Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip (Nintendo Switch) Review

Although it’s got plenty of rough edges on the Nintendo Switch – or sometimes no edges where geometry collisions are concerned – Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip hit me just as effectively as 2022’s Lil Gator Game. Coming from the developer of the equally bizarre Wuppo, it’s all about hilarious encounters and simple, unrestricted fun in a quirky world, but there’s an underlying narrative that’s a mix of relatable, tragic, and hopeful.

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip starts weird and gets weirder as the titular Terry applies for a job as a taxi driver in the town of Sprankelwater – a strangely lawless yet peaceful island, inhabited by big-headed humanoids with terrible driving skills and a fondness for hats. Terry has no intention of ever doing the job, but he wants a car. A car he can modify until it’s fast enough to launch him into space – and hopefully fame – by using a ridiculously grandiose and wasteful government monument as a ramp.

After some lax reference checks, Terry emerges from the recruitment centre to bright yellow car and one overarching objective – find enough turbo-junk fragments to sufficiently upgrade its boost ability. A refreshingly simple task that results in Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip feeling like a hybrid between classic 3D platformers and the original Grand Theft Auto games; genres that always encouraged you to just go out and explore the game world. It’s not a directionless experience though, as the map has several question marks to investigate, a log to keep track of side activities you’ve discovered, and you can call your uncle for hints.

Gameplay-wise, Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip is a mix of 3D platformer and driving game with wild physics interactions. It’s also more than a little janky given there’s a menu option to “Unstuck Terry”. As with classic 3D platformers, the environment is littered with staches or containers full of turbo-junk and local currency. There’s plenty of fun to be had simply running, jumping, and driving around the world, exploring every rooftop and corner for collectibles (if only to listen to the excellent and catchy soundtrack for each district), but to achieve Terry’s goal of getting into space before the gameplay loop grows stale, you’ll want to meet the locals.

Significant locals can be just as weird, awkward, and entertaining as Terry, ranging from bored receptionists to his unexpectedly supportive non-boss, an enlightened yoga instructor, a morally upstanding criminal, a struggling restauranteur, several useless government members, a foolish sunbather, and even a rival who has their sights on owning the fastest car in Sprankelwater. The gameplay loop is mostly straightforward: you need to collect some currency to buy a few basic tools to whack, dig up, or catch items to fill an expanding inventory; you collect or deliver said items to complete tasks; and the reward is inevitably a buried trashcan full of turbo-junk to uncover.

While it’s not worth finding every piece of turbo-junk or purchasing every hat for fear of killing the pacing, it’s also too easy to get Terry’s car ready for the ending without meeting the entire cast. I’d advise you go out of your way to visit them all as you can complete most significant encounters within 4-5 hours, with a few repeatable jobs to quickly gain currency and a fun selection of mini-games to tackle: think matching yoga poses, bumper car battles, and 2 vs. 2 playground football. The controls are a little too loose to make reaching the top of the leaderboard worth it, but they’re an entertaining distraction that can lead to future encounters.

Now while it’s possible to ignore or miss storytelling elements, I was surprised by how quickly Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip’s goofy exchanges and optional interactions revealed more narrative depth. Some characters exist just for witty lines and social commentary, but there are more sympathetic characters with heartfelt exchanges that reveal more about Terry in his responses. Why has he been left in Sprankelwater while his family is on holiday? Why are some characters so quick to doubt or downplay his abilities? Why is he fixated on achieving fame through a ridiculous and dangerous stunt? There’s a plenty of story on offer for those who want it.

Wrapping up, Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip offers up a few hours of mechanical fun while you upgrade Teryy’s car, with classic “explore everywhere” 3D platforming, chaotic but forgiving driving, and several mini-games. However, I’d argue you’re missing half the experience if you don’t seek out all the optional interactions that reveal more heartfelt writing and dig into Terry’s backstory. If you’ve ever set yourself lofty, unachievable goals to avoid dealing with grounded issues right in front of you, Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip has more to offer than simple old-school fun.

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip was reviewed on Nintendo Switch using a code provided to gameblur by the publisher. It is also available on PC, Xbox One/Series S|X, and PS4/5.