Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland: meanest Nintendo game ever?
It might never get released in the States, but that won't stop MTV's Stephen Totilo from dissecting Freshly Picked: Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, the Nintendo DS anti-Zelda game that's, apparently, all about the Benjamins.
According to Totilo, Rosy Rupeeland makes money the center of everything. Tingle's health meter doubles as his wallet, which means players are taking damage every time they spend money. This would be a minor problem, except that Rosy Rupeeland turns practically every interaction into a transaction. The game even allows you to sell your in-game map, sacrificing navigational assistance for a few extra rupees.
As if that wasn't cruel enough, characters who are gracious enough to pay you actually ask how much you want, and either chastise you for asking too much or mock you for asking too little. Totilo argues that the game seeks to undermine the good-natured currency exchange of normal Zelda titles by making the player stress about money. Maybe it's the American capitalism talking, but sign us up. Anyone else have a renewed interest in Tingle and his Rosy Rupeeland?
