It’s not unusual for a series as large as The Legend of Zelda to have spinoffs added to the mix. In fact, the series has a fairly well-known spinoff in the form of Hyrule Warriors, but there’s another set of Zelda spinoffs that was never released in North America. Not only does this spinoff series focus on the most unexpected character, it includes multiple games. If you’re thinking that its style is in any way similar to a regular Zelda game, it actually seems like more of a treasure hunt, and you can even hire bodyguards to fight for you instead of battling alone.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Tingle might feel like he belongs in a Zelda horror game rather than a treasure hunting spinoff series depending on who you ask, but he’s the star of his own spinoff series that first released in Japan in 2006 under the title Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland. As you might expect given the name, the game focuses on the theme of money and takes place in Rupeeland rather than in Hyrule.
The Tingle Series Never Came to North America
Freshly-Picked Tingle’s Rosy Rupeeland was the first in the series, and it was followed by two more entries: Tingle’s Balloon Fight DS and Ripened Tingle’s Balloon Trip of Love. Unlike the first game, the two latter games were never released outside of Japan. Considering Tingle wasn’t as well-received in North America, it’s not too surprising that his series wasn’t released and has largely gone unknown.
RELATED: Nintendo Updates the Legend of Zelda Timeline
With how iconic it is to play as Link, or even as Zelda, since Echoes of Wisdom allows it, having Tingle as the main character instead doesn’t seem like it would be an appealing enough concept for a Zelda spinoff series. However, even a spinoff focusing on Link has the potential to be disliked, which we saw with the CD-i games, such as The Faces of Evil. But to be fair, the CD-i games weren’t developed by Nintendo and aren’t recognized as canon.
Some Zelda Characters Deserve Their Own Spinoff
The world of Zelda has plenty of interesting characters and stories to tell, which gives it immense potential for spinoffs. The problem is that this potential generally isn’t capitalized on. Characters like Impa from Ocarina of Time, or simply about the Sheikah from that era of the timeline, alone could lead to the creation of several games, since they essentially act as a shadow organization for Hyrule’s royal family, guarding them and handling their dirty business.
Unfortunately, such spinoffs will likely never be made. On the bright side, Nintendo shows no intentions of stopping the main Zelda series, which continues to provide us with games that revolve around beloved characters, and introduces new and interesting characters.
