Running Down Memory Lane: My Review of Don’t Tax Me, Bro!

I Didn’t Expect to Feel Things While Running from Tax Police.

Jun 28, 2025

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Hey everybody! I’m ROP and I’m stepping away from my usual cozy, kid-friendly reviews—think The Tiny Bang Story—to share something closer to my own childhood.

I found and first played Don’t Tax Me, Bro!

… expecting a silly, arcade-style runner with a few laughs. What I got was something way more personal! Under the retro art I found a pixelated postcard from my past, and behind the ridiculous ragdoll physics… was home.

So, grab a seat, and let me take you on a nostalgic run.

Checkpoint: Nostalgia Unlocked

Don’t Tax Me, Bro! is a three-button endless runner with a wicked sense of humor; cooked up by Tibith, a tiny Romanian indie studio made up of one developer couple, Tibi and his wife, Dey.

Find more about their dev journey at: https://tibith.com/

In the game, you’re a shady businessman dodging taxes, with two cops hot on your heels through a procedural generated Eastern European city. The pixel-art streets are littered with traps—like sewers, falling pots, even trams—and the vibe? Pure satire, poking fun at the corruption and tax evasion… problems that, sadly, we face even to this day.

See, I’m from Romania, and this game hits me right in the heart. The communist-era apartment blocks looming in the background, the unmistakable boxy Dacia cars, the stray dogs you need to avoid—it’s like someone digitized my childhood.

Jumped a Dacia. Landed in a barking pack fight. 🐶

Every run starts with a glimpse of a living room straight out of the early ‘90s: a CRT TV with the iconic mileu tablecloth, and the iconic glass fish that somehow every Romanian household owned. I can almost hear my grandma calling me in for dinner.

A Romanian Time Capsule

Gameplay-wise, it’s simple but wild, having that classic one-more-try frustration loop. You’re dodging obstacles, grabbing coins, and snagging power-ups like bodyguards, vacuums, caffeinated sprints, and even “Tuica Cocktails” (Tuica being the Romania’s fiery spirit and in this game we have the Molotov form).

But here’s the thing: the ragdoll physics applied to your 8-bit character turn every death into a comedy show—jumping over a pipe only to get hit by a bird or getting flattened by a window flowerpot, dropped by a cat from the 7th floor, it never gets old. And the 8-bit voices? The cops yelling “Stai bă!” (a rough “Freeze!”) in distorted Romanian cracks me up every time.

Pixelated game of chicken—with a tram. Guess who blinked first? 😅

Map wise, we only have two, which might sound limited, but they’re packed with details. The joke gyms with escalators, the Bucharest-style trams, the Dacias everywhere—it’s a love letter to Romanian city life. Sure, the menu is basic, but there’s local multiplayer, custom hats, and just enough jank to remind you this came from someone’s basement.

So… I laughed. I cursed. I remembered.

Why It Mattered (to me):

Authentic Aesthetic – It captures Romania’s post-communist visual DNA, from Dacias and Trams to the gray block flats with corner shops.
Cultural Humor – Getting whacked by a flying pot or knocked out by a dog wasn’t just slapstick—it felt like a metaphor for surviving post-‘90s Romania.
Short Bursts of Escape – I didn’t need to carve out hours to feel something. Just five minutes, and suddenly I was back in my childhood block.
Biting Satire, Local Flavor – Beneath the slapstick deaths and chaotic fun it’s a razor-sharp commentary on corruption and absurdity—one that feels painfully familiar if you grew up here.

End of Run Thoughts

This isn’t a Gamer Dad Review, maybe just a Romanian One—no kid-friendly vibes here, with all the slapstick comedy and shady themes.

This was just me, searching for a quick 5–15 minute burst of fun when I need a break, and finding something fast, rough and ridiculous—yet… walking away, I was feeling strangely and surprisingly sentimental.

At $1.77, it’s a steal, and the replay value (unlocking cosmetics, finding new ways to die) keeps it fresh for quite a while. Could it use more maps or mechanics? Yes. But for what it is—a quirky, nostalgic runner—I think it’s perfect.

Don’t Tax Me, Bro! is more than a game to me—it’s a piece of Romania. It feels like stepping back into a world I left behind—but still carry. Even if that world comes at you yelling “STOP! TAX POLICE!” in crunchy 8-bit Romanian.

If this brought back any memories—or just made you laugh—I’d love to hear it.
Also, is there a little indie gem that hits home for you?
👇 Drop it in the comments—I’m all ears!