I loved Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion. It took me three hours to complete the prequel, and I enjoyed every second. Nearly three years later, its direct sequel, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, is here to make some wild statements. In some moments, I was absorbed in the action and was determined to reach my next upgrade before starting the process over again. At other times, I watched Turnip Boy nap on a couch for a few minutes before returning to the car and turning the bank upside down again.
While the first game had me sitting back and relaxing as I read the goofy dialogue and fought its enemies, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank ups the ante with its action, themes, and humor, and it pulls it off superbly.
A Direct Continuation
If you played the first game, you may be familiar with the general concept of Turnip Boy and the wacky shenanigans. Turnip Boy Robs a Bank expects you to know the former’s story, as it continues just days after the first game’s finale takes place. Nonetheless, if you’re coming in fresh, you can still appreciate its style and gameplay, albeit missing some important storyline elements that give context on why you’re turning to bank robbery as a small turnip.
Turnip Boy Robs a Bank ups the ante with its action, themes, and humor, and it pulls it off superbly.
For the most part, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank follows a similar style to its prequel. You play as Turnip Boy, meet other food characters to help you on your journey to save the world, and hear some silly dialogue that leaves you cracking a smile and chuckling before moving on to your next objective. If I wasn’t spending time shaking down fruits and vegetables to take all their money, I was chitchatting with the locals to see what’s new in life.
If you’re going into Turnip Boy Robs a Bank without playing the first game, the story may sometimes be confusing and difficult to follow. This isn’t due to depth and complexity but more so the random twists and turns it takes. Beyond that, its simplistic style helps introduce newcomers to the series easily, allowing you to quickly pick up on story elements and gameplay mechanics without starting from the beginning.
However, I would definitely recommend playing Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion first to get the full scope of Turnip Boy’s current predicament and some of the subtle (and not-so-subtle) references made throughout the sequel’s story, as I found that having this past knowledge helped me appreciate it much more.
Same Style, Different Game
When you first enter the game’s world again, you’re met with a sense of familiarity as you see Turnip Boy in his cute, pixelated style. Although the graphics and sounds have improved overall, it’s similar at its core, not straying far from what made Turnip Boy charming in the first place.
That’s where the similarities end, though. Its gameplay is where things change.
In essence, you’ll find yourself continuously entering and robbing a bank during a massive heist, shaking down its workers and defeating any baddies standing in your way. From swords and guns to fruit grenade launchers and lasers, you’ll have plenty of tools at your disposal to make the job easier, more challenging, or way weirder, depending on how you wish to play.
Like Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, Robs a Bank also has a large cast of fruits and veggies that add spice to the world. Each character has its own unique personality, ranging from bubbly and cheerful to gloomy and shy, making me want to learn more about them and their stories. There’s even an unexpected one who is the living embodiment of “hehe uwu”, which gave me a good laugh.
Each character has its own unique personality, ranging from bubbly and cheerful to gloomy and shy, making me want to learn more about them and their stories.
Meeting them all is fun, although their side quests are typically a quick fetch quest with a hat for a reward. Tax Evasion had a similar idea with these side missions, and Robs a Bank follows this almost verbatim, making me wish there was a bit more substance to them outside of “find this NPC or item and bring it back to me”.
Similarly, one of the main issues I had with Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion was its simple combat system and how, aside from dodging and hitting enemies with a sword, there wasn’t much going on to make it interesting. However, Robs a Bank does a great job fixing this problem, particularly with the addition of numerous types of guns and upgrade shops to help make Turnip Boy stronger. Rather than just running into a room swinging your sword, you actually have to figure out what upgrades to buy next, what guns and melee weapons you want to bring into the bank next, and where your next objective is.
It still feels like a Turnip Boy game, but these new additions turned a repetitive combat system into something fun and exciting. Oh, and we can’t forget about Turnip Boy’s clumsiness, which continues to be a core game mechanic that characters directly comment on.
Rinse and Repeat
Throughout my playthrough, I was conflicted about the main aspect of Turnip Boy Robs a Bank: robbing the bank. You go in, collect money, leave, and endlessly repeat the process until you finish the story. Sure, you occasionally fight bosses, and the ending is a blast to play, but much of the in-between action is the same for hours until you reach the game’s second half or so.
Thankfully, the bank layout does change with each run to add some variety, but I initially had a hard time getting through the first hour or two, as I struggled to figure out what I was trying to accomplish. The objective is clear, but figuring out how to do that in just a couple of minutes at a time took some time to get used to.
In some cases, this gave me exciting adrenaline rushes that pumped me up and made me ready to take on the bank again just to see how much more money I could make next time or how much farther I’d go in finding the next area. At other times, I was scratching my head about why it felt like I wasn’t making much progress before I finally reached a snowball point.
Once you do reach that point, though, things get hilariously fun.
One of my favorite parts of the Turnip Boy games is their unexpected nature. You can go into the game anticipating one series of events, only for them to throw in wild plot points and an ending that you wouldn’t guess in a million years. It keeps things fresh and fun and makes the whole journey feel worthwhile, even during points of confusion.
It’s Just as Cute and Charming as Ever
I absolutely loved the three hours I spent playing the prequel, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, and I felt just as much enjoyment from the six hours that I spent with Robs a Bank. It remains a wonderfully charming game, with its improved combat making it feel much more action-packed and eventful than the previous entry. While I would’ve liked the story expanded further, particularly with a bit more depth to its side content, I still wholeheartedly recommend playing Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, especially if you enjoyed the first game and want to continue the adventure once more.
- Improves on nearly every aspect of the first game while still maintaining its charm.
- Interesting yet simplistic combat that has purpose.
- Hilarious dialogue throughout the entire story.
- It's over quickly, taking around four to five hours to complete.
- Bank navigation can be daunting initially.
- Side quests don't add much substance.
