize a very fun and functional adventure that should appeal to fans of the original title and those that are looking for a game that is easy to jump into in small doses or marathons.
Pros:
Adorable pixel art graphics
Stellar soundtrack
Entertaining writing
Addicting gameplay loop
Cons:
Timed runs make exploration feel more limited
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