Tingle RPG

Written by Chris Reiter  on October 26, 2006

Import Impressions: Everyone's favorite green-clothed Zelda hero is back to spread his childlike fancies to the world. Tingle, that is. Who do you think I meant?

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He is the sprightly fellow who radiates eccentric warmth. He is the one who minces about in tight-fitting green pajamas. He is the man-boy known as Tingle. Everybody who has played any of the recent Zelda games knows Tingle. His obvious strangeness has led to a debatable appeal among fans. But being a highly unusual character isn't always a bad thing. Case in point, Nintendo plans to make Tingle the star in his very own role-playing game. The name, appropriately enough, is Tingle RPG.

Tingle RPG tells the story of Tingle before he became who he is, what he is, why he is, and all that jazz. At the game's beginning, Tingle is essentially an unknown 35-year-old man. One night Grandfather Rupee (presumably a great rupee being) interrupts his sleep. Grandfather Rupee explains to the man that in order to gain access to Rupee Land, he must pour an increasing amount of rupees into a fountain near his abode. Accepting this ambitious task, the man is then transformed into the rupee-obsessed Tingle.

If you thought having to pay back a loan shark by Friday was a bad thing, wait until you get a load of Tingle's life. Tingle is a moneyman, both out of desire and necessity. Everything in Tingle RPG involves rupee expenses. Bribing a gate guard to get entry into a dungeon, or even conducting a conversation with someone will contribute to the constant drainage of Tingle's wallet. Tingle is so dependent on rupees that he will literally drop dead if he runs out. These money dynamics are part of what makes this RPG so enticing. The game play consists of a constant evolving struggle between frugal spending and recouping losses.

There are a number of ways for Tingle to get earn rupees, including stewing recipes and bartering off goods. Another innovative route comes through completing unfinished maps with the stylus. Tingle also earns rupees by defeating enemies. Tingle's more of a lover than a fighter, so all the combat in Tingle RPG involves one enemy or more (the more the merrier) mixed up in a tumbling dust ball which you'll need to guide and tap on with the stylus in order to support Tingle. The object is to get more enemies to beat on Tingle at a time. Even though you'll be injuring Tingle and diminishing his rupee count, you'll also gain bigger rewards in the end. Up to 30 helpers will be around to aid Tingle in these skirmishes, provided you pay them for their troubles.

Tingle RPG sports visuals a bit less high-maintenance from what you might usually find in actual Zelda release. Tingle's graphics are put together with 2D sprites in a very hand-drawn artistic world. They're not flashy but are suitable for the game's needs.