Turnip Boy Robs a Bank Review (Bokchoi)
The sequel to Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion. This game changes the genre from puzzle adventure rpg to a roguelite. I personally don’t mind the change, and applaud the risk taken as it allows the sequel to be its own game—distinct from the first. I do understand people’s criticisms on this genre change, but I personally like it.
The humour and external references were just as abundant in this game, with plenty of callbacks to the first one which I absolutely loved. TURNIP-CHAN MAKES A RETURN!!! I had a lot of fun with this game and really enjoyed the dialogue throughout—basically every joke landed for me.
There were a LOT of side quests, and they were super fun to complete. The abundance of hats was also entertaining to play around with—though I didn’t appreciate how many were sent via mail, since it made them feel less earned and therefore less special. The variety of weapons you could switch between was another highlight, making each run more unique.
On to my gripes: the elevator mechanic (in which elevator levels are randomised) is cool in concept, but annoying in execution; trying to find a specific elevator level and running across the entire map to find it was exhausting (especially when 100%ing). Unlike the first game—which had an AMAZING final boss fight—this one lacked a proper ending battle. I will say, the rogue aspect of the game got a little repetitive and tiresome late game, but it wasn’t a huge issue as the game itself is quite short.
All the bosses were fun; wish there were more. The ending in which the final antagonists are some aliens that were barely present throughout the game, instead of Stinky (the bank’s manager) was anti-climatic—we weren’t given closure on what became of him either.
I love the continuation of the nuclear apocalypse established in the first game, and appreciate how much pre-established information was included and extrapolated on in the sequel.
All in all, the sequel imo is not as good as the first game, BUT I appreciate what the devs set out to do. I think the game is quite good and is a satisfactory sequel to the first game, even with a couple of flaws.