www.thegamer.com Skyward Sword: Minigame Guides

Minigames have been a staple of The Legend of Zelda since A Link to the Past. Zelda’s minigames are generally designed to serve as a pace breaker from the main story while giving you the chance to unlock some extra goodies – whether that be new gear or the franchise’s coveted Heart Pieces.

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Skyward Sword is no stranger to minigames, featuring more than enough to up the replay value. As far as rewards go, Skyward Sword’s minigames tend to offer a healthy payout. Skyward Sword has a better Rupee economy than the average Zelda game, so anyone looking to farm money should take the time to indulge in SS’ many minigames.

Bug Heaven

Bug Heaven is a late-game minigame that’s only unlocked after you defeat Bilocyte in the Thunderhead and subsequently visit Beedle’s Island at night. Beedle will inform you that his prized Horned Colossus Beetle has gone missing. Fly all the way out to Thunderhead and land on Bug Rock to find Stritch – one of Groose’s groupies – hanging around.

Speak with Stritch to learn about his bug utopia and he’ll offer to let you play Bug Hunt – a game where you’re allowed to collect an assortment of bugs you’d otherwise need to grind for. There are two difficulties for Bug Heaven, both of which offer you different bugs to catch.

Beginner lets you catch Lanayru Ants, Skyl Stag Beetles, Skyloft Mantises, Starry Fireflies, and Volcanic Ladybugs. Your potential rewards for completing the Beginner course are Blessed Butterflies, Deku Hornets, Sky Stag Beetles, and Skyloft Mantises if done under 2 minutes, or Rupees otherwise.

Wrangler lets you catch virtually every other bug in the game and takes much longer to complete. Consequently, your rewards are considerably better. Wrangler awards you Eldin Rollers, Faron Grasshoppers, Sand Cicadas, and Starry Fireflies for completing it in under 2 minutes; Lanayru Ants, Gerudo Dragonflies, Volcanic Ladybugs, and Woodland Rhino Beetles under 3 minutes; and 80 Rupees under 5.

Clean Cut

Clean Cut is a sword based minigame that can be found on Bamboo Island. The entrance fee costs a measly 10 Rupees, but the rewards for completing Clean Cut go a long way for anyone who’s looking to upgrade all of Link’s gear. It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that Clean Cut is best played after you obtain the Goddess Longsword.

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Since the whole idea behind Clean Cut is seeing how many times Link can cut a single bamboo plant before it falls, the added reach from the Goddess Longsword helps you get more strikes in at a faster pace. Beginners will want to position your sword horizontally and quickly swing back & forth while keeping as stable as possible. Veterans should try stabbing the bamboo vertically to keep it standing as it’s cut. The following rewards are available depending on how many cuts you make:

15-19 Cuts: 30 Rupees

20-27 Cuts: Evil Crystal, Monster Horn

28+ Cuts: Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull, Goddess Plume

It should be noted that you only get rewarded one material for the two highest tiers, not everything listed. A Gossip Stone also reveals that the in-universe record for Clean Cut is 43 cuts, but there’s no reward for slicing that high.

Dodoh’s High Dive

Dodoh’s High Dive is located on Fun Fun Island, but can only be played after you find Dodoh’s Party Wheel. Warp down to Lanayru Desert and head to Lanayru Mine where you’ll find a timeshift stone. Change time periods to spawn some climbable vines and follow the path forward until you bump into the Party Wheel. Call Scrapper and deliver the wheel back to Fun Fun Island.

Along with giving you some Gratitude Crystals, Dodoh will now let you play his High Dive minigame. Your goal in High Dive is to dive through several rings that serve as multipliers while positioning Link to land on one of the Party Wheel’s tiles down below – each color representing a different reward. The following can be obtained depending on your multiplier and which color tile you land on:

Gray: -10 Rupees

Brown: No Reward or Penalty

Green: 1 Rupee

Blue: 5 Rupees

Red: 20 Rupees

Blue/Red: 50 Rupees

Blue/Red With 10x Multiplier: Piece of Heart

While the Piece of Heart is the real draw to Dodoh’s High Dive, the minigame isn’t a bad way to grind for Rupees if you have a knack for it.

Pumpkin Pull

Fledge’s Pumpkin Pull is a Skyloft minigame that you can play after completing the Sandship and unlocking the Bow. Return to Skyloft, speak with Fledge, and give him a Stamina Potion. Fledge will now move to the Sparring Hall where he’ll let you play the Pumpkin Pull minigame for 20 Rupees.

You’ll have 90 seconds to shoot as many pumpkins as possible. Fledge will throw pumpkins in the air, with each one awarding points. Pumpkin points can be chained from 10 from a single pumpkin to 50 off 5, staying at 50 so long as you don’t miss. Shimmering Pumpkins likewise double your current point value. You can win the following rewards depending on your points:

100-390 Points: 50 Rupees

400-590 Points: Ancient Flower, Dusk Relic, Eldin Ore

600+ Points 1st Time: Piece of Heart

600+ Points Otherwise: Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull, Goddess Plume

Just like with Clean Cut, you only win one material from the higher tiers, but the main draw is ultimately the Piece of Heart.

Harp Jam

Harp Jam is notorious for being one of the most infamous side quests in Skyward Sword, both because of all the legwork you need to do in order to actually unlock it and how challenging it is to complete. First, you need to break the chandelier in the Lumpy Pumpkin for a Heart Piece. Then, you have to deliver some Pumpkin Soup to the Knight Commander at Skyloft. After that, Link needs to help store some pumpkins in storage (which is easier said than done).

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www.thegamer.com Skyward Sword: Minigame Guides

Once all these tasks are completed, you’ll finally be able to play Harp Jam. The minigame sees Link performing a duet with Kina. You’ll be playing the Goddess Harp, strumming it in rhythm with the music. It helps to watch the young man to the left of Link in the audience, since his movement generally keeps with the beat. Anytime the audience stops reacting is your opportunity for a solo – do whatever, but be ready to strum in sync again.

Completing Harp Jam for the first time will unlock a Piece of Heart so long as you do better than Lousy. Repeat playthroughs can offer the following rewards:

Lousy: Nothing

Mediocre: Nothing

Good: 20 Rupees

Fantastic: 50 Rupees

All things considered, Harp Jam is really only worth playing for the Piece of Heart. There are easier and faster ways to make Rupees.

Rickety Coaster

Rickety Coaster is a minigame that’s unlocked after completing the Sandship in Lanayru. The minigame sees Link riding a minecart through a course as you steer him and try to keep the cart balanced. Rickety Coaster can be quite difficult to complete using motion controls, so don’t be afraid to swap to a controller if you need to.

There are two difficulties offered for Rickety Coaster, both of which have their own set of rewards to unlock. Scary Challenge gives you the following depending on how quickly you complete the course:

Less Than 30 Sec: 100 Rupees

30-35 Sec: 50 Rupees

35-40 Sec: 20 Rupees

More Than 40 Sec: Nothing

The Heart Stopping Challenge offers the following rewards at the expense of being a longer and more challenging course to navigate:

Less Than 1:05 1st Time: Piece Of Heart

1:05 Otherwise: Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull

1:05-1:10: Evil Crystal, Monster Horn

1:10-1:15: 20 Rupees

More Than 1:15: Nothing

While potentially frustrating, Rickety Coaster is fun in its own right once you get a feel for the controls.

Thrill Digger

Thrill Digger is a Minesweeper inspired minigame that can be found in Eldin Volcano. Link uses his Digging/Mogma Mitts to scavenge for Rupees while avoiding Rupoors and Bombs. Like in Minesweeper, higher value tiles mean there are more hazards around them. In this case, values are determined by Rupees (going Green, Blue, Red, Silver, and Gold).

There are three different courses with their own map sizes and rewards. Finding every Rupee in a course rewards you with either a Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull, or Goddess Plume. Thrill Digger isn’t one of Skyward Sword’s best minigame when it comes to payout, but it’s a fun way to kill some time.

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