Mini Review: Turnip Boy Robs A Bank (Switch)

Farmed robbery

Version Reviewed: North American

review by Ollie Reynolds 10 hours ago

After getting a taste of the criminal life in Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, the cheeky root vegetable returns in Turnip Boy Robs A Bank to, uh, rob a bank—multiple times. While the original game was a charming action-adventure title, the sequel takes inspiration from the likes of Enter the Gungeon and The Binding of Isaac to present an addictive roguelike experience with quick, simplistic gameplay loops and generous rewards to keep you coming back for more, despite some pretty severe performance issues on the Switch at launch.

For those who enjoyed Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion specifically for its jaunty spin on the classic Zelda formula, the shift over to a roguelike setup might feel a bit odd and offputting at first (and if you’re completely against the genre as a whole, then this isn’t for you). That said, its cute aesthetic and absurd cast of characters allows Turnip Boy Robs A Bank to make the transition relatively seamlessly.

The general gist is that you must navigate a bank filled with quirky characters, various enemy types, and deadly traps to locate cash and treasure before hightailing it out before the timer runs out. The bank itself contains elevators that lead to procedurally generated rooms that might contain precious loot or an entirely new set of characters just waiting to unload a side quest or two.

You’ll start the game with a simple melee weapon, but as you gain more and more money through repeat runs, you can start to increase your loadout with permanent items and weaponry back at base. Weapons found on the go can be recycled via a pair of gun launderers to unlock new additions to your arsenal; it won’t be long before you head into the bank packing assault rifles and grenade launchers, and it makes for some delightfully chaotic encounters.

Boss enemies show up, too, and defeating these will unlock keycards with which you can progress even further into the bank. As you gain more cash, you can purchase handy perks such as increased health, a bigger money bag, and longer timers, while orders via the dodgy ‘greggslist’ online site net you items like a laser pointer, pickaxe, and C4; tools that will prove essential if you’re to bag the most amount of cash possible during your heists.

Unfortunately, while Turnip Boy Robs A Bank is an easy recommendation based on its gameplay and visuals, the Switch version currently struggles significantly under the weight of its fast-paced mechanics and busy encounters. If there are multiple enemies on screen or there happens to be a bunch of trip lasers blocking your path, the frame rate will drop to unacceptable levels for lengthy periods, making large chunks of your heists feel like you’re moving underwater. We were told this would be fixed via a day-one patch, but it’s still MIA at launch. If these performance issues were eliminated, we’d have no qualms in telling you to don your best balaclava and get ready to bag some cash.