Minigames (and how to beat 'em)

You discover a lot of minigames to play in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword . Some are just for fun or ways to earn money, while others give you chances to earn valuable Pieces of Heart.

Here’s a guide to who’s who and what’s what when it comes to minigames.

Bug Heaven

Strich awaits on an island in the thunderhead. This island is a specially constructed “bug paradise,” where Strich is raising at least one of every type of bug in the world.

In Strich’s minigames, you pay a fee to see how quickly you can catch the bugs from a pre-set list. Strich charges 20 Rupees for the Beginner course and 50 Rupees for the Wrangler course.

The Beginner list of bugs you must catch is: Skyloft Mantis, Volcanic Ladybug, Lanayru Ant, Sky Stag Beetle, Starry Firefly.

The Wrangler list of bugs you must catch is: two Faron Grasshoppers, one Woodland Rhino Beetle, one Skyloft Mantis, one Blessed Butterfly, one Lanayru Ant, one Sand Cicada, one Gerudo Dragonfly, and two Eldin Rollers.

Aside from knowing how to catch each bug in the wild, doing well in Bug Heaven just involves memorizing where all the bugs in the island are and figuring out the shortest path from one type to another. You can easily figure this out through simple trial and error.

Strich gives his best rewards if you can clear either of his courses in less than two minutes. You can also get special rewards for clearing the Wrangler course in less than three minutes.

The best rewards are always a stack of five bugs of a given type, with rarer bugs awarded for completing more difficult goals.

Bug Beginner Course Rewards

Bug Wrangler Course Rewards

(Less Than Three Minutes)

Bug Wrangler Course Rewards

(Less Than Two Minutes)

Clean Cut

Peater charges 10 Rupees to see if you can chop a falling piece of bamboo more than 27 times while it’s in midair. If you succeed, he rewards you with a random rare treasure.

Dodoh’s High Dive

Dodoh’s High Dive is a complicated diving minigame where Link pays 20 Rupees to be shot out of a cannon. While diving back down to earth, you can guide Link through rings to build up a score multiplier that goes as high as x10.

Hitting any of the Dodoh Ball hazards on your fall reduces your score multiplier. Beneath you is a spinning wheel whose slots are marked by Green, Blue, and Red Rupees. If you land on the Red Rupee space with a modifier of x5, your reward is 100 Rupees.

There’s also a Rupoor space you can land on that immediately penalizes you 10 Rupees, a brown slot that gives you nothing, and a special 50-Rupee space. If you land on the 50-Rupee space with a x10 modifier, you win 500 Rupees and a Piece of Heart.

Harp Performance

Go to the Lumpy Pumpkin at night and you can perform on your harp as part of a duet with Kina. Your performance is scored based on how well you keep time with the audience. A good performance is worth 50 Rupees.

Rickety Coaster

A trip on the Rickety Coaster courses at the Shipyard in the Lanayru Sand Sea costs 20 Rupees for the Beginner course and 50 Rupees for the Expert course. If you can finish the Beginner course in less than 60 seconds, you’re rewarded with a rare treasure.

If you can finish the Expert course in less than 65 seconds, you can win a Piece of Heart.

Pumpkin Pull

After you finish Fledge’s gratitude request, he offers you a new minigame just outside the Sparring Hall. Pay Fledge 20 Rupees and he offers to toss pumpkins into the air for you to shoot down with your bow.

You get points for each pumpkin you shoot down. It begins at 10 points and goes up to 50 with each consecutive shot, with double points offered for hitting special sparkling pumpkins. If you can get more than 600 points in this challenge, Fledge gives you a Piece of Heart.