Developed By: Snoozy Kazoo
Published By: Graffiti Games
Categories: Action, Arcade
Release Date: 01.18.24
Price: $14.99
*Game Download Code graciously provided for the purpose of review.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is a direct sequel to Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion with a somewhat continuous storyline and a ton of references to the previous game. It’s highly recommended that you’ve played the previous game before starting this one so that you can understand everything, but if this is your first time with the series, it will still be a fun experience. The experience will be just as chaotic as it is fun because you’re literally tasked with robbing a bank in some of the most hilarious ways possible.

You’re just going to keep breaking into the same bank over and over until you’re successful at robbing it. At first, only a small fraction of the bank will be available but much more will become unlocked as you do more runs. With each additional run, you can complete quests, meet an assortment of wild characters, and of course steal money to buy all sorts of upgrades. 

The first few runs will be pretty tough because you will only have a three-minute timer before the police arrive and the weapons that you can find will be limited as well. The money you can steal in a single run will have a cap as well so even if you have a minute left on the timer, you might be forced to end your run early if you can’t carry any more money. But once you start using that money to buy upgrades, you’ll be able to carry more at once and reach much deeper into the bank during a single run.

There will be times where the gameplay loop will be really chaotic as well. For instance, some rooms will have a lot of enemies that all want to hurt you, leading to constant fast-paced battles. Many rooms have a ton of items and furniture that you can destroy for no reason other than it being fun. There will also be rooms that feature intense boss battles. Many of these rooms will change with each run so you’ll have a different experience each time. 

As for the story, there isn’t much that I want to say because there’s a lot going on. The story has a lot of dialogue and a ton of humor but there would also be a ton of spoilers if I spent too much time talking about it. There are may characters sprinkled throughout the bank and they all have a ton of dialogue for important story stuff, backstory, insight into the previous game, or just random nonsense. All the random nonsense is one of the reasons why the game is so great.

The visuals are about what you’d expect if you’ve played Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion. Many of the tiles, sprites, and character profiles look exactly the same. They already looked pretty good to begin with so there’s no complaints there. Many of the rooms are filled with a ton of detail as well and if you destroy everything in a room, what you’re left with is a satisfying mess that looks cool. There were a few issues with the performance on the Switch version, but only in areas where there were like four or five enemies. With everyone fighting at once, the game would slow down a little bit for a few seconds until there’s one or two enemies left. 

When it comes to sound design, it’s top notch. It’s a shame that there isn’t voice acting because the humor would really benefit (but there are a few lines here and there) but nearly all my praise for this category comes for the music. There are a few tracks that match the high-speed antics of the game really well. 

Unfortunately, the game is pretty short, just like its predecessor as It’s possible to beat the main storyline in one long sitting. However, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank has a ton of replayability because its gameplay loop allows for you to jump in for a run just for the heck of it whenever you want. If you want to experience the chaos of the gameplay, you can just keep doing runs. Or if you focus on doing all the little side quests or reading all the silly dialogue of every character, that can add a few extra hours to your playtime.

Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is nothing like its predecessor as it has its timer mechanism and isn’t as “open-world” but it’s a really fast paced game with a lot of humor that you should consider picking up. Some people might not like how short the game is but it lets you shake people down and avoid the fuzz. For the mix of chaotic gameplay, tons of humor, and cheap $15 price tag, it’s a solid pickup. 

4.5/5