The Mini games are a good opportunity to have fun on the side Rupees, one better equipment or even more Pieces of Heart to procure.
In Skyward Sword there are some varied mini-games. In the following guide we have explained them to you in more detail and what you can win from them.
Navigation
Which item do you want to upgrade?
► Clean Cut
► Thrill Digger
► Fun Fun Island
► Rickety Coaster
► Pumpkin shooting
► Insect Paradise
► Lightning Round
Clean Cut
This mini-game can be found on an island north of Eldin Volcano. Here you have to cut a long bamboo tube. The bet is 10 Rupees, but there are only treasures or Rupees to be won, depending on the number of cuts:
15 to 19 cuts: 30 Rupees
20 to 27: Evil Crystal or monster horn
28 or more: rare treasure (Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull or Goddess Plume)
A good tactic is to first divide the bamboo into several parallel tubes using vertical cuts and then divide these simultaneously with horizontal strokes. An alternative tactic would be to stab quickly one after the other. Just try it out for yourself and see what works best for you.
According to the operator, the game should be easier if you have a longer sword. But that shouldn’t stop you from trying it at the beginning of the game. The Clean Cut is the only way to get Evil Crystals early in the game, which you need for the Big Bug Net. Otherwise you wouldn’t get the Evil Crystals until the fourth dungeon at the earliest.
Thrill Digger
The Thrill Digger can be found in a cave at a camp halfway up the volcano climb.
Here you can usually only win Rupees, so you can actually ignore the mini-game. The game has three levels of difficulty with different stakes.
During the game you find yourself in a field with digging holes, the game continues until you hit a bomb with the digging gloves or have uncovered all Rupees. If you do the latter, you will also win a rare treasure.
The Rupees and bombs are not distributed randomly, but follow a specific system, which can be compared a little to Minesweeper. The higher the value of a ruby, the more dangers there are around it. A Mogma in the back of the cave has the following to report about the system:
- with green Rupees there are no bombs
- with blue Rupees there are 1-2 bombs
- with red Rupees there are 3-4 bombs
- with silver Rupees you have to expect 5-6 bombs
- at gold Rupees with 7-8 bombs
You can also win a rare treasure ( Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull or Goddess Plume ) if you uncover all Rupees during the game. If you already have the Mogma Mitts, you can dig under the board and try to get the Rupees yourself.
Fun Fun Island
The Fun Fun Island is located in the west of the Sky. You can only play the game once you have gotten the operator’s wheel back (see our guide: Gratitude Crystals, The Unlucky Roulette).
The stake for the game is 20 Rupees. Get into the cannon and you will be shot into the sky. Now it’s time to prove yourself in skydiving, fly through the five rings and avoid the balls at all costs.
If you fly through a ring, your multiplier increases by 2. If you touch a ball, the multiplier is set to zero again. At the end you land on one of the fields, you get the value of the field times your multiplier. If you manage to fly through all five rings without touching a ball and then land in the 50-rupee field, you will not only receive the 500 Rupees, you will also receive a one-time Piece of Heart!
Rickety Coaster
You can play Rickety Coaster with the Goron on the Lanayru Shipyard after you have defeated Moldarach there for the second time.
The stake is 20 Rupees: There are two courses, the beginner and the expert course. With the expert course you can win a one-time Piece of Heart. Here are the prices:
- Beginner route just over 30 seconds: 50 Rupees
- beginner distance under 30 seconds: 100 Rupees
- expert route just over 65 seconds: Evil Crystals and monster horns
- Expert route under 65 seconds: Piece of Heart, then rare treasure (Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull or Goddess Plume)
Tips: When playing, keep the Wiimote straight and turn it to the appropriate side when cornering. You should be careful never to tilt the Wiimote too far, a little bit is enough. On the expert route there is a junction halfway through. If you want to achieve a time of under 65 seconds, then you have to take the right junction. The part after that is quite treacherous, you usually have to lean into the next corner while you’re still in the last corner. Otherwise you may fall off the rails. With a little practice, this mini-game should no longer be a problem for you.
Pumpkin Shooting
If you have helped Fledge gain new strength (see Gratitude Crystals, More Stamina for Fledge) and received the bow, you can find him in front of the training hall during the day, where he is playing a new mini-game.
The bet is 20 Rupees, during the game he throws pumpkins in the air and you have to try to hit them with your bow.
There is always enough time to charge the arrow using A, so you don’t have to
draw the bow with the nunchuk, which may also provide a little more stability while playing. Always aim a little in advance. A hit is worth 10 points; this score increases by 10 points with each successive hit to a maximum of 50 per hit.
In order to achieve really good scores, you should hit one after the other as often as possible. Sometimes it is advisable to simply ignore a pumpkin if its trajectory is too difficult for you to understand. Glittery pumpkins give double points. Here’s what you can win:
- 150 to 390 points: 50 Rupees
- 400 to 590 points: Dusk Relic, Ancient Flower or Eldin Ore
- 600 points or more: Piece of Heart, then rare treasure (Blue Bird Feather, Golden Skull or Goddess Plume)
Tips: If you aim a little to the right above Fledge and fire at the right moment as soon as he throws, you can easily hit the pumpkins without having to aim awkwardly. You need practice with this tactic to get the perfect timing.
Bug Heaven
After you have freed Levias and made the tornado accessible to the residents of the Skyloft again, you will meet Strich during the day on an island in the southwestern area of the tornado.
The island resembles a large obstacle course with several levels. Speak to Strich on the landing platform on the western side to be able to play. The beginner course costs 20 Rupees; the expert course 50 Rupees.
In both courses the aim is to catch various insects as quickly as possible (under 2 minutes for the best result). For the game, it is advisable to first familiarize yourself with the island and learn where all the insects are (this is only possible during the game). You should also already have the Big Bug Net in your possession. If you’re looking for record times, you might want to consider using one of the otherwise useless stamina potions during the game.
However, you cannot keep the insects you catch for your collection and you only get 5 insects as prizes, which you can usually catch somewhere yourself with much less effort and without using Rupees.
So the mini-game isn’t worth it. However, you have to pass the expert course at least once for another sidequest (see Gratitude Crystals, The Search for the Horned Colossus Beetle). We therefore offer you detailed assistance here. For the Horned Colossus Beetle, however, a time of three minutes is sufficient.
Beginner Course
- 1x Sky Stag Beetle
- 1x Starry Firefly
- 1x Skyloft Mantis
- 1x Lanayru Ant
- 1x Volcanic Ladybug
The first insect is on the wall directly in front of you. Roll against the wall
to catch it. Now run further to the right, swing over the water and at the tree trunk to the bottom right (do not move the tree trunk).
Go down the stairs under the tree trunk here. Once you reach the bottom you can catch one of the fireflies. Opposite the stairs is an alcove with two vases covering a small opening in the wall. Crawl through there and you’ll land on a wooden walkway outside the island. On the left you will see two vases, smash them and catch Skyloft Mantis.
A short distance away there is an ant crawling on the footbridge, catch it too. Then grab the vines with the Clawshots. Once at the top there is another wall with tendrils, on this is the Volcanic Ladybug. On this route you can easily complete the course in under 40 seconds.
Expert Course
- 1x Gerudo Dragonfly
- 2x Eldin Roller
- 1x Lanayru Ant
- 1x Skyloft Mantis
- 1x Blessed Butterfly
- 2x Faron Grasshopper
- 1x Woodland Rhino Beetle
- 1x Sand Cicada
Follow the right path and swing over the water. In front of the slope
you come across a Gerudo dragonfly and capture it. Sprint up the slope and catch your first Eldin Roller here. At the top of the tower, run around to the left and you will come across a Lanayru Ant. Not far away you will see three jars.
The jar that is closest to the tree contains a Skyloft Mantis. Grab it, but try not to get too close to the tree, otherwise the bees will attack you, which will cost you too much time. Then drop down, in the middle area you can already catch a Blessed Butterfly or another Gerudo dragonfly if the first one escaped you. Otherwise jump into the hole. At the bottom you run up the stairs and catch your second Eldin Roller.
Follow the path and jump over the wooden plank, after which you will encounter another Blessed Butterfly if you haven’t already caught the first one. A Faron Grasshopper is moving there in the grass, capture it. Keep running and you’ll come to a point where you have to climb up several ledges. There you will find a Woodland Rhino Beetle on a wall and a Sand Cicada on the fence near the jugs.
Then move away a little and run back to the point where you encountered the Faron Grasshopper to capture it a second time. This may not be the most optimal course, but it should be enough to get you under 2 minutes.
Lightning Round
As soon as you have healed the thunder dragon, he will let you fight old battles and the Silent Realm again as a test. The fights, with one exception, are all the game’s various boss fights.
You can choose from three times of the game and then choose an opponent. The following battles are available for you to choose from:
- Ghirahim (Temple of Heavenly Gaze)
- Scaldera
- Moldarach
- The Imprisoned (1st encounter)
- Koloktos
- Tentalus
- Ghirahim (Fire Sanctuary)
- The Imprisoned (2nd encounter)
- The Imprisoned (3rd encounter)
- Horde Battle
- Ghirahim (Sealed Grounds)
- Demise (hero mode only)
During a battle, you are only allowed to use certain items and only your currently equipped shield. The other contents of your Adventure Pouch are not available to you, so you cannot heal yourself with heart potions or use the effects of medals. Your health is not refreshed between fights; you only have the hearts available for healing that you can find in the arenas (you cannot heal yourself at all in hero mode).
After each fight, the thunder dragon offers you to get out, where you can take a prize. Or you can continue playing and hope for a better prize, the next fight will be chosen by the dragon (at random). If you are killed by an opponent, you go game over. You can win the following prizes:
- 1 win: 20 Rupees
- 2 wins: common treasure
- 3 wins: 100 Rupees
- 4 wins: Piece of Heart #24, then 200 Rupees
- 5 wins: 300 Rupees
- 6 wins: rare treasure
- 7 wins: 500 Rupees
- 8 wins: Hylian Shield, then 1000 Rupees
- 9 wins: 2000 Rupees
- 10 wins: three rare treasures
- 11 wins: 3000 Rupees
- 12 wins: 9900 Rupees (hero mode only)
If you complete all battles one after the other in hero mode, the Thunder Dragon will reward you with as many Rupees as you can carry (maximum 9900). Your primary goal should be to win the Piece of Heart and the Hylian Shield.
Valuable Tips: If you drink a Guardian Potion before speaking to the Thunder Dragon, its effect will remain during battles. The Potion Medal can extend this effect even further, although you cannot use medals during battles. This is particularly helpful in Hero Mode when you have to survive against Horde Battle.
By the way, the Thunder Dragon also gives you the opportunity to repeat all Silent Realm. If you still need Dark Crescents, you can collect them here. Otherwise, it’s about completing the exams as quickly as possible. For the best of times you can win a rare treasure.
- Faron Woods: under 3 minutes
- Eldin Volcano: under 6 minutes
- Lanayru Desert: under 4:15 minutes
- Skyloft: under 4 minutes
If you are caught by a guard during the test, the Thunder Dragon will punish you by draining all but one heart of your health. This isn’t a problem, sit on the nearby chair to fully heal yourself.