Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip (PC) Review

There is an issue however with game trailers currently in that they all look broadly the same. Either it's going to be a fortnite-like character shooter, a spin on the farming life-sim, a "cosy" title or a nostalgic throwback to an underserved style or aesthetic of the past. While Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip's trailer absolutely falls into the nostalgic throwback category, as it attempts to signal that it'll scratch the itch of anyone who fondly recalls playing The Simpsons: Hit & Run back in the day, it still manages to stand out as an underserved style of the past.

But really, though it might capture the spirit of The Simpsons: Hit & Run insomuch as it is an open-world platformer, with cars that can be driven around freely, Terry attracts attention more so for its own unique personality and irreverence, of which it has in spades. It's the second title by one-man team, Snekflat, and it feels confident in its own tone and style, something that's far harder to achieve with a larger team of people. Terry is on a quest to get a job as a taxi driver so that he can get a car and then once he has a car he can eventually drive into space. That's the logic, and it should convey everything that needs to be known about the overall tone of Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip.

As random as it might sound, the writing is sharp and fun, full of an assortment of jazzy characters, keeping Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip fuelled over its rather short four hours-or-so of total playtime. One would be forgiven for thinking the term "open-world" is synonymous with a thousand-hour meaty campaign, but that isn't the case and is rather refreshing here. The gameplay map and overall experience is relatively miniscule by way of a comparison. Gameplay consists of exploring the world, completing jobs or missions and collecting scrap to upgrade the boosters on the aforementioned space-taxi to enable it to make it into space. There are a few well-conceived minigames that help with varying the flow, but the loop can get a little repetitive in the latter half of the game when all other new objectives have dried up. That being said, Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip did manage to stay compelling just enough to elicit two or three more play sessions to clear up the 100%.

And ultimately that's because Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip is as much fun as it is charming. No more is it evident than having a feature assigned to an otherwise redundant control that makes Terry spurt gobbledegook for no reason. It serves no purpose other than to give an additional abstruse interaction within the game world, something that there absolutely should be a petition for more of in video games. It still does not quite live up to the lofty standards set by 24: The Game's Jack Bauer CTU button, though. That was the best.