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. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. 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).
    Read full review
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