Minigames have been a staple of since . 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 – wh🍌ether that be new gear or the franchise’s coveted Heart Pieces.
Skyward Sword is no stranger to minigames, featuring more than enough to up the replay value. As far as rewards go, ’s minigame🅷s tend to offer a healthy payout. has a better Rupee economy than the average 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 g🌺ame where you’re allowed to collect an assortment of b🤪ugs 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 complet𒉰ing the Beginner course are Blessed Butterflies, Deku Hornets, Sky Stag Beetles, and Skyloft Mantises if done under 2 minu🗹tes, 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 Roller🍬s, Faron Grasshoppers, Sand Cicadas, and Starry Fireflies for completing it in under 2 minutes; Lanayru Ants, Gerudo Dragonflies, Volcanic Ladybugs, an𓂃d Woodland Rhino Beetles under 3 minutes; and 80 Rupees under 5.
Clean Cut
Clean Cut is a sword ♊based minigame that can be๊ 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.
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 a🀅vailable 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 𒆙Stone 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 l🐓ocated on Fun Fun Island, but can only be played after you find Dodoh’s Party Wheel. W๊arp 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 Pa✃rty Wheel’s tiles down below – each color representing a different reward. The following can be obtained depending on your multiplier and which c🍎olor 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, thဣe minigame isn’t a baꦇd 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 c༒urrent 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 materiꦗal 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 a♐ll the legwork you need to do in order to actually unlock it and how challenging it is to complete.𝐆 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).
Once all these tasks are completed, you’ll finally be able to play Harp Jam. The minigame sees Li⛄nk 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 Ja🐟m for the first time will unlock a Piece of Heart so long as you do better than Lousy. Repeat playthroughs can offer the following rewar🌃ds:
- 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 easier𒅌 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 co♎ntrols, 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 dependinꦑg on ho𝓀w 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 potenti🔯ally 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 valu꧒e 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 eveౠry 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.