“Turnip Boy Robs a Bank,” released on Jan. 18, expands on the humor and combat of studio Snoozy Kazoos’ debut project “Turnip Boy Commits Tax Fraud” — a simple narrative game of a young vegetable dodging payments and avoiding authority. Unexpected to many, this installment sees a genre switch into a roguelike bullet hell.
Two days after saving the entire world from an evil onion god in the prequel, the title character Turnip Boy is tasked with aiding his father’s old pickle gang in their pursuits to discover Botanical Bank’s secrets and stashes.
As in many roguelikes, players may choose their starting weapon before entering the procedurally generated dungeon and continuing to upgrade with the spoils of each bank robbery attempt. The weapon variety allows for players to use a gameplay style of their choosing.
Snoozy Kazoo, the indie studio that created the franchise, has an overly simplistic view of difficulty — abundance is key. Whether it be cop donuts with fast respawn times during boss fights or dangerous projectiles enveloping the screen, it seems that the studio has a vague understanding of what makes a roguelike fun. It is not just difficulty, but rather how a player develops the skills to overcome such difficulties.
Waiting for a visual signifier that a new obstacle has appeared does not put the gameplay’s onus on the player; the player is merely reacting to changes in environment and enemies rather than interacting. The chaotic environment and poor optimization stir frustration in a way that leaves the player feeling helpless rather than empowered to battle the upcoming challenges.
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Similarly, the plethora of quests available for the player to take on at the early stages of the game leads to a parallel sense of overwhelm.
Much of the game audio falls into a similar misunderstanding. More is not always better in the field of music production — in fact, the lack of direction often leads to forgettable products. The overproduced tracks on the OST lack the character needed for a game whose genre is known for endless gameplay.
Despite its clunkiness and many flaws, “Turnip Boy Robs a Bank” manages to be an overall enjoyable experience. Just like its predecessor, the game excels in the humor, with modern allusions to Twitch streamers, meme culture and cultural phenomena plastered throughout the game.
The progression system is also gratifying while the increases in money earned per run are well-balanced. This provides a deeper sense of advancement as it coincides with developments in the loose story.
Pixel art is a difficult medium to express proper characterizations, as the inability to use curvatures leaves many facial expressions and body-language signifiers difficult to replicate.
However, “Turnip Boy” exceeds expectations in this aspect, as much of its humor is derived from the disconnect between the vibrant, wacky characters and the violence that comes with robbing a bank.
While the game has many missteps in conceptualization and seems to be unfamiliar with its genre, players will still be cracking a smile and letting out soft chuckles to the idiotic beauty of “Turnip Boy Robs a Bank.”
