The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is set in the magical kingdom of Hyrule, but even the enchanting land cannot escape the clutches of capitalism. As the direct sequel to Breath of the Wild, the game introduces several quality-of-life changes, including Link’s ability to craft weapons and vehicles. However, one significant change in TOTK will make things financially challenging for the protagonist, drawing an interesting parallel.
Players will notice a slight increase in price before continuing their adventure with Link. Tears of the Kingdom’s $70 price tag marks the first time in history that Nintendo has charged more than $60 USD for a Switch title. The $10 difference may not be significant, but it is worse than PlayStation’s or Xbox’s price hikes, considering the age of the Switch and how seldom its games go on sale. TOTK players will feel the impact on their pockets and in-game.
Making money in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is much harder than it was in Breath of the Wild due to the significant drop in gemstone sale prices. The only gem that retains its value is the diamond, which still sells for 500 rupees. Every other gem now sells for a fraction of what it used to. Luminous Stones, for example, sell for less than a third of the original 70 rupees they sold for in BOTW. The sale prices for gems in Tears of the Kingdom may come as a surprise:
Evidently, not even Link is free from the adverse effects of capitalism on the working class. TOTK’s story directly follows BOTW’s, making it difficult to believe that the actual value of these gemstones would have decreased so quickly. It seems more likely that the merchants have banded together to artificially low-ball the protagonist and maintain a wealth of rupees off the back of someone else’s work. Poor Link is stuck in Hyrule, meaning he’s also stuck with the abysmally low gem sale prices in TOTK, and there isn’t anything he can do to stop the vendors from taking advantage of their monopoly.
This market manipulation is all too realistic, as players may have felt it during their day-to-day lives due to recent financial hardships like inflation, heightened cost of living, housing and banking crises, etc. Combined with the increased price of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, it seems that not even the fantasy world can provide a break from the unending issues that stem from capitalism. For now, Link might be better off keeping the gems for himself and upgrading his armor – but…
2023-05-14 17:30:04
Article from screenrant.com