Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion

 Switch
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 26
  3. Negative: 2 out of 26
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  1. rockefelersteel
    Apr 26, 2021
    6
    Underwhelming variety, dialogue, and length when compared to the price tag. The gameplay seemed like it would be reminiscent of the original Legend of Zelda games. This game is extremely simplistic. The combat is super basic, never adopting any kind of range attacks, unless the bombs are explicitly laid out for you. The water can feature can feel a bit unnecessary, sometimes to the pointUnderwhelming variety, dialogue, and length when compared to the price tag. The gameplay seemed like it would be reminiscent of the original Legend of Zelda games. This game is extremely simplistic. The combat is super basic, never adopting any kind of range attacks, unless the bombs are explicitly laid out for you. The water can feature can feel a bit unnecessary, sometimes to the point of it seeming like an artificial game lengthener. The most compelling part of the gameplay is the portal gun, but the game being in a top down 2D perspective, its impact on the gameplay is minimal. The result of this is extremely surface level puzzling. Certainly not bad enough to keep me from 100% completing this game, but enough that I mostly felt on autopilot. The main praise I hear for this game is its comedic writing. While this game *can* be genuinely funny at points (for some reason it never gets old when someone hands Turnip boy an important piece of paper and he immediately rips it in half), a lot of the "attempts" at humor are lazy and overly dependent on references. There's a very out of place JoJo reference that amounts to nothing gameplay wise. There's a random character that will just go into the navy seal copypasta completely unprovoked. So much of what I'm supposed to find funny about this game is "you know that thing? well we know it too." I'm not a huge believer in length = price tag, as I feel it incentivizes developers to drag out a game, but $15 for a 4 hour game better be Firewatch caliber, and nothing of this game is to that standard.

    The main success of this game is getting me excited to see what is in store for Snoozy Kazoo. The high price tag is a lot easier to swallow for small, growing, indie studios than it would be for a bigger company. I can tell a lot of passion into this, and a lot of attention to detail is evident in how seamless it is to progress the plot. They built a small little world that is compelling and draws intrigue. A lot of games do backtracking poorly, but Turnip Boy does it in a way that is time efficient, and serves to make the different parts of the map more deeply ingrained into my memory, rather than feeling like a chore.

    Unless money is tight, I still recommend picking this game up. I played it on the Nintendo Switch, because it seemed like it would be right at home in Nintendo's library and that it would be a casual game to play away from my desk. Unfortunately, I would probably recommend you get this on Steam as the performance dips when going between rooms and the button layout for the Switch version is *still* mapped to the Xbox controller instead of the Switch controllers (probably the most unforgiveable aspect of the Switch port. Come on guys, this shouldn't be hard to fix).

    Bottom line: a fun short, derivative, simple romp that feels slightly overpriced, but I'm still excited for the future of Snoozy Kazoo.    … Expand
  2. nusco
    Mar 26, 2022
    5
    A short, simple Zelda-ish adventure with cute characters and weird dark humor.

    PROS: - A SHORT, RELAXING EXPERIENCE: I was looking for a chill game that could keep me busy for two or three hours, and that was exactly what I got. - UNIQUE DARK HUMOR: Don't get fooled by the "kawaii" characters. Before the end credits, this game goes to some strangely dark places. - MADE WITH    A short, simple Zelda-ish adventure with cute characters and weird dark humor.

    PROS:

    - A SHORT, RELAXING EXPERIENCE: I was looking for a chill game that could keep me busy for two or three hours, and that was exactly what I got.

    - UNIQUE DARK HUMOR: Don't get fooled by the "kawaii" characters. Before the end credits, this game goes to some strangely dark places.

    - MADE WITH LOVE: You can see that the authors of this game had fun making it. Their loving care pushes the gameplay forward.

    CONS:

    - LAME MECHANICS: Good thing that the characters and atmosphere in this game are good, because the mechanics are quite sloppy. Most "puzzles" consist of going from one place to another and talk to NPCs. Combat is equally weak, and I found it overly simple even though I never understood how to use the dashing move.

    - BAD PERFORMANCE: There is no excuse for such a simple game struggling to keep a smooth framerate.

    - IS THAT… A MESSAGE? There seems to be some political message in the game, but what is it? Taxes are evil and politicians are corrupt–is that it? And what should I make of the references to pandemic lockdowns? It all feels more annoying than anything.    … Expand
  3. Meeleepit
    May 13, 2021
    6
    A bit pricey but yet a fun game.

    Not difficult at all.

    Very simplistic gameplay but the game looks wonderful.

    Enjoyed the sound track and characters.

    Finished in about 5 hours

    Very enjoyable game
  4. Streetfightersa
    May 15, 2021
    5
    It was an enjoyable game while it lasted, it took 3 hours to finish the whole thing. For the price I would have expected something that lasted longer and was a bit more challenging. However- it had funny nuances in the conversations and it was quirky.
  5. Sinascendant
    May 18, 2021
    4
    The game has a good premise, but doesn't deliver on it.

    I was able to complete 100% of the game in 1 hour 45 minutes. The game is extremely easy, posing little challenge on the default settings; and there are settings in the menu to make you stronger or even invulnerable. The only deaths I had were to badly designed attacks that can lock you in a corner and hit you multiple times in    The game has a good premise, but doesn't deliver on it.

    I was able to complete 100% of the game in 1 hour 45 minutes.

    The game is extremely easy, posing little challenge on the default settings; and there are settings in the menu to make you stronger or even invulnerable.

    The only deaths I had were to badly designed attacks that can lock you in a corner and hit you multiple times in succession with no way to dodge.

    The humor was cute in places, but was mainly anime references and moderately old memes. In addition, this version is terribly optimized, and cannot even maintain a solid 30fps, which is impressively bad for a top down adventure game with 2D sprites.

    There's just not enough here to justify a $15 price tag. At $6 or $7, it would be a 7.5, and I could overlook the lack of content. At the current price, it's not worth it.    … Expand
  6. Mazooma
    May 3, 2021
    8
    Fun, simple game, with not a great amount of substance, but clearly a lot of passion and care put into it. The dialogue is funny and charming, the story, although simplistic, is very well-told, using a "show, not tell" approach. The soundtrack is easy on the ear, and the graphics style is very appealing to look at. However, the gameplay is extremely simplistic - the combat is pretty muchFun, simple game, with not a great amount of substance, but clearly a lot of passion and care put into it. The dialogue is funny and charming, the story, although simplistic, is very well-told, using a "show, not tell" approach. The soundtrack is easy on the ear, and the graphics style is very appealing to look at. However, the gameplay is extremely simplistic - the combat is pretty much only using your one sword attack and then dodging, though occasionally the game will get you to bomb your enemies. Additionally, the puzzles are very basic, surface level difficulty. At one point the game introduces essentially the portal gun from Valve's Portal, but you don't really use it much outside of the area you pick it up in, which was disappointing. I was also a little disappointed with the short runtime of the game - 100%ing it took me just under 2.5 hours - but I guess that's a testament to how enjoyable the game is, despite its flaws. Overall, I'd say it was a short but sweet experience that I would recommend. I'm looking forward to seeing what else this studio will bring out next!… Expand
  7. alivemau5
    May 20, 2021
    4
    very simple game, not much substance, and very short. even at $15 its too expensive, maybe one day when it gets added as a "free" game somewhere, play it and enjoy your 2 hour, otherwise dont buy it
  8. Paulisonfire
    Jul 2, 2021
    9
    I really genuinely enjoyed my time with this game! Don't expect a long adventure. I completed the entire thing in a little over 2 hours, but all of those two hours were spent having a lot of fun. The dialogue was often genuinely funny, and really cute throughout. I will say the Switch version feels poorly optimized. There's pretty consistent frame drops, but the game isn't difficult enoughI really genuinely enjoyed my time with this game! Don't expect a long adventure. I completed the entire thing in a little over 2 hours, but all of those two hours were spent having a lot of fun. The dialogue was often genuinely funny, and really cute throughout. I will say the Switch version feels poorly optimized. There's pretty consistent frame drops, but the game isn't difficult enough that it's ever really an issue. I was always excited to see what came next. Also ending credits song slaps super hard.… Expand
  9. cdgetz21
    Nov 28, 2021
    10
    Cute and hilarious Zelda like game. The only problem I had with it is that it was to short. I wish it was longer, but I still had a great time.
  10. Cosmicrobus
    Apr 29, 2021
    10
    Turnip boy is a strange game, some people may not like it. This is one of those “easy to learn, but hard to master” type games. It provides easy gameplay, but frustrating bosses to make you keep coming back. It’s humor is on point and is self aware, the game feels really happy and cute. The story is also very simple, but that’s fine. The game is short but it felt like it was meant to beTurnip boy is a strange game, some people may not like it. This is one of those “easy to learn, but hard to master” type games. It provides easy gameplay, but frustrating bosses to make you keep coming back. It’s humor is on point and is self aware, the game feels really happy and cute. The story is also very simple, but that’s fine. The game is short but it felt like it was meant to be that way, a short, tough as nails adventure game. Turnip boys soundtrack is amazing, I remember all of them. It has so many fun moments, and when the game ends. You hope for a sequel, just like I did.… Expand
  11. LambdaLocator
    Jul 21, 2023
    10
    The only game that let's you commit tax evasion. So automatically I have to give it a 10/10.
  12. archertheseal
    Feb 2, 2023
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Honestly a pretty nice game, but I really didn't want any dark twists. Why did there have to be so much radiation and fallout stuff? I bought this game to play a fun little RPG as a goofy document-ripping turnip boy! Besides that, the mechanics are interesting. I like the hats and tools, and it's got really good bosses.… Expand
  13. Derpdart
    Feb 15, 2023
    9
    A funny game, though it is short. The gameplay was good, story was enjoyable and overall, the only complaint was the length.
  14. Midnight
    May 8, 2021
    7
    It's alright. Too short for $15, the controls are bafflingly swapped on the Switch (B is select and A is cancel), and there appears to be some sort of a memory leak that means performance tanks the longer you play. Some of the dialog is clever enough and there's a couple good references, but it relies *way* too heavily on memetic humor that means this game is going to be unbearably cringeyIt's alright. Too short for $15, the controls are bafflingly swapped on the Switch (B is select and A is cancel), and there appears to be some sort of a memory leak that means performance tanks the longer you play. Some of the dialog is clever enough and there's a couple good references, but it relies *way* too heavily on memetic humor that means this game is going to be unbearably cringey in only a year or two.

    That said, it's fun enough to kill a couple of hours. There are moments of real brilliance at some points. Some of the plot points as well really paint it like it's going to suddenly spiral into madness but the devs seemed to either not want to spend the time or were too scared to actually explore parts of the plot. Play it for two hours, then never really think about it again.    … Expand
  15. NindieSpotlight
    Jan 18, 2022
    7
    Just from its pretty unusual title you could guess this will be a bit of an oddball ride, and though its length and depth are a little lacking there’s no doubt that Turnip Boy and his many associates bring a unique flavor to mostly traditional play. Playing mostly along the lines of an action RPG adventure you’ll be talking to your fellow plant life beings and working to find and thenJust from its pretty unusual title you could guess this will be a bit of an oddball ride, and though its length and depth are a little lacking there’s no doubt that Turnip Boy and his many associates bring a unique flavor to mostly traditional play. Playing mostly along the lines of an action RPG adventure you’ll be talking to your fellow plant life beings and working to find and then bring back the items they demand in order to advance the story. The combat isn’t particularly challenging, the puzzles aren’t often terribly inspired, and the humor is nice for flavor but is typically more quirky than laugh out loud funny. The result is suitably pleasant for a little while, but unless you’re really into the look and sense of humor it exudes you can probably hold off until it’s on sale.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/04/mini-reviews-april-23rd-edition.html    … Expand
  16. leeuk321
    Sep 12, 2022
    7
    Like others have said, it's a fun little Zelda type game, short and sweet. Not challenging or stimulating in any way though, you kind of just go through the motions from start to finish.
  17. Dyl_lionaire
    Feb 11, 2023
    7
    The games good, the style and theming are where this game shines, with dark humour and interesting characters. However! The game is overpriced with such a short experience, it's even free on mobile so yeah... I also worry this game will become very dated for all its pop culture references.

Awards & Rankings

58
#58 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Oct 6, 2021
    65
    The biggest issue with the game is its brevity: I knocked it out in an afternoon, and was surprised because it seemed like an RPG of sorts. There were also several instances where I thought areas would open up after a boss battle, but the game blocks off areas for humor, almost teasing the player into thinking the adventure is bigger. [Issue #53 – July/August 2021, p. 23]
  2. Games.cz
    Aug 16, 2021
    60
    A fun little game, but far too short and without any challenge at all. Do you want to relax and gaze upon lovely illustrations? Don’t hesitate. But if you want to actually play a game, look elsewhere.
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  3. GamingTrend
    Jun 21, 2021
    70
    Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a cute little game that’s over way too quickly. While this means that a lot of its questions aren’t answered and its mechanics are underutilized, what’s here is still a very enjoyable ride with an adorable protagonist (that may need a calculator or two).
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