What we’re playing: Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is exactly as ridiculous as it sounds

Kyle Bradshaw | Apr 29 2021 - 1:02 pm PT

9to5Google’s Game of the Week is brought to you by GeForce NOW. GeForce NOW Instantly transforms nearly any laptop, desktop, Mac, SHIELD TV, Android device, iPhone, or iPad into the PC gaming rig you’ve always dreamed of. And, every GFN Thursday, new games are added to the GeForce NOW Library.

Over the weekend, I took time to play Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, an accurately titled video game and easily the funniest game I’ve ever played.

Just as the name suggests, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion opens with the titular Turnip Boy ripping up a document explaining that he must pay thousands of dollars’ worth of property taxes to the mayor for his greenhouse home. With that original sin committed, Turnip Boy immediately becomes homeless and is forced to be Mayor Onion’s personal assistant.

The core gameplay sees Turnip Boy, an adorable sentient turnip, venture into the world of sentient foods, avoiding obvious predators like snails and rabbits, and performing increasingly strange fetch quests. Along the way, you’ll make friends — and sometimes enemies — out of every member of Veggieville, each of whom has a unique perspective on life and usually something that Turnip Boy can help them with.

Between destinations on your quests, you’ll be faced with simple combat and puzzles that take a great deal of influence from The Legend of Zelda, with an extra serving of Portal for good measure. Puzzles slowly ramp up, teaching each new mechanic or how to combine tools for a new effect. Movement in the game can feel a bit floaty, but I mean that in an oddly delightful way, matching the cutesy art style used throughout.

The combat system is straightforward, but could be better, with attacks and hitboxes not being quite as predictable as you may want. Outside of boss battles, though, the combats are easy enough to skip or brute force through. Or, if you just want to enjoy the most fun parts of the game, there are God Mode and damage multiplier options in the settings to make Turnip Boy more accessible.

For the first few chapters of the game, every encounter is taken as a prime opportunity to either flip your expectations or build a sitcom-esque house of cards, then knock it down. Taking care not to spoil any of the jokes, it’s no exaggeration for me to say that the first hour or so of Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is some of the best legitimate “laugh out loud” comedy I’ve experienced in a long time, let alone in a video game. Kudos to the writers at Snoozy Kazoo.

As the story progresses, however, things slowly turn from happy-go-lucky to bizarrely sinister, as more of the world and Turnip Boy himself is revealed. All the while, the seriousness is contrasted by Turnip Boy’s adorable artwork and his dialogue that consists almost entirely of oddly meaningful ellipses.

While still littered with enough jokes to keep things lighthearted, the second half of Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion hits differently. Certain moments managed to hit home for me, while others felt like the implausible plot of a cheesy sci-fi film. Either way, between the puzzles, humor, and plot investment, it was easy enough to stick through to the end.

All in all, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion was a fantastic way to spend 3.5 hours this weekend. The pure absurdist joy of the first hour or so is well worth the price of admission. If you’re looking for a game to play to lift your spirits with no long-term investment, look no further. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is available on Steam for $14.99 and can be played through Nvidia GeForce Now.