While has its flaws, it’s actually a very well crafted video game. From the story to the difficulty curve to tꦏhe dungeon design, Skyward Sword is a better than most fans give it credit for. Unfortunately, the game does have s💖ome very real flaws: one of the most pressing being how often Link needs to fight The Imprisoned. While gets some good mileage out of having you fight Ghirahim three times, the same cannot be said for The Imprisoned.
Unlike other boss battles in which tend to play up swordplay and reflex based combat, the battles against The Imprisoned are slow paced affairs that mainly amount to🧸 navigational puzzles. Some of the best bosses in are puzzle battles, but The Imprisoned leaves something to be desired in each of its fights – not helping matters is how obtuse making progress can be, hurting the game’s pacing more than anything else.
All three rounds against The Imprisoned have their own gimmick that keeps the battles complic♏ated, but this can be a blessing in some instanꦕces. Knowing exactly what to do helps turn three of Skyward Sword’s most frustrating encounters into glorified cutscenes.
Round 1
Every battle against The Imprisoned is fought in the Sealed Grounds, albeit each i🦩teration plays out very differently. The first fight against The Imprisoned is arguably the most frustrating of the bunch if only because it’s the only encounter where Link is completely on his own. For this first round, you’ll need to whack away at The Imprisoned’s toes while he’s walking up the Grounds.
Once all his toes have be🐻en struck, The Imprisoned will fall to the grou📖nd and you’ll be able to run to his head to deal damage. Keep in mind that The Imprisoned lets out shockwaves when he takes a step, meaning you’ll need to strategically run back and forth from his toes to knock him down. The Imprisoned won’t really fight back, but he will hurt you if you get in his path.
After dealing enough damage, The Imprisoned will start slithering as well which deals damage on contact. For the ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚmost part, it’s not too hard to take The Imprisoned down so long as you stay focused on chopping his toes. You can als♚o try to downstab The Imprisoned’s head by jumping off the very top of the Sealed Grounds, but this is easier said than done so it might not be worth attempting on a first playthrough.
The Rematch
Your first r🍨ematch against The Imprisoned will seem overwhelming at first glance. Not only has The Imprisoned grown arms, he c꧃an actively climb up the Sealed Grounds, making it even harder to pursue him. Your only options are to rely on wind currents to reach the level above him while he’s moving or to use the Groosenator.
To deal damage wi✱thout the Groosenator, run into the wind currents to get above The Imprisoned just enough where you can jump onto his head. Once on top of him, attack the sword inside of his head to hurt him. To deal damage with the Groosenator, p🍌ress Up on the D-Pad to swap to Groose and aim a bomb at The Imprisoned. This will stun The Imprisoned, giving you enough time to jump on his head.
While you technically can strike away at The Imprisoned’s tꦇoes to knock him down during the rematch, it isn’t advised whatsoever. Even using the Groosenator to stun him, focus on solely getting on top of The Imprisoned’s head. Actually taking the time to strike his toes will drag out th🎉e fight when everything in the arena is designed to move you on top of him.
The Grand Finale
The final fight against The Imprisoned starts out like a repeat of your initial rematch. You’ll be tasked with using the Groosenator and wind currents to get above The Imprisoned and smack his head. Like before, try to avoid smacking his toes if you can and aim to down him quickly. Unlike with t💝he rematch, however, The Imprisoned will shift to a new phase where he’ll start flying.
From here, you’ll need to use the Groosenator to knock The Imprisoned down. Unfortunately, Groose will eventually run out of bombs. For the last stretch of the fight, you’ll need to race to the top of the Sealed Grounds – make sure to run into all the Stamina Fruit – and launch yourself from the Groosenator onto The Imprisoned. Once on top of Theꦿ Imprisoned, finish him off once and for all.