If there's two things I enjoy, it's Zeldersatzes and not having to pay anyone money. Fortunately, Snoozy Kazoo's Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion—a title so literal it makes the Japanese light novel industry sigh and wonder aloud how and when the art of subtlety up and died (though if it did, I doubt it'd tell anyone)—is a game that delivers on both of those beloved pastimes. As Turnip Boy, the titular rascally root vegetable, the player is forced to perform tasks for the avaricious onion mayor of Veggieville to pay off an exorbitant tax hike on his greenhouse property. He accomplishes this by wandering around the world in a top-down manner, entering dungeons, solving puzzles, finding items that expand his traversal capabilities, fighting bosses, and repeating the loop as often as is needed. The game's pretty flagrant about the whole Zeldersatz thing—though, like many I've observed in the past, tends to prioritize one aspect over the rest: specifically, the parts in Zelda where it leans harder on the "-adventure" half of its sub-genre categorization and has you provide items to the specific NPCs that request them.

It's not long before Turnip Boy finds a sword, but many of the other items and puzzles tend to revolve around horticulture: the local vicinity is full of plants that need a little watering (the watering can being the very first item you find, which Turnip Boy steals from a blind elderly neighbor like the hero he is) and these are often the linchpin for the environmental puzzles that bar your progress. Boomblooms create bombs that can destroy barriers, though you might need the Bomberman-style boots to kick them into place first, while others might produce damaging fireballs or warp portals. The game will periodically roll out new plant puzzles in the dungeons which then allow for you to explore further around the overworld, beyond where you've seen similar roadblocks, for health upgrades and a few superficial collectibles like documents (receipts, love letters, heavy books, historical records; Turnip Boy tears them all up for fun) and fancy new headwear.

Even if the game tends to focus on a lot of silliness about sapient vegetables eluding their legally-mandated tithes while getting their haberdashery on, there's some darker edges to the game's backstory that find themselves sneaking into view whenever you visit the game's subterranean zones, particularly with regards to the previous occupants of the planet. I was mildly impressed that the game's lore involved more than just meme references and brassy Brassica rapa running amok; one boss in particular was kinda heartbreaking to deal with, albeit a tad ballbreaking too (I had some pretty serious trouble avoiding all those toxic pools). There's also a considerable number of NPCs given the game's tiny size with their own distinct personalities and foibles, and it's worth remembering whenever they mention something they want; chances are, you'll find it half the game later and will need to rack your brain about who may have mentioned dyes or spray paint or a missing apple-cat.

The game's size is often its biggest strength as well as detriment. For one, the game eschews maps completely as each of its areas and dungeons are small enough to not really necessitate them. Some, like the requisite maze that teleports you back to the entrance if you mess up, wouldn't work with them regardless. The overworld is easy enough to navigate though there are times when you might need to backtrack some ways to deliver items to someone; one exchange of correspondence between two tubers has you cycle back and forth between the bottom of one dungeon and the end of the aforementioned maze, which is almost certainly not worth the two free hats you get out of it. I would also say that the game's combat is not its strong suit, as it suffers from some iffy hitbox detection on its weapons and the all-too-probable result of an enemy trapping you in a corner and stun-locking you to death. Your only combat options are the sword and a dodge "trip", the latter ideal for avoiding harm in addition to taxation, but most boss fight arenas will also provide boomblooms that might need some figuring out to use effectively (but tend to be worth the trouble given their damage output).

Overall, Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is a goofy, slight, occasionally amusing (and occasionally grim) Zeldersatz that, well, has the sort of name that might easily draw your attention as it did mine when I was choosing what to play this week. It's not the strongest in its category by a long shot but its charms are innumerable—in addition to the subjective quality of the humor, the eclectic soundtrack and clean pixel art are both pretty solid—and worth slaking one's curiosity about. I'll have to keep a potato eye out for Turnip Boy's next adventure, Turnip Boy Robs a Bank, which looks to be a great deal more substantial in addition to the usual perks that come from a more confident sequel.

(I know, I know, I probably should've picked an XBLA game this week given the number. I'm fresh out though.)

Rating: 4 out of 5.