Vanpool Planned a Tingle Horror Game

In an interview with Kotaku about Dillon's Dead-Heat Breakers and the Dillon franchise, producer Kensuke Tanabe mentioned the following:

Looking back eight years ago, we were developing a horror game with Vanpool that starred Tingle as the main character, but that project was canceled due to a variety of reasons.

Based on the slingshot controls from Tingle's Balloon Trip of Love, they then came up with a game about an armadillo and moved on from there. And the Tingle series is history now.

But this Tingle horror game could have been interesting. Vanpool was essentially creating a "Tingle Trilogy", where each game was placed in a different genre. The Zelda-esque Action Adventure Rosy Rupeeland with terrible gambling mechanics, the Point-and-Click Adventure Balloon Trip of Love with a quirky dating sim and finally a Tingle horror game, probably with some mechanic to calm haunting spirits or something. I would love to see this, after Balloon Trip of Love was rather disappointing.

The lack of success of the Tingle series probably was one of the main reasons, why this project was canceled. Another problem could have been the fact that Luigi's Mansion is a thing, where a Tingle horror game probably would gone in a similar direction.

Still, another Tingle game probably would have gotten more attention than Dillon. Speaking of, I could still see Dillon happening as a fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, even if it's just to increase the awareness about his games. But it's more likely that he will be stuck forever in Assist Trophy hell together with Tingle...