Minigames
Table of Contents
Just like in many previous Zelda games, Skyward Sword has mini-games that are run by certain people around Skyloft and below the clouds. Mini-games are fun to do and, if you can get a certain score, will reward you with many things such as treasures, rupees, and even equipment or Pieces of Heart. This guide will tell you how to play the mini-game, what rewards you can get, and will even include strategies to beat the mini-game if you’re having trouble.
Clean-Cut Challenge
Located on a small island outside of Skyloft, Link will meet Peater and will be able to participate in his mini-game, which costs 10 rupees per attempt. The goal of the mini-game is to cut the bamboo stock into as many pieces as you can before it hits the ground.
Rewards:
- 0-14 Cuts: Nothing
- 15-19: 30 Rupees
- 20-27: Either a Monster Horn or an Evil Crystal
- 28 or more: A Goddess Plume, Golden Skull, or Blue Bird Feather
TIPS: As difficult as you may find it, you don’t need a special sword to do well in this mini-game. You want to make sure that your strikes are as close to horizontal directions as you can get, because it will prevent the bamboo from sliding off center and getting closer to the ground. It will also help you from cutting larger chunks.
Fun Fun Island
*This mini-game is only available after you have completed the Lost Party Wheel sidequest. Check the Gratitude Crystals guide for more info
On Fun Fun Island, you can pay Dodoh 20 rupees to play a mini-game in which you must skydive through the air and land on a spinning floor (the colors represent the amount of rupees you can receive by landing on it). There are also rings that Link can dive through as he’s falling – if he goes through these rings, the rupee multiplier will increase before landing. Landing on a brown space will result in no rupees, and landing on a grey space will cause Link to lose 10 rupees. Getting the hang of this mini-game can make it a really easy way to get rupees fast.
*The only major reward you can win besides rupees is a Piece of Heart, which you will be rewarded with if you go through five rings (getting you a x10 multiplier) without hitting any balloons and then landing on a multicolored spot on the landing space.
TIPS: A common strategy that you will find in multiple other walkthroughs is what people like to call the “3 Hour Strategy”. To do this little trick, you first have to imagine that the landing wheel is a clock. When you pass through the last ring, find the position of the 50 rupees space. The “clock” will move 3 hours clockwise from this position after you’ve passed the last ring, so let’s say the rupee space is at 12:00, when you land it will be at 3:00. This is probably one of the most common trick used to get quick rupees.
Strich’s Bug Hunt
*This mini-game is only available after you have completed the Fire Sanctuary.
The Bug Hunt mini-game can be found on Bug Island, located in the western section of the Thunderhead. Upon completing the Fire Sanctuary, Strich can be found there where he is hosting a new mini-game. There are two modes – Beginner and Harvester (hard). In Beginner mode, you will have to collect 5 specific bugs (Strich will tell you which bugs to collect) and in Harvester mode, you will have to collect 10 bugs (two of which are duplicates). It costs 20 rupees to play Beginner mode, and 50 rupees to play Harvester mode.
*This minigame is also a good opportunity to find all the bugs for your bug collection, as every type of bug in the game can be found here.
Rewards:
- Finish in less than 2 minutes in Beginner Mode – a random rare bug
- Finish in less than 2 minutes in Hard Mode – a random rare bug (you will receive five)
Fledge’s Pumpkin Pull
*This mini-game is only available after you have completed the Fledge’s Work-Out Routine sidequest.
This mini-game can be accessed by speaking to Fledge in front of the Sparring Hall. Each play costs 20 rupees. During the mini-game, Fledge will throw pumpkins into the air for you to shoot with your arrows. The first pumpkin you shoot is worth 10 points – after that, each consecutive hit is worth an additional 10 points (this will continue up to 50 points). Fledge will also throw shiny pumpkins, which are worth double the points when you hit them.
Rewards:
- Score of 150 – 50 Rupees
- Score of 400 – A rare item
- Score of 600 – A Piece of Heart
TIPS: An easy trick to getting a high score is to aim the cursor at the top of the last piece of the fence next to the Sparring Hall and keep it there the whole time. When Fledge bends over to pick up a pumpkin, release an arrow. Doing so correctly will hit all the pumpkins he throws. You will have to have a steady hand as well as good timing to hit the pumpkin the moment Fledge bends down and throws another one
Rickety Coaster
*This mini-game is only available after you have completed the Sandship.
Upon returning to the Shipyard after completing the Sandship, you will be able to play a new mini-game, in which you must make it to the end of a minecart trail without falling off. Completing the Heart Stopping course in 1:05:00 seconds or less will get you a Piece of Heart.
TIPS: If you want to make a good time, take the right turn at the last fork in the tracks. You will probably have to do the courses a couple times to learn the maps and where the dead ends are when you encounter a fork in the tracks.
Harp Jam
*This mini-game is only available after you have completed the third job at the Lumpy Pumpkin for Pumm.
After you have done it the first time, playing the harp with Kina the waitress for the customers will get you rupees depending on how well you do.
Rewards:
- A good performance – 20 Rupees
- A fantastic performance – 50 Rupees
Doing a really bad job will cause you to get booted off the stage, and doing a decent job will get you through, but you won’t get any rupees from Pumm.
Thrill Digger
A Minesweeper-style mini-game run by Tubert hte Mogma in the Eldin Volcano, you must unearth Rupees from beneath the soil spots while trying to avoid the Bombs that will blow up if you dig them up. There are three modes:
Beginner – Costs 30 Rupees to play, and consists of twenty soil spots in a 5×4 formation. Four of these spots are Bombs. It is guaranteed to hold quite a few Green and Blue Rupees,with a small chance of Red Rupees.
Intermediate – Costs 50 Rupees to play, and consists of thirty soil spots arranged in a 6×5 formation. There are four Rupoors (which will cause you to lose rupees if you collect them) and four Bombs. This map contains mostly Blue and Red Rupees, with a rare chance of Green and Silver rupees.
Expert – Costs 70 Rupees to play, and consists of forty spots in arranged in a 8×5 formation. There are eight Rupoors and eight Bombs. This map contains mostly red rupees, as well as occasional Green, Blue, Silver, and Gold rupees.
The game will end either when you dig up a Bomb or if you can find all the rupees in the map. All the rupees you collect are put into your wallet at the end of the game; if you collect them all, you will also be rewarded with a rare treasure.
TIPS: Much like the original Minesweeper, the rupees are positioned related to the Bombs.
