Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland Review
09-24-2007
By: TSA
The very name Tingle conjures up images of pedophilia and homosexuality, as well as bringing out the relative insecurities of the entire Zelda community. When Nintendo announced in late summer 2005 that Tingle RPG was in the works, fans immediately began to laugh and dismiss the title as pathetic. When it was confirmed in the wake of the delay of Twilight Princess, and the first media surfaced, fans really wondered what the hell Nintendo was doing. Many fans even went so far as to dismiss the title from the series, believing it would never reach make it outside of Japan. Quite frankly, until we played Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, we agreed with most of these sentiments. Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is not a blockbuster Zelda title, but it is a pretty quirky, yet rewarding experience that pays tribute to some of the older titles in some very strange ways.
The essential premise of Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is to collect enough rupees in order to make a tower reach high enough into the heavens to reach Rupeeland, where all of Tingle's dreams will come true. Throughout the game, you progress to new islands by raising the tower higher, and on each island, Tingle has to help out the inhabitants for reward money, as well as plow through five dungeons. Each island increases in size, ranging from a very small starting island, to the gargantuan desert island near the end. The locales include the Deku Forest, Lon Lon Meadow, the Icey Plain, Death Mountain and more. All together there are 10 islands you visit, each more perplexing than the last. To navigate on screen, simply use the D-pad or the four standard buttons on the rightside of the Nintendo DS; the stylus is not used to move Tingle for the most part, a complete reversal from Phantom Hourglass.
The game is all about managing your rupees, and balancing your costs and your gains. This makes the game initially seem to appeal to accountants and financial majors, but in reality, it's more of a gambling aspect with a bit of strategy. Many of the items or information you wish to obtain cost a set amount. Some of the items or information does not have a known fixed price, but you can make an educated guess based on the history of your recent purchases as well as clues given by the NPCs themselves. Enemies will drop rupees, and if you find a chest or finish a dungeon, you'll get a fixed amount of rupees as well. However, at points in the game, you can assist the NPCs, and they will ask you for an amount to pay Tingle as a reward. Get too greedy, and they'll underpay you drastically, but if you are too generous, you'll be scammed.
Managing your rupees is only one aspect of the gameplay. Another crucial part of the game is combat. While Tingle does not wield a sword and shield, the 35-year-old-fairy wannabe can get into scuffles with his bare hands. It resembles more of a cartoonish "mob fight" where everyone gets together and brawls. To engage an enemy, simply run into a foe and tap them with the stylus to attack. The faster you tap the more damage you do. This works for most of the game, but you will soon realize that fighting on your own costs you way too many rupees to survive. That's right; if you lose all your rupees, the game ends. And when it ends, I mean it reverts back to your last save point, which could potentially be hours ago. If there is one major flaw in the game, it is the fact you have to save at Tingle's home. It's just like a save point in any normal role-playing game. Get carried away for hours, and forget to save and then die, and you're royally screwed over. Since we spent a lot of time with the import a year ago, we knew better this time, but playing the title the first time around lead to this happening more than once, and it was extremely furstrating.
So, to counter Tingle's rather weak combat abilities, the game has bodyguards you can hire on each island. They're in salons, and there are three at a time you can try to recruit to help you out. They are mercenaries, but they are very loyal and very handy. There are quite a few bodyguards you can utilize, each with special attributes that suit your situation. Just because one looks like a child doesn't mean he is worthless; you'll soon run into puzzles which require a small guy for a tight situation. But, in general, brute force serves you best, so the majority of the bodyguards have strong combat abilities and varying life meters. If they, by chance, perish on an island, you can pay them the same fee you originally gave them to renew their contracts. They will also follow you around to any island that can be connected to a previous or subsequent island by a bridge.
The top screen is used as a map in the game. When players finally purchase a map, they can pull it out and circle areas which have something clearly present in the area that is absent on the map, and magically, it will then appear on your map. In fact, it will show you what percent of the map you've "uncovered" through circling spots on it with your stylus. This element made it into Phantom Hourglass, but in that title the map marking is primarily for note purposes, whereas in Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, it functions more of direct gameplay element. Completing a map, even just a bit, will earn you big rupee reward from a woman in town. But be warned - some parts of the game require you to have your map present unless you already know what to do, and buying back a map costs a bit more than what you earned from selling it away.
Combat is probably the most mundane part of the game. Another element that is a bit watered down is the puzzle solving aspect. There were a few puzzles that took a bit of thinking to resolve, but nothing really reached the intricacy of stuff found in the mainstream series. Each island has one major puzzle or quest you must accomplish which results in a big reward, and every other island has a major dungeon. As mentioned before, the game has five dungeons in all, ranging from a spider infested underground lair to a burning inferno inside a volcano. True to the Zelda tradition, each is unique in design and presents new, exciting monsters and puzzles. Of course, they all finish up with really wacky boss battles.
The boss battles are really something else. They range from ridiculously easy to pleasantly challenging. Nothing as epic or as in depth as the bosses in Phantom Hourglass. Still, each boss battle requires you to utilize the stylus in a unique way, and honestly, these are the only segments of combat many players will find themselves enjoying because it's just something other than tapping with your stylus. Unlike Phantom Hourglass, however, the stylus' range is merely reserved to Tingle's physical location - that is, you can only tap him to toss bombs, shake bushes or drop bottles. There is no point and click anywhere on screen.
In addition to solving puzzles, accomplishing quests and clearing dungeons, there's the cooking aspect, in which Tingle can obtain recipes from various sources such as people or chests. Tingle can then return home with the right ingredients and cook them into a soup or potion. Ingredients are typically lying around outdoors on trees or bushes, while others you obtain from defeating monsters. Cooking involves dropping the ingredients into a boiling pot, and then "stirring" them with your stylus. You have a time limit to stir the ingredients or else they burn up. Many of the potions are used to give to people for rewards, while others are combat weapons like a bomb and super bomb.
Of course, no Zelda game would be complete without side quests. As mentioned already, you can collect and make every single recipe on your list. You can also collect every single "decoration" for Tingle's home, which unlocks a special outfit, and later on, a special version of Tingle. You can also hire every single bodyguard. However, there are no heart containers to collect, which is something even Phantom Hourglass managed to squeeze in. There is a small fishing element, but it's not nearly as engaging as the fishing available in any other Zelda title.
Graphically speaking, the game is very nice looking. There is a unique art style that makes everything flow together, but the 2D work could have been better. Characters still become animated and show expression just like in Phantom Hourglass, but it's more of a storybook style than a realistic style. Each new island brings with it a unique look, with the exception of second and third islands (which look very similar), and the two swamps on the second continent (which have different color schemes, but still appear very much alike). The NPCs have a decent variety in terms of their appearance. As for the dungeon visuals, it's obvious they share a smiliar design structure and basic visual layout, but some of the small touches (such as the webs in the fourth dungeon, or the vines in the third dungeon) give them distinct enough feels.
The soundtrack is really well done, though some of the tracks are extremely odd sounding, but they all really suit this type of game perfectly. Most of the music is original, though you will notice a few pieces are remixes of classic tunes. A sure fan favorite is a part when Tingle's bodyguard busts out a boom box after solving a puzzle, and it plays the classic "Secret" chime from past Zelda games. Some of the sound effects, however, can get a bit annoying and repetitive, especially the noises many of the bodyguards make when fighting. Tingle's voice is also either humorous to some, or just plain annoying to others. Some of the islands also only have a unique "introduction" fanfare piece before the audio turns to complete nature ambience, which is regretful.
Overall, the game is very lighthearted in nature, but very serious in the game play department. It is no walk in the park, and it is not some random side-game that has no meat to it; Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is a pretty good RPG and for those who really appreciate a Zelda-esque title, it's an enriching experience. Not to mention, the humor in the title, while mostly still in the context of Japanese culture, translates into some pretty funny stuff at times.
The only really big flaws are the times when players must really randomly guess what rupee amount they must pay or be paid, and completely miss the mark and are forced to spend countless minutes, or sometimes hours, grinding out rupees to make it to the next island. The option to only save at Tingle's house will make many frustrated, especially when stuck in the middle of a dungeon with no way out and the last save was hours ago. Other than that, if one can get past the quirky elements, and some of the more boring money managment elements, then Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is a pretty enjoyable experience.
Final Verdict - 7/10
A unique spin on the Zelda franchise, but the gameplay at points is very redundant and tedious. Rupee management can be a headache, and the lack of save points can really hurt. On the other hand, the game looks really nice and the soundtrack is excellent. Some aspects of the gameplay are really enjoyable, and some of the storyline elements are refreshing, though a bit oddball. Since it is an import from Europe, though, the price tag may be too steep for some, but if the game sees a North American release, it is a definite must-try.
The very name Tingle conjures up images of pedophilia and homosexuality, as well as bringing out the relative insecurities of the entire Zelda community. When Nintendo announced in late summer 2005 that Tingle RPG was in the works, fans immediately began to laugh and dismiss the title as pathetic. When it was confirmed in the wake of the delay of Twilight Princess, and the first media surfaced, fans really wondered what the hell Nintendo was doing. Many fans even went so far as to dismiss the title from the series, believing it would never reach make it outside of Japan. Quite frankly, until we played Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, we agreed with most of these sentiments. Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is not a blockbuster Zelda title, but it is a pretty quirky, yet rewarding experience that pays tribute to some of the older titles in some very strange ways.
The essential premise of Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is to collect enough rupees in order to make a tower reach high enough into the heavens to reach Rupeeland, where all of Tingle's dreams will come true. Throughout the game, you progress to new islands by raising the tower higher, and on each island, Tingle has to help out the inhabitants for reward money, as well as plow through five dungeons. Each island increases in size, ranging from a very small starting island, to the gargantuan desert island near the end. The locales include the Deku Forest, Lon Lon Meadow, the Icey Plain, Death Mountain and more. All together there are 10 islands you visit, each more perplexing than the last. To navigate on screen, simply use the D-pad or the four standard buttons on the rightside of the Nintendo DS; the stylus is not used to move Tingle for the most part, a complete reversal from Phantom Hourglass.
The game is all about managing your rupees, and balancing your costs and your gains. This makes the game initially seem to appeal to accountants and financial majors, but in reality, it's more of a gambling aspect with a bit of strategy. Many of the items or information you wish to obtain cost a set amount. Some of the items or information does not have a known fixed price, but you can make an educated guess based on the history of your recent purchases as well as clues given by the NPCs themselves. Enemies will drop rupees, and if you find a chest or finish a dungeon, you'll get a fixed amount of rupees as well. However, at points in the game, you can assist the NPCs, and they will ask you for an amount to pay Tingle as a reward. Get too greedy, and they'll underpay you drastically, but if you are too generous, you'll be scammed.
Managing your rupees is only one aspect of the gameplay. Another crucial part of the game is combat. While Tingle does not wield a sword and shield, the 35-year-old-fairy wannabe can get into scuffles with his bare hands. It resembles more of a cartoonish "mob fight" where everyone gets together and brawls. To engage an enemy, simply run into a foe and tap them with the stylus to attack. The faster you tap the more damage you do. This works for most of the game, but you will soon realize that fighting on your own costs you way too many rupees to survive. That's right; if you lose all your rupees, the game ends. And when it ends, I mean it reverts back to your last save point, which could potentially be hours ago. If there is one major flaw in the game, it is the fact you have to save at Tingle's home. It's just like a save point in any normal role-playing game. Get carried away for hours, and forget to save and then die, and you're royally screwed over. Since we spent a lot of time with the import a year ago, we knew better this time, but playing the title the first time around lead to this happening more than once, and it was extremely furstrating.
So, to counter Tingle's rather weak combat abilities, the game has bodyguards you can hire on each island. They're in salons, and there are three at a time you can try to recruit to help you out. They are mercenaries, but they are very loyal and very handy. There are quite a few bodyguards you can utilize, each with special attributes that suit your situation. Just because one looks like a child doesn't mean he is worthless; you'll soon run into puzzles which require a small guy for a tight situation. But, in general, brute force serves you best, so the majority of the bodyguards have strong combat abilities and varying life meters. If they, by chance, perish on an island, you can pay them the same fee you originally gave them to renew their contracts. They will also follow you around to any island that can be connected to a previous or subsequent island by a bridge.
The top screen is used as a map in the game. When players finally purchase a map, they can pull it out and circle areas which have something clearly present in the area that is absent on the map, and magically, it will then appear on your map. In fact, it will show you what percent of the map you've "uncovered" through circling spots on it with your stylus. This element made it into Phantom Hourglass, but in that title the map marking is primarily for note purposes, whereas in Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, it functions more of direct gameplay element. Completing a map, even just a bit, will earn you big rupee reward from a woman in town. But be warned - some parts of the game require you to have your map present unless you already know what to do, and buying back a map costs a bit more than what you earned from selling it away.
Combat is probably the most mundane part of the game. Another element that is a bit watered down is the puzzle solving aspect. There were a few puzzles that took a bit of thinking to resolve, but nothing really reached the intricacy of stuff found in the mainstream series. Each island has one major puzzle or quest you must accomplish which results in a big reward, and every other island has a major dungeon. As mentioned before, the game has five dungeons in all, ranging from a spider infested underground lair to a burning inferno inside a volcano. True to the Zelda tradition, each is unique in design and presents new, exciting monsters and puzzles. Of course, they all finish up with really wacky boss battles.
The boss battles are really something else. They range from ridiculously easy to pleasantly challenging. Nothing as epic or as in depth as the bosses in Phantom Hourglass. Still, each boss battle requires you to utilize the stylus in a unique way, and honestly, these are the only segments of combat many players will find themselves enjoying because it's just something other than tapping with your stylus. Unlike Phantom Hourglass, however, the stylus' range is merely reserved to Tingle's physical location - that is, you can only tap him to toss bombs, shake bushes or drop bottles. There is no point and click anywhere on screen.
In addition to solving puzzles, accomplishing quests and clearing dungeons, there's the cooking aspect, in which Tingle can obtain recipes from various sources such as people or chests. Tingle can then return home with the right ingredients and cook them into a soup or potion. Ingredients are typically lying around outdoors on trees or bushes, while others you obtain from defeating monsters. Cooking involves dropping the ingredients into a boiling pot, and then "stirring" them with your stylus. You have a time limit to stir the ingredients or else they burn up. Many of the potions are used to give to people for rewards, while others are combat weapons like a bomb and super bomb.
Of course, no Zelda game would be complete without side quests. As mentioned already, you can collect and make every single recipe on your list. You can also collect every single "decoration" for Tingle's home, which unlocks a special outfit, and later on, a special version of Tingle. You can also hire every single bodyguard. However, there are no heart containers to collect, which is something even Phantom Hourglass managed to squeeze in. There is a small fishing element, but it's not nearly as engaging as the fishing available in any other Zelda title.
Graphically speaking, the game is very nice looking. There is a unique art style that makes everything flow together, but the 2D work could have been better. Characters still become animated and show expression just like in Phantom Hourglass, but it's more of a storybook style than a realistic style. Each new island brings with it a unique look, with the exception of second and third islands (which look very similar), and the two swamps on the second continent (which have different color schemes, but still appear very much alike). The NPCs have a decent variety in terms of their appearance. As for the dungeon visuals, it's obvious they share a smiliar design structure and basic visual layout, but some of the small touches (such as the webs in the fourth dungeon, or the vines in the third dungeon) give them distinct enough feels.
The soundtrack is really well done, though some of the tracks are extremely odd sounding, but they all really suit this type of game perfectly. Most of the music is original, though you will notice a few pieces are remixes of classic tunes. A sure fan favorite is a part when Tingle's bodyguard busts out a boom box after solving a puzzle, and it plays the classic "Secret" chime from past Zelda games. Some of the sound effects, however, can get a bit annoying and repetitive, especially the noises many of the bodyguards make when fighting. Tingle's voice is also either humorous to some, or just plain annoying to others. Some of the islands also only have a unique "introduction" fanfare piece before the audio turns to complete nature ambience, which is regretful.
Overall, the game is very lighthearted in nature, but very serious in the game play department. It is no walk in the park, and it is not some random side-game that has no meat to it; Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is a pretty good RPG and for those who really appreciate a Zelda-esque title, it's an enriching experience. Not to mention, the humor in the title, while mostly still in the context of Japanese culture, translates into some pretty funny stuff at times.
The only really big flaws are the times when players must really randomly guess what rupee amount they must pay or be paid, and completely miss the mark and are forced to spend countless minutes, or sometimes hours, grinding out rupees to make it to the next island. The option to only save at Tingle's house will make many frustrated, especially when stuck in the middle of a dungeon with no way out and the last save was hours ago. Other than that, if one can get past the quirky elements, and some of the more boring money managment elements, then Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is a pretty enjoyable experience.
Final Verdict - 7/10
A unique spin on the Zelda franchise, but the gameplay at points is very redundant and tedious. Rupee management can be a headache, and the lack of save points can really hurt. On the other hand, the game looks really nice and the soundtrack is excellent. Some aspects of the gameplay are really enjoyable, and some of the storyline elements are refreshing, though a bit oddball. Since it is an import from Europe, though, the price tag may be too steep for some, but if the game sees a North American release, it is a definite must-try.
Comments: 17
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Comment #1 by omgaghost
09/24/07 20:01
Comment #3 by Impossible
09/25/07 04:57
"Some of the islands also only have a unique "introduction" fanfare piece before the audio turns to complete nature ambience, which is regretful."
Actually, that's EVERY AREA, except I think the last one. There's a horrible lack of music in the game. They would have been better off remixing some Zelda stuff (only in the musical style this game uses, which is pretty good) than just having nothing. The only Zelda track that's an actual piece of music, not just a little jingle when you find a secret/solve a puzzle, is the kickass remix of the Lost Woods/Saria's Song in the third dungeon.
But really, there should have been more original music, not just little introductions.
Actually, that's EVERY AREA, except I think the last one. There's a horrible lack of music in the game. They would have been better off remixing some Zelda stuff (only in the musical style this game uses, which is pretty good) than just having nothing. The only Zelda track that's an actual piece of music, not just a little jingle when you find a secret/solve a puzzle, is the kickass remix of the Lost Woods/Saria's Song in the third dungeon.
But really, there should have been more original music, not just little introductions.
Comment #4 by millhouse
09/25/07 09:04
Comment #5 by TSA
09/25/07 14:03
Comment #6 by Master.Link
09/25/07 21:32
Comment #7 by BulletBilly
10/13/07 14:54
Just by the video... I want it, but you know, is the dungeons brain teasing or is it for kids, 'cause all other zelda games have dungeons for adults and kids, but just by the look of it.. I know people say don't judge a book by it's cover, but Wind Waker, 'almost' every zelda fan was shook, but I just bought and played it, and thought that it was great, but Tingle: Rupeeland looks even more kidish... So tell me should I just buy as soon as it comes out, like Wind Waker or should I wait till the full review? (I'm in North America, by the way)
Comment #9 by Monster_Garden
12/24/07 08:23
I have been playing the Euro version a little. I don't think we will see this one coming to America. Tingle's computer AI assistant is quite sexy and voluptuous... not the type of character you would expect from a cartoony/kiddie styled game. The above review is also pretty much right on, it is indeed very fun to play so far.
Comment #11 by midnaslover
02/27/08 20:58
Comment #12 by BrilloFox
03/07/08 00:49
Thank you, very, very much for further promoting the idea that all homosexuals are pedophiles. I really appreciate that a lot.
If you realized how difficult that makes life for some people, and yes, CHILDREN too because homosexuals are EVERYWHERE, every age, occupation, etc. then I don't think you would have posted that sentence. Yes, obviously Tingle is psycho, but I don't feel that you should extend a very hurtful stereotype to your readers. You should have just left it at "he's crazy," or something of the like. But no, you had to lop the two ideas together. And by the way, countless heterosexual men are pedophiles too. Everyone seems to target homosexual persons for that, but the perversion really lies more often in the other sexual orientation. So anyways, thanks for making life harder for more people, and for spreading the impression that the two are innately connected. I really appreciate that a lot. Thanks.
If you realized how difficult that makes life for some people, and yes, CHILDREN too because homosexuals are EVERYWHERE, every age, occupation, etc. then I don't think you would have posted that sentence. Yes, obviously Tingle is psycho, but I don't feel that you should extend a very hurtful stereotype to your readers. You should have just left it at "he's crazy," or something of the like. But no, you had to lop the two ideas together. And by the way, countless heterosexual men are pedophiles too. Everyone seems to target homosexual persons for that, but the perversion really lies more often in the other sexual orientation. So anyways, thanks for making life harder for more people, and for spreading the impression that the two are innately connected. I really appreciate that a lot. Thanks.
Comment #13 by EvilLink
06/01/08 11:44
Comment #15 by link9597
12/14/08 23:31
Comment #16 by AlexHale
02/08/09 14:07
Comment #17 by Onilink190
04/03/09 09:36
Tingle probably isn't gay, although he seems like a pedophile, I mean, seriously, you cant say that seeing a GROWN MAN in a skintight jumpsuit, claiming to be a fairy, sprinkling his special "dust" all over you isn't creepy!
Not to mention in MM he sells maps, so he knows where EVERYONE lives. *shudder*
Not to mention in MM he sells maps, so he knows where EVERYONE lives. *shudder*
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