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Tingle Tuner is an item featured in The Wind Waker.[1] If a Game Boy Advance and a Game Boy Advance-GameCube Link Cable are connected to the Nintendo GameCube, then Link can take control of Tingle.[2] To do this, the Game Boy Advance must be simply connected to a GameCube Controller socket using the Game Boy Advance Connector, then activating the Tingle Tuner.[3][4] The Game Boy Advance does not require having any additional game cartridge inserted. The player will find a map of the current area on their screen, which includes, amongst other things, a marker indicating Link's current position. On the main screen, the player will be able to see a green marker on the ground, indicating the position of Tingle.

In The Wind Waker HD, the Tingle Tuner was replaced with the Tingle Bottle, an item used to send messages to other players through Miiverse.

Location and Uses[]

TWW Tingle Tuner Face Sprite

Tingle gifts Link with a device known as the Tingle Tuner after the young hero rescues him from jail.[5] The Tingle Tuner has a number of abilities. Firstly, by pressing A, it can cause Link to look towards the spot Tingle is aiming at, secondly he can drop Tingle Bombs, for a small fee. The bombs are just one of a number of pay-per-use tools at Tingle's disposal, including a temporary magical effect, which gives Link a long-lasting version of the Hover Boots effect.

The Tingle Tuner can be used in each dungeon to find five Tingle Statues.[6][7][8][9][10] Each statue of Tingle has a different pose and will appear near Tingle's Tower.[11]

When Link has the Tingle Tuner active while he is sailing, Tingle makes a comment about each island as Link approaches them, much like how Fishmen give Link information about the islands when given All-Purpose Bait.

Knuckle can only be found while using the Tingle Tuner on Outset Island. Successful completion of the Knuckle sidequest upgrades the Tingle Tuner with the Hand-Me-Down Tingle Tuner and Knuckle appears on Tingle Island. The Hand-Me-Down Tuner is merely more options on the Tingle Tuner, which allow Link to purchase baits and other stock items from any place with it activated.

Tingle Cursor

The Tingle Tuner comes equipped with its own map. It's less detailed than the normal in-game map. This map automatically upgrades itself when Link enters an area of the Great Sea, regardless of whether he has the Tingle Tuner active at that time. The Tingle Tuner's map classifies each island's importance by altering the size of its name displayed on the map. Minor islands will have small names, major islands will have large names. Tingle refers to his own island as the Great Tingle Island, and displays its name very large, which is technically accurate as it is a very critical island for the completion of the game. This map also allows marking of long-distance destinations. The marker below Link when activating the Tingle Tuner was later repurposed for the Deku Leaf and appears directly below Link when gliding in the air to help determine where he will land in The Wind Waker HD and replaced the Tingle head with a leaf icon instead.

When using the Tingle Tuner in dungeons, Tingle acts as a guide for Link in a similar manner as Navi and Tatl were. Tingle will advise Link on how to solve certain puzzles and warn him of impending danger. However, prior to entering each dungeon's boss chamber, Tingle will have a moment of cowardice and will make up an excuse to not come with Link into the boss fight.

Tingle's Wares[]

TWW Tingle Tuner Floating Sprite

All of Tingle's Wares are purchased from the menu on the Tingle Tuner. Once bought, Tingle will deliver it to Link by balloon, as seen on the Game Boy Advance screen. Very few have any game-screen cues as to their use. For most services, their effects are invisible to the player.

In dungeons, Tingle often finds things written on the walls and floors. These are not obtainable and are only extra pieces of story.

Seagull Pen[]

TTunerPen Cost: 0 Rupees

Description: "Use this to mark your Sea Charts. It also points to your destination. Tingle drew his first map with it at age 3!"

The Seagull Pen allows Link to mark a waypoint on sea charts, but only on the Tingle Tuner itself, and only when Link is sailing. After placing a mark, a compass will appear on the tuner that shows the direction to the waypoint.

Tingle Bomb[]

Main article: Tingle Bomb

TWW Tingle Bomb Icon Cost: 10 Rupees

TWW Tingle Bomb Artwork
Tingle using Tingle Bombs

Description: "Tingle will explode one of his bombs for you with a POW! For 10 Rupees!"

Tingle flies with his balloon on the GBA screen and drops a Bomb next on the target Link specifies. This Bomb can be used to uncover Tingle Statues.

Tingle Balloon[]

TTunerBalloon Cost: 30 Rupees (20 after a discount event)

Description: "Your body will float on mid air! Move about in the air for 5 seconds!"

The Tingle Balloon allows Link to walk on thin air as though it were solid ground. The balloon effect starts when Rupees are sent to Tingle, and not when Link walks off a ledge.

Tingle Shield[]

TTunerShield Cost: 40 Rupees (30 after a discount event)

Description: "Look out, sir! Enemies attack! A lovely spirit will shield you for 10 seconds."

This shield renders Link completely invincible for ten seconds. It has a cool-down time that prevents constant use.

Kooloo-limpah[]

TTunerKoolah Cost: 40 Rupees (30 after a discount event)

Description: "Not even I know what may occur, sir! This is a test of your courage!"

This is a chance-roll for Tingle to grant Link one of several services at random. It could potentially grant nothing, Tingle telling Link's fortune, or one of the flavors of Ting. The best outcome is a simultaneous use of Tingle Balloon and Tingle Shield, which has the Tingle Shield cool-down (10 seconds).

Tingle Watch[]

TTunerWatch Cost: 0 Rupees

Description: "I can tell what time it is right now, sir!"

The Tingle Watch explains the current time of the day.

Ting[]

Ting is Tingle's brand-name drink. Its name may have been inspired by the instant fruit-flavored drink, "Tang", introduced in the 1950's. There are three flavors of Ting, each of which gives the same effect as a Potion of the same color.

Ting has a limitation in that it cannot be used during boss battles. However, it does allow Link to get away with drinking Ting throughout a dungeon and save Potions for the boss battle.

Red Ting[]

TTunerTingR Cost: 20 Rupees (10 after a discount event)

Description: "This energizes you when you're feeling tired! Refill hearts regularly!"

Red Ting has the same effect as drinking a Red Potion, restoring all of Link's hearts.

Green Ting[]

TTunerTingG Cost: 40 Rupees (20 after a discount event)

Description: "Replenish your magic power with this! You can't survive without it, Mr. Fairy."

Green Ting has the same effect as drinking a Green Potion, restoring Link's Magic Meter to full. This can only be used after Link obtains a Magic Meter.

Blue Ting[]

TTunerTingB Cost: 80 Rupees (40 after a discount event)

Description: "One sip, and you have it all, you greedy fairy! Strength and magic!"

Blue Ting has the same effect as drinking a Blue Potion, restoring both health and magic to full.

Guide Books[]

TTunerGuide Cost: 0 Rupees

Description (Red Guide Book): "A how-to Tinger Tuner book! Use the red book to learn about the land and foes!"
Description (Blue Guide Book): "Learn about the Tingle Tuner! When you're at sea, use the blue book!"

These are narrated user's guides for the Tingle Tuner. The Red Guide Book is available on land, while the Blue Guide Book is available on the sea. They will go through several pages of instructions, each ending in a confirmation question, asking whether or not Link understood everything on that page. Both Guide Books are later replaced by the Hand-me Down Tingle Tuner after Knuckle is found.

Hand-me Down Tingle Tuner[]

TTunerHandMeDown Cost: 0 Rupees

Description: "Your hotline to Knuckle. Buy stuff anywhere!"

The Hand-me Down Tuner allows Link to purchase certain items at any time. The items that Knuckle has for sale are:

Discount events[]

There are two events that trigger discounts on certain items:

  • The first one takes place on Windfall Island. After returning to the island after completing the Dragon Roost Cavern, climbing onto the canopy above the School of Joy with the Tingle Tuner active will trigger Tingle into reducing the price of the Tingle Balloon, Tingle Shield, and Kooloo-Limpah. The discount on Kooloo-Limpah is not verbally mentioned by Tingle; this is primarily due to Kooloo-Limpah not becoming available until Link has a Magic Meter, thus allowing for Kooloo-Limpah to be discounted before it even becomes available. Prior to obtaining the Magic Meter, Link can receive this discount by climbing the ladder to the left of the School of Joy and performing a backflip to land atop the canopy.
  • The second one takes place at the Forsaken Fortress. One room within has what Tingle calls a Magic Pot in it. If that pot is entered with the Tingle Tuner active, Magic Left-Over Broth will be found. This halves the price of the Tings.

Trivia[]

  • The brand written on the Tingle Tuner reads "Chintendou" in Hylian, which is a play on Chinkuru (Tingle's Japanese name) and Nintendo.
  • While the regular Tingle Tuner's appearance is based on the Game Boy Advance, the Hand-me Down version resembles the older Game Boy Color.

Nomenclature[]

TMC Forest Minish Artwork Names in Other Regions TMC Jabber Nut Sprite
Language Name Meaning
Japan Japanese チンクルシーバー (Chinkurushībā) Chinkleceiver
French-speaking countries French Poste de Tingle Tingle Receiver
Federal Republic of Germany German Tingleceiver
Italian Republic Italian RadioTingle Tingle Radio
Kingdom of Spain SpanishEU Tinglevisor Tingle-visor

Gallery[]

References

  1. Encyclopedia, Dark Horse Books, pg. 141
  2. "There is no Game Boy Advance connected. Use this item only after connecting a Game Boy Advance to Controller Socket 2, 3, or 4 and turning the Game Boy Advance ON." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  3. "To call Tingle, use a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance cable to connect a Game Boy Advance to Controller Socket 2, 3, or 4, then use this item with [Y], [Z], or [X]." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  4. "He gave you the Tingle Tuner! If you get stuck or need a quick hint, connect a Game Boy Advance to your Nintendo GameCube to talk to Tingle. After connecting the Game Boy Advance to Controller Socket 2, 3, or 4, set the Tingle Tuner to [Y], [Z], or [X] to call Tingle." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  5. "Goodness! Did you feel my telepathy?! That's why you saved me, isn't it? Isn't it? Isn't it?" — Tingle (The Wind Waker)
  6. "You got the Dragon Tingle Statue!" — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  7. "You got the Forbidden Tingle Statue!" — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  8. "You got the Goddess Tingle Statue!" — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  9. "You got the Earth Tingle Statue!" — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  10. "You got the Wind Tingle Statue!" — N/A (The Wind Waker)
  11. "It will be waiting for you on Tingle Island." — N/A (The Wind Waker)
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