In our review of Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, we take a look at a world full of comedy and twists.
Crime is a roller coaster. One minute you're avoiding tax evasion, the next you're joining a gang, pulling off the biggest heist of your little "turnip life." That's what happens in Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, a sequel that delivers a heist that's both extensive and suitably snack-sized.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion was released in 2021 as a cute and lively Zelda-style, with a duration of a few unconfirmed hours. It appeared as a satire and parody, but after a few years, it seems that the development team at Snoozy Kazoo is more confident in itself. Turnip Boy Robs a Bank doesn't exactly overturn the way the first game works, but it does advance its structure in a more original and clever way.
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The innocent days of walking through the Weapon Woods and swapping items from vegetables for fruit are long gone. Instead, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank introduces a more expansive and complex world, where Turnip Boy teams up with the Pickled Gang to pull off bank robberies. The action is repetitive, but the familiar atmosphere is refreshing, and the desire to discover something new remains invigorating. All of this happens to the sounds of an engaging soundtrack that's a far cry from the cutesy bits of the first game.
Beyond this central loop, the progression system is similar to that of Tax Evasion, where various food-based creatures ask Turnip Boy for increasingly absurd favors. Most are handled as quests, but most problems are solved by earning enough money to buy new items from the dark web. The costs increase as you open up more sections of the bank, but so does the loot as you delve deeper into this mighty vault.
Acquiring the goods involves, in addition to simple assault, using C4 to blow up storage areas, carving status to reveal hidden valuables, and approaching hostages to literally “shake” coins and bills from their shallow pockets. While you may earn a few thousand dollars at the beginning of a robbery, by the end you’ll be amassing loot in the millions. There’s a variety of opponents, from snails and rabbits to bacon with a rope and donuts with a gun. There are even more ways to deal with them, starting with the sword and gun combination and ending with everything you can imagine, from fish to snails with music, lasers and rockets that would be fitting for a Resident Evil game.
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Turnip Boy Robs a Bank puts the “lite” in roguelite with superficial, but effective, genre features. Most weapons are found in the natural world, and you can spend money to increase your chances of finding good items. It’s all random, so some heists may be more effective than others. As new discoveries return to the hideout, you’ll have the opportunity to offer them for weapon research to one of the Twins. As you level up your research, more weapons will be permanently added to your equipment options.
There are perhaps a few moments that I would describe as slightly annoying during the 4-5 hour campaign, but the combat never becomes frustrating. Even if the heavy artillery leads to repeated deaths from another cop, there are a variety of difficulty options from the start. There are also plenty of accessibility options in terms of how you approach the action. If you just want to focus on Turnip Boy’s expanded lore and enjoy the twists and turns of the end game, you can toggle the so-called “God Mode” on and off at any time. You can also change the outlines of enemies and interactive objects, increase or decrease the damage you deal, and enable auto-aim and a targeting laser for more precise shooting.
Four main bosses await you at the bank, testing your weapons skills before the final showdown, and none of them require much thought to defeat. At least they offer an opportunity for more of the Turnip Boy-style humor that was established in the first game. This is one of the main places where the team shows more confidence. Even when the jokes don't work, there's none of the insecurity that comes with clichéd references to boring trophy cases. Instead, Snoozy Kazoo focuses on the absurd, with a small cast of central characters, with the tough-as-nails and determined Dillitini guiding Turnip Boy through the maze that follows.
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Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a fast-paced steal 'em up that showcases its recurring theme. There's a real sense of discovery within those steel-reinforced walls, and it's nice to see Snoozy Kazoo improve on the art of the first game to create a more unified pixel aesthetic that extends from the gameplay to the character art during conversations. It's also just plain silly, which is what draws me in in the most primal way.
I'm not sure how often I'll revisit it, as the focus on earning money to buy essential items makes moving from one area to another more predictable and routine. Still, I'm happy I gave it a thorough try at least once, and this hideout is worth exploring, regardless of whether you enjoyed the first round of food-based crimes.
Information source: destructoid.com
