Turnip Boy Robs a Bank is free on the Epic Games Store starting March 5 and running through March 12. It normally goes for $14.99 on Steam. It’s worth grabbing — a tight, funny roguelite that takes 2–3 hours to beat and earns a Metacritic 82. The second free game that week is Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms, which is already free-to-play on Steam — but Epic sweetens it with a paid champion starter pack. Claim both. Zero cost, zero regret.
What Is Turnip Boy Robs a Bank?
If you missed Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (2021), here’s the lore: you’re a sentient turnip who destroyed society and is now committing crimes. The sequel swaps the top-down Zelda formula of the first game for a roguelite bank heist loop. You raid the bank, shoot things, shake down hostages for cash, loot as much as you can carry, retreat to your hideout, and upgrade. Then go back in and do it again, getting a little stronger each time.
Developer Snoozy Kazoo released it January 18, 2024. It’s a short game by design — most players finish the story in 2–3 hours, with full completion taking maybe 5–6. This is not a 40-hour investment. Think of it as a tight action-comedy with legs you can play in a single evening or two.
The humor is the real draw. The writing is genuinely funny — absurdist jokes buried in item descriptions, NPC dialogue that leans into the chaos of the premise, and a story that lands because it doesn’t try too hard. If the first game’s jokes landed for you, this one continues in the same spirit.
How the Gameplay Works
The core loop is simple: enter the bank with a loadout of weapons and items, fight through enemy-filled floors, grab as much loot as possible before extracting. Back at your hideout, you spend the cash on permanent upgrades — better weapons, passive abilities, stat boosts. Each run is slightly different, and the upgrades compound over time, making you feel meaningfully stronger as the game progresses.
It’s a top-down twin-stick shooter at its core. Enemies range from cops to tax collectors to increasingly absurd mid-bosses. The combat is fast and doesn’t demand much precision — this is a budget indie, not Hades — but it’s satisfying in the same way that any solid run-based loop is. The weapons are creative and occasionally ridiculous, which fits the tone.
One honest note from reviews: it hurries itself along. PC Gamer called it “quirky roguelite fun in a bite-size package,” which is accurate — but the “bite-size” part means some players who wanted more depth came away wanting. That’s the trade-off. You get a complete, polished experience that respects your time, but it doesn’t linger. If you want a roguelite with the progression depth of Hades or Slay the Spire, this isn’t it. If you want 2–3 hours of genuinely funny action game that doesn’t outstay its welcome, it nails that.
What Critics Said
Metacritic score of 82 with a user score of 7.8 — both solid for a $14.99 indie. Standout quotes from the review window:
- Digital Chumps (96): “Turnip Boy Robs a Bank from developer Snoozy Kazoo is an action-packed game that uses a quick pace to keep the engaging gameplay moving forward.”
- Press consensus: “Adorable, silly, and quite funny… this roguelite might be a big genre shift from its predecessor but it’s just as lovable. It hurries itself along a bit too much, but the fast pace of gameplay and swift progress at least ensures it never gets dull.”
- Metacritic critic (summarized): “Turnip Boy proves he’s no one-hit wonder, taking a slightly different direction yet still hitting all the right notes. Fun to play and enjoyable to master.”
The main criticism across the board: it’s short, and it leans into “lite” in roguelite. At $14.99 that’s a legitimate concern. At $0 on Epic March 5–12, it’s a no-brainer claim.
Do You Need to Play the First Game?
No — but playing the first one makes the jokes land better. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion is regularly on sale for $2–3 on Steam. The sequel was designed so newcomers can jump in without context, but if you have an evening before March 5 and want full value out of the sequel’s references, knock out the first game (it’s about 3 hours) and then claim the sequel for free.
If you played and liked the first game, this one is an automatic claim. If you’re new to the series, start here and expect to laugh at least twice at something in the first 30 minutes.
What About Idle Champions of the Forgotten Realms?
This one requires a quick explanation because it’s already free to play — on Steam, on Epic, on mobile. The base game costs nothing. What Epic is giving away during the March 5–12 window is a champion starter pack with paid content included: additional champions, equipment, and progression items that would normally require real-money DLC purchases.
Idle Champions is a D&D-themed incremental idle game where you build a formation of heroes from across Dungeons & Dragons lore — characters from novels, official campaigns, and live streams — and send them through dungeons. The strategy is in formation placement and party composition. It’s casual enough that you can have it running in a background window.
The honest take: it’s a free-to-play game with deep monetization. The base game is entirely playable for free, but Idle Champions has been running paid events and champion packs for years. Getting a starter pack for free from Epic is a nice bonus if you’re interested in the game — it gives you a headstart that normally costs $15–20. But don’t mistake it for the big freebie of the week. That’s Turnip Boy.
If you’re a D&D fan or enjoy idle games, claim both. The Idle Champions starter pack has real value. If you’re a casual gamer looking for something to actually play, focus on Turnip Boy.
How to Claim (March 5–12)
Head to the Epic Games Store on March 5 and add both games to your account before March 12 at 11 AM ET. Once claimed, they’re yours permanently — no Epic subscription required, just a free Epic account. You don’t need to install them to claim.
Right now (Feb 26 – March 5), Boxes: Lost Fragments and My Night Job are still available for free — claim those too before they expire on Thursday.
What Else Is Free March 5?
March 5 is a big day. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 hits Game Pass (Ultimate and PC) — the Metacritic 87 medieval RPG from Warhorse Studios with 60+ hours of content. Planet of Lana 2 also launches day one on Game Pass. If you have Game Pass, those two alone make it one of the best days the service has had in months. Turnip Boy on Epic is the free pick for people without a subscription.
Verdict
Claim Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. It’s a $14.99 game with an 82 Metacritic that takes an evening to finish and is genuinely funny throughout. The roguelite loop isn’t deep but it works, and you’ll probably replay it once just to unlock the rest of the jokes. The Idle Champions pack is worth claiming too if you have any interest in D&D idle games — the starter content has real money value. Both are free for one week starting March 5. Set a reminder if you need one.
