Editorial: Games I Just Impulsively Bought: Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

Games I Just Impulsively Bought: Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

Don't ask why, but I've wanted the game since it released in Europe over three years ago.

It has been a long time since I've impulsively purchased a video game. In fairness, I have wanted the game for quite some time now. As a matter of fact, when Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland was first announced for release in Japan my interest was piqued. When I heard it was to release in Europe I got extra excited because I knew that I could eventually play it (no, I don't know Japanese).

So this morning, while settling in at my desk at work, I did something I haven't done in a while - browse eBay (don't tell my boss).

For whatever reason, Tingle's DS adventure came to mind and I searched it. Turned out that someone had the game for a mere $30 (£19). Being that this was completely impulsive, I can't say I've been monitoring the price of the game much and know if I actually was getting a good deal. However, the price seemed reasonable for a mint condition DS game, especially when most Nintendo games release around that price or more.

Since I bought it around 7AM, I've been sitting around thinking about it and eagerly anticipating its arrival. I don't really know what to expect from the game, but being that it stars Tingle, it's sure to be interesting.

I'm not sure how familiar people are with the game, so here's a little rundown. At the start of the quest, players meet a character, Uncle Rupee, who offers Tingle a life in a paradise called Rupeeland. In order to attain said life, the average middle-aged man (Tingle) must collect massive amounts of rupees and put them in a pond near his house.

Upon embarking on his quest, Tingle makes a transformation into the special individual we are all familiar with. He dons his special green suit, complete with tights, and adopts some different mannerisms.

As implied by the title, the game is all about rupees, and via a unique Zelda-like adventure, players will collect them throughout the game. Battling, negotiation, and item combination and redemption all shape the experience, as does the unique antics, humor, and world of Tingle.

I can't say I know much more about the game than that, but it has seen fairly favorable reviews and it performed well enough in Japan to garner a sequel (which I'm certain won't ever be localized to Europe or America).

I'm excited to receive the game and jump into it and I may just write a Review Rewind whenever I finish it up. Anybody have this game, or at least played it, and can comment on it?

#Tingle #Zelda #Link #Weird #Totally hetero

vudu

02/16/2011 at 05:42 PM

I bought this game last year--Karlie at NWR bought it from Amazon UK and shipped it to me here in the USA. Total cost was $25 so you didn't pay too much for it.

The game definitely has its quirks but it's a lot of fun overall. It seems very familiar but completely different at the same time. The closest Zelda game it resembles is probably Minish Cap.

Unfortunately, there are certain aspects of the game that make it practically unplayable without some outside assistance. As you pointed out, Rupees play a huge part of the game--they act as Tingle's life, you need them to open up new levels and progress through the game, buy items (a lot of items) and most NPCs won't even talk to you if you don't folk over some cash. The infuriating part is prices are never marked and you're expected to negotiate the price of everything. You don't know if you need to give an NPC 100 Rupees or 10,000 Rupees to get him to speak with you. If you pay too much, you wasted your Rupees. If you offer too little--even if it's just by a single Rupee--you wasted your Rupees since the NPC will take your money but not give you anything in return and you'll still need to give him the full amount next attempt. The's a fair bit of grinding for money in the game and if you're not careful you can increase that tenfold by not spending your money wisely.

You're going to want to use a walkthrough to alleviate these problems. I recommend one (or both) of these:

http://www.importgamers.com/tingle/

http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Freshly-Picked_Tingle's_Rosy_Rupeeland

As long as you skip the walkthrough section and just stick with the ancillary topics you'll be in good shape.

Chris Mabrey Staff Alumnus

02/16/2011 at 10:48 PM

Definitely do a review rewind, Nick. I've been intrigued by this game for years.

Nick DiMola Director

02/17/2011 at 02:07 PM

Thanks for the info, vudu. Glad to hear I didn't wildly overpay for the game.

Overall, it sounds like you enjoyed it, albeit with the help of a guide. I'll take your advice and reference those resources for the negotiation aspects. Oddly, that game concept seems very un-Nintendo, so I'm surprised to see it in a property that is tangentially related to Zelda.

Anonymous

02/24/2011 at 10:25 PM

this game is

S O

G A Y

02/25/2011 at 09:55 AM

Thanks for your valuable input, Anonymous.

02/25/2011 at 05:18 PM

your welcome

03/04/2011 at 09:10 PM

Just got this in the mail today, I'm excited to give it a go! I'll probably start playing it next week sometime, but I'll definitely have to boot it up at least once in the meantime and try it out.

03/04/2011 at 10:01 PM

Yeah, keep us posted, Nick. Be sure to catalog your experiences. I think a diary of Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland is just what the doctor ordered for mankind.

PixlBit

Games I Just Impulsively Bought: Freshly-Picked Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland

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