20 Years After His Final Mainline Look, Tingle Deserves A Comeback

Soapbox options allow our particular person writers and contributors to voice their opinions on sizzling subjects and random stuff they have been chewing over. Immediately, Jim is manifesting a comeback for Zelda’s most iconic NPC…

When you’ve got made it previous the headline, likelihood is you fall into one of many following camps. One: You imagine that Tingle deserves one other mainline Zelda look. Two: You hate Tingle and every part he stands for. Three: You suppose we should have made a typo as a result of there is not any approach it has been 20 years since Tingle final appeared in a mainline sport. 4: An odd mixture of all of the above. Effectively, buckle up buddy, as a result of right here comes the chilly, arduous info.

Sure, it has been 20 years since this bizarre little man final appeared in an unique mainline sport (excluding remakes and remasters, clearly) and likewise sure, his comeback is lengthy overdue. The Tinglenaissance is upon us…

Earlier than we dive into issues, let’s go over the Tingle Timeline as we collectively take one another’s digital arms and work via the shock of 20 Tingle-less years (that one sounded higher in my head).

Tingle is a recurring Zelda NPC who debuted in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Masks. He wears a inexperienced one-piece with a pair of purple Y-fronts on high and is satisfied that he’s the reincarnation of a fairy. Plus, he was the topic of a 2004 IGN marketing campaign titled “Die Tingle, Die!”. That almost brings you up to the mark, proper?

Earlier than fetch quests galore would flip this fairy aficionado into the sequence’ public enemy no. 1, Tingle had an necessary position to play within the franchise. In Majora’s Masks, he is your map man. In Oracle of Ages, he gives the important Island Chart. In Wind Waker, he is your go-to supply for useful ideas (and irritating assortment quests). His usefulness does drop off in later appearances — the much less mentioned about his Power Gem-grabbing antics in 4 Swords Adventures, the higher — although his means to offer a working complete of remaining Kinstone Fuses in Minish Cap is a godsend. Nonetheless, regardless of which approach you take a look at it, from 2000 to 2004, he was a pleasant face that you might financial institution on seeing.

he was a pleasant face that you might financial institution on seeing.

And naturally, we are saying “was a pleasant face” as a result of we’ve not seen him in an unique mainline entry since. Meaning it has been 20 years since The Minish Cap was launched. Oh god…

Certain, there have been Easter eggs peppered all through a number of video games with Tingle’s likeness from collectible figurines and plushies in Spirit Tracks and Skyward Sword to the DLC armour set in Breath of the Wild, however in any other case, it has solely been the odd remake/spin-off look to talk of.

In equity, these appearances have come thick and quick. There was a trio of DS video games within the mid-to-late 2000s (Rosy Rupeeland, Balloon Battle, and Balloon Journey of Love) none of which made it to North America and solely the primary reached Europe. Then we’ve the Majora’s Masks and Wind Waker remake/remasters on Wii U. He is proved himself a succesful warrior (or survivor) by making appearances within the Tremendous Smash Bros sequence and as a playable fighter in Hyrule Warriors. There’s even a Tingle costume in Tremendous Mario Maker. And who can overlook his look within the ‘Mogitate Chinkuru’ microgame in Japanese copies of WarioWare: D.I.Y. Showcase? Us. We are able to overlook that.

And so we attain the current day, one the place Tingle continues to be a recurring function in lots of a Zelda dialog regardless of him not showing within the sequence since a time when clamshells had been all the trend. However why? The IGN marketing campaign packed a good quantity of venom again within the day, eager for the demise of Tingle in any respect prices because the sequence entered its darker, eyeliner-wearing grownup part of Twilight Princess. However the franchise’s foolish, goofy temper has returned with a vengeance. Hyperlink avoids Looney Tunes-style accidents as he blasts Koroks out of the stratosphere, our beloved Addison gawps in OTT shock as we clear up his physics-based puzzles — a facet quest we’re satisfied would have been excellent for Tingle in one other timeline — and Grasp Khoga is an all-out slapstick unhealthy man.

can we cease pretending that the sequence has “outgrown” Tingle and provides the bizarre little fella a second probability?

As we method our first Princess Zelda-led journey, one the place monsters and bed room furnishings alike could be summoned on a whim to unravel puzzles, can we cease pretending that the sequence has “outgrown” Tingle and provides the bizarre little fella a second probability? The reply, for those who ask me, is sure, in fact we are able to!

What we find out about Echoes of Knowledge on the time of writing is barely sufficient to fill the again of a postage stamp, however I can already see ample room for some Tingle turn-ups. We all know Princess Zelda will use a map within the sport (it popped up within the backside proper nook within the reveal trailer) however did you see any sort of Sheikah Slate, Purah Pad or different tech-savvy stand-in for the true factor? I positive did not. Who’s Zelda getting these maps from then? How are they being designed if there are not any apparent towers within the space? Maybe any person hooked up to a balloon??

We additionally know Zelda has a brand new fairy pal, Tri, in tow. Trying a bit of extra high-tech than Navi and Tatl’s winged ball of sunshine, this mysterious species is certain to draw some consideration. Maybe from somebody with an overbearing ardour for fairies?? All of it provides up, when you get the purple string out. In fact, there are some timeline shenanigans that I am in all probability sidestepping (is Tingle even alive at this level?) but when Nintendo can flip a blind eye to such continuity, so can I.

We might have coped for 20 years with no mainline Tingle look, however we discover the sequence in a unique place immediately. What was as soon as a quest for mature realism is beginning to embrace the lighter facet as soon as once more and are available on, what’s lighter than “Kooloo-Limpah”? Overlook the blind hatred of the previous, it is Tingle Time as soon as once more.