Penny Punching Princess: Everything we know so far!

Celebrate capitalism by using money to solve all your problems in Penny Punching Princess, out early next week.

In Penny Punching Princess, we can live a dream: having enough money to throw fistfuls of it at our problems until they solve themselves. It's an adorable beat-em-up with a twist: you can kick the butts of your enemies for money, or you can turn around and bribe them to leave you alone! The launches with physical and digital releases for Nintendo Switch on April 4 in North America and March 30 (today!) in Europe. Unfortunately, there will be no physical Switch release in the UK. If you live in the UK, don't worry. You can still download it from the eShop!

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For those still on the fence about spending cash on a game about spending cash, here's everything we know about Penny Punching Princess!

Capitalism, ho!

Penny Punching Princess is a game where "even a level 1 pleb can defeat a tyrant as long as they have money." And at the start of the game, our titular Princess has effectively that mentioned level 1 pleb. She's lost her family, beloved father, and country to the Dragoloan family, a group of corrupt lenders and mobsters who scam people for their money. They're worth 1 trillion G. And Princess is going to take them down.

She's not alone. Princess is accompanied by her beetle butler, Sebastian, and aided by her relative Isabella. Isabella was born a zombie and joins the game later, allowing you to choose to play as either her or Princess. Though she comes with a unique set of zombie powers, she lacks the Princess' signature move: a magical calculator given to her by her greatest benefactor: the God of Money.

Flying fists full of cash

In a world where money is power, it only makes sense that a God of Money would rule. He gifts Princess with a magic calculator that allows her to subvert the traditional beat-em-up gameplay. As you fight your way through enemies, they drop money. Fill your wallet, then enter cash amounts into the calculator on screen to avoid nastier enemies and traps. Enemies who have price tags over their heads can be bribed for the amount you see. Simply put it into the calculator, and win them over to your side. These enemies can help you in the moment, then will return to your hub world kingdom to give you future benefits as you develop your fighting skills.

Enemies aren't the only things you can throw money at. You can bribe environmental objects such as cannons or fire pits to attack enemies for you, or you can bribe traps to disarm. Some bosses are bribable if you have enough cash, letting you skip them entirely. You can also offer cash to the God of Money. If your offering pleases him, he'll step in with a Coin Miracle, giving the Princess more powers or allowing her to subvert a Game Over.

From what we've seen so far, Penny Punching Princess promises a challenge. The bribe mechanic isn't just some skippable gimmick--you'll actually need to grind through stages, bring down enemies, and gather as many coins as possible to gain either enough skills, armor, or money to proceed. Paying close attention both to your wallet and to the types of the enemies you're bribing will be key.

Sounds fun enough to punch my pennies for. How much does it cost?

Penny Punching Princess is available in the Switch eShop and as a physical game cartridge for $39.99.

When can I play?

If you find the mechanics curious, you can try a few of them ahead of the game's release. There's an official, free Penny Punching Princess browser game you can play that showcases the bribe mechanic. It's just a short auto-runner, but it seems to appropriately capture the mayhem of trying to use a calculator while dodging enemies.

As for the official launch, if you're in Europe, you can pick up the game today via the Nintendo Switch eShop or as a physical game cartridge (everywhere but the UK). North American folks will have to play the browser game on loop over the weekend until the game's physical and digital release on April 4.

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Any questions about Penny Punching Princess?

If you're wondering a little more about the mechanics of this financial frolick, put them in the comments and I'll answer your questions.