Money is hard. Not only in real life but in video games as well. Often, the hero's ability to save the world depends on their ability to purchase what they need to get the job done. Most games, even ones that have strict rules for inventory, will allow you to carry an unrealistic amount of gold, caps, or other types of currency.
Bottomless money bags aren't the focus of this list. Where the cash comes from and how it's used is. From high fantasy to post-apocalyptic wastes, here are some fictional economies that will leave you scratching your head.
8 🍸 The Legend of Ze♎lda
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Getting rich in Hyrule seems like it should be easy. Rupees are everywhere. In addition to enemies dropping the gems, they are hidden in pots, chests, under rocks, and tall grass in earlier 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Legend of Zelda games. Every kid who mowed their neighbor's yards for money would make an absolute mint in Hyrule. Even when Link's wallet size limited the number of rupees he could carry, finding cash was never an issue. It makes you wonder why everyone doesn't follow Link's example and smash things for money.
7 Horizon Zero D𝔉awn And Horizon Forbidden West
Throughout 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Horizon Zero Dawn and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Horizon Forbidden West, everyone's favorite flame-haired machine hunter trades for the gadgets and weapons she needs using shards. Shiny bits and bobs that have been torn from the remains of robots roaming the vast and beautiful landscape. These shards aren't just used for trading, but for crafting and upgrading equipment. Hunters control the flow of currency in Alloy's post-apocalyptic world.
Anyone who doesn't stalk machines has to rely on hunters spreading the wealth by spending the shards they don't use for arrows or armor. Would there be enough hunters in a single Nora or Oseram village to support it? What happens to the supply of shards once you shut down nearby foundries that are pumping out machines for the tribes to hunt? It's possible that in saving the world, Alloy is setting it up for financial ruin.
6 Skyrim
Unlike other games on this list, Skyrim uses a currency fairly standard in fantasy settings, gold. Over the course of your adventures, you earn gold by completing quests and exploring draugr-infested dungeons. What doesn't make sense is how bartering works. You can walk into Belethor's shop in Whiterun and sell him random objects you've collected until he is out of gold without buying anything in return. Some vendors in Skyrim will 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:buy items from you without question, with no apparent effect on their livelihood.
What do the shopkeepers do with all that stuff? How do they make enough gold to cover you unloading all your junk onto them? Have you ever seen another customer in any of the shops? Who's buying all those tankards and spoons you accidentally picked up the last time you raided a Jarl's house?
5 💟 🅺 Ratchet and Clank
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Lombax hero Ratchet and his robo-buddy Clank of the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ratchet and Clank series have had many adventures in which they purchase and upgrade wild weapons and gadgets using machine parts. Thematically, it makes sense, his name is Ratchet and he carries a huge wrench. Why is everyon♛e iꦗs just walking around with bolts, springs, and gears in their pockets, though?
Who decided that these bits and bobs have monetary value? Are mechanics the wealthy elite? Do people who manufacture these items get paid with what they make? What about the people who use actual currency to build everyday items? Can you take apart your refrigerator or even your car if you are short on this month's rent?
4 Metro
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A common theme in games set after the world has moved on is unusual forms of currency. The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Metro series uses military-grade rounds for cash. Bullets as money in an FPS make for a great mechanic, granting you an edge in combat for a literal financial cost. This isn't makeshift ammo reloaded from old casings in random Russian ♛tunnels. These are quality bullets made in factories before nuclear war ended the world.
Weapons using these inexplicably pristine rounds are more powerful and reliable than regular ammunition. E𝄹very time you fire one of these rounds, you permanently remove currency from circulation, increasing the value of those remaining. In a world with warring factions and raging mutants, it stands to reason this kind of economy would tank in a hurry.
3 Fallout
Like Metro , Fallout also has a weird economic system. Bottle caps are considered to be the ma💛in form of cash across the remains of the United States. Beverage production from over 200 years ago is the basis for the entire wasteland economy, beverages that people still consume.
To the NCR's credit, they did try to establish a gold-backed currency, but because no one in the Fallout universe can work together, the NCR dollar failed spectacularly. People returned to using obviously valuable, totally practical, and not just trash bottle caps.
2 SoulsBorne Series𝓀 And Elden Ring ⛄
The 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dark Souls series has souls, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Bloodborne has blood echos, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Elden Ring has runes. These odd currencies are used to level your character and to trade with merchants. While not easy to get, these currencies are plentiful. Every enemy drops them, and it's possible to stay in one area and grind until you can afford whatever your heart is set on. Why do these merchants want them, and for what purpose? Do the regular denizens of these worlds also collect them, or is it only those who cannot die?
1 💛 Super Mario 🌳
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This list would not be complete without mentioning the OG himself, Mario. The Mush📖room Kingdom has golden coins stashed in blocks, hidden in caves, and even floating in midair right out in the open. Are they even money? The only thing these coins seem to be good for is granting Mario and his friends extra lives when you collect enough of them.
Except for various RPGs, you don't buy anything with them. How much could they be worth if they can be found by just stepping outside? What are they for? Does the Mushroom Kingdom export coins to Tamriel? What do they trade for them? So many questions and zero answers.