So many video games require a form of money in-game to buy items, but some titles take that currency to the next level of weird. Not just with silly names like Munny fromKingdom Heartseither, some games just use downright strange things for buying or upgrading items.
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Gaming fans know thatbuying and selling things in theFalloutseriestakes bottlecaps but these games take things a bit further. These currencies aren’t fitting into the cash register of any regular stores.
10Meat
Yes, meat is the main currency for a game, andit isn’tSuper Meat Boyoddly enough.Kingdom of Loathingis a satirical free MMORPG that has existed on the internet since 2003. Both it and its sequel of sorts,West of Loathing, use meat as the main currency in the game.
Eating meat would be the in-game equivalent of eating dollar bills, so both games only allow certain other meat-related items to be eaten. These game worlds must have very impressive refrigeration and meat curing processes or else the spoilage would be massive.
9Gummies
Everyone wants to knowhow to get more gummies! InOobletsthat is. The idea that small squishy candy-like objects (or real candy, no one knows) could be used at a local grocery store is one worth pondering.
Where exactly do these gummies come from? Are they made in a special way and thus have value?Oobletsalso has a currency called Wishies which are used toupgrade the Wishy Well, so the game is no stranger to odd ways to buy things.
8Pitches Of Music Notes
Yes, the different pitches to music notes, like an F Sharp or a B flat, are actually used as a currency in a game. That game isAgora Nomic.Agora Nomicis a MUD-like game with a major twist: players have the power to change the very rules of the game itself.
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Rules regarding the monetary process of pitches are found in a public contract known as “The Note Exchange” and can be as confusing as the idea of pitches being money. Still, players of the game make this unique system work and it’s fun to see a title take such a bold and out-of-the-box approach to buying and selling items.
7Bolts
TheRatchet and Clankseries has always used a currency called Bolts. Actually consisting of bolts, nuts, springs, and gears, Bolts are used to buy ammunition, upgrade weapons, and any other necessities.
In a world with so much machinery, it’s odd to think that these bits of scrap metal could go for so much. Still, it’s likelyeven in the next gamethat Ratchet and Clank will be spending them all the same.
6Teeth
Alice: Madness Returnshas one of the most disturbing in-game currencies of all time: Teeth. So that’s how the tooth fairy has been leaving money under pillows.The first teaser trailer for the gamewas straight out of a nightmare with teeth falling out of Alice’s mouth.
Players must collect 6,750 teeth to fully upgrade every weapon in the game and gain the “Armed to the Teeth” achievement. The idea of carrying that many teeth at a time is enough to make even a seasoned dentist shiver.
5Jellybeans
Disney’s Toontown OnlineandToontown Rewrittenhave had jellybeans as currency since the very beginning. Ignoring the issues of having a candy that can not only melt but also has an expiration date as the main currency, the reason for this within the game’s lore is amusing.
Goofy delivered the jellybean machine to the mint, and the coin making machine to the candy factory. Instead of exchanging machines or even switching buildings, the residents simply decided to use jellybeans to buy everything. Only in Toontown right?
4Ka-ching
InPatapon, enemies drop Ka-ching once they are killed. These golden, transparent, spinning orbs are not simply money however, they are the very life force of the creatures that have been defeated. It’s the equivalent of buying things using a person’s soul.
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What makes this more unique than whatDark SoulsorBloodbornehas done is that Ka-ching is not only an onomatopoeia of a cash register sound but also a deeper reference. In western Pueblo, Kachinas are spirits, literal representations of life forces.
3Scarabs
Who wouldn’t want literal living insects as their currency? Still, the creators ofStar Foxdecided these would be the main currency on the Dinosaur Planet inStar Fox Adventures. They are seen in five colors, green, red, orange, purple, and gold.
Especially as they are kept in small bags together, it’s worth pondering if a scarab still holds value even if it dies. Either way, Dinosaur Planet would be a horrible place to be for anyone with entomophobia.
2Bullets
A single bullet is capable of taking a single life, so what is the monetary value of a single life? The idea is explored inMetro Exoduswhere military-grade ammunition is considered incredibly valuable. InMetro 2033, there are only 1,391 in the entire game to be found.
This makes the decisions on when to shoot, what to shoot, and what to spend on something tough to work through. Players are stuck navigating this post-apocalyptic economic system totry and find a happy ending.
1Spider Webs and ‘Taters’
Cartoon Network has had some interesting mashup gamesmade with its properties in the past. One of those games wasCartoon Network: Block Partyfor the Game Boy Advance. It comes as no surprise these games manage to have some wacky currency.
On theCow and Chickenboard, players have to collect Pork Butts while spending ‘Taters’ to try and win. On theCourage the Cowardly Dogmap, players need to collect 75 spider webs alongside other items to win.
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