Sometimes you want to be a bit of a goober. A goofy goober, at that. Run around without a care in the world, doing random little things that confuse bystanders! Well, maybe you do not, but I sure do. I am the type of fellow who goes out into the summer storm to laugh and dance through the puddles. But, anyway, the point is that there's room in our life for unadulterated whimsy. And you can't ask for a game more whimsical and goofy than Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip.
Embark on a small journey with the titular Terry - a certified goober. He might even be a little scrunkly. As a resident of Spranklewater, a compact town with no real laws, you are free to do as you please. Do crimes. Or don't! Since there are no 'crimes' defined in the law. Bonk other citizens on the noggin. Take their wobbly rides. Dig holes all around the town. Steal money from crabs. Collect bugs and stuff'em in your pockets. Wear fashionable hats - or a cone. Listen to the mushrooms. Collect junk. The world might be tiny but it is your oyster, ready to be slurped down your quivering gullet!
I really don't want to spoil anything, since it is a rather compact game, but I think I am obliged to at least give an example of the goofy stuff you can encounter. During one of the conversations the person I was speaking to inflated and flew off. Just like that. I blinked, I laughed and said to myself "So that's the kind of game it's going to be".
In short - it's an open micro-world collectathon. Your goal is defined from the get-go and it is as mundane as anything that happens in Spranklewater - going to space. With your car. Obvious stuff if you think about it! To achieve that dream you must get yourself a car (because you don't have one) and collect enough junk to upgrade it with more and more powerful turbo boost. That's it, that's the whole game. But aha! I've tricked you! As it should be in a game like this you will meet a cast of zany, cooky, and very wobbly characters that will talk at you in their charming nonsense language. Most of them will offer you a side-challenge, a worthy quest, as quirky and silly as the world allows it to be - that is, quite a lot. Become a champion of citrus-kicking sport. Win at bumper carts (illegal means possible!). Collect somewhat-alive-plastic-pets. And more!
The charm lies in the openness of the whole deal. While you have one tangible goal, you will ultimately run into those different activities and because they are fun, you will get them going. All of that wouldn't work half as well as it does if not for the fantastic art style and music. The game is stellar in that department. Sure, I might see how it might not have universal appeal, but for me, it worked like a charm. The animations are great, characters are funny, both in what they say and how they look. Everything has this soft-edged, squiggly quality to it. Music is dynamic and changes depending on where you trod, and what you do, and it is always an absolute delight to listen to. It is a wild romp that for every hour played kept me happy, smiling, and wanting to do more silly stuff.
Unfortunately, it is not all singsong and roses. The game is rather thin on content. Might sound a bit unfair, but there are not that many activities to go around, and while they pack a lot of initial fun, grinding them up the wazoo can get tedious - and fast. There are only so many insects I want to catch, and so many holes I want to dig. And if you're aiming for 100% achievements in the game, you will be forced to grind for money and to find all the bits and bobs. One could argue that it is par for the course in a collectathon game. It is expected to test your patience and diligence if you want to get it all. And you very much do not have to collect it all to finish the game, being able to wrap it up without much strain in about 3 to 4 hours - depending on how easily distracted you will get by the side activities.
Nonetheless, I can definitely recommend TINY TERRY'S TURBO TRIP - because it is fun. Fun in like the purest sense of the word. It does not overstay its welcome and if you're not aiming for a completionist run, I bet you will bask in joy from start to finish. It is also unique from the visual perspective - I have never seen a game I want to describe with the terms like 'the goobiest' or 'the scrunkliest' as much as this one, both indescribable terms in their most positive they can be. Pick it up. Have a fun romp. You won't be disappointed.
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