Game review by Chantal Blokker (QA Tester at Abstraction)
Every now and then, I get the urge to play a short but sweet game to take a breather from the many hours I spend playing League of Legends. In these moments, I am on the lookout for games that offer me something different, something to get away from hectic multiplayer. This can be an appealing or unique art style, an interesting gameplay hook, or in the case of Turnip Boy, the completely outrageous title of the game. It could not help but catch my interest and without knowing much more, I dove in.
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is … exactly what it sounds like. You play as a small but incredibly cute-looking Turnip who has gotten himself into a pickle and will do anything to get himself out from under his taxes. This takes you on a short but hilarious journey to commit tax evasion and save not only yourself, but the entire town from the corrupt government ruled by the unlikeable Mayor Onion and his pesky taxes.
The gameplay itself is inspired by classic Legend of Zelda games and has you running errands for Mayor Onion and the other denizens roaming around town. Equipped with a sword and a watering can, you will be able to deal with all the dangerous veggie-eating enemies you come across. The game is not particularly challenging as neither the boss battles nor the puzzles are complicated and can be completed quite quickly.
However, that is not where Turnip Boy shines. The entire tone of the game, including its witty dialogue, diverse cast of characters, the many pop-culture references and the surprising narrative twists made this game a joy to play through. The game is very self-aware, and its meta humour and tongue-in-cheek delivery has had me laughing many times throughout the game.
Although short games can be a nice breather every once in a while, this game might just be a little too short with around a 2-hour run-time for the main game. However, the kind folks over at Snoozy Kazoo (the creators of Turnip Boy) provided a free update which will give you even more Turnip Boy gameplay! The Sunset Train update is a nice addition to the game that adds a ton of new hats to collect, some new enemies and a more challenging, rogue lite experience on the train.
Ready to root for Turnip Boy? Click here to visit Steam: 'Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion'