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As you traverse the world of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD you'll discover a total of seven fun minigames where you'll get to show off and improve your skills whilst racking up some pretty sweet prizes.

Let's take a look at what minigames await you on your adventure, where you can find them and - most importantly - how to win at them!

Zelda: Skyward Sword HD Minigame Guide

Clean-Cut Challenge

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Get yourself to Bamboo Island, which is located northeast of Skyloft, and you can take part in Peater's Clean-Cut Challenge. The rules of the game are simple here, you need to use your sword to cut a bamboo stalk as many times as you possibly can before it falls to the ground.

The more strikes you manage, the better the prizes you'll come away with, and you should note that there are a few fairly rare treasures up for grabs here such as the Goddess Plume and Blue Bird Feather.

In terms of strategy, while you may be tempted to go crazy with spinning sword strikes here, we've found the best way to approach this game is to keep your cool and slice horizontally at a nice fast pace, this helps to stop the bamboo falling away at an angle which causes it to hit the ground faster.

It's probably going to take you a few tries to get this one down and find a style of cutting that suits you but, once you do, you'll be blowing Peater's mind with some crazy cut scores.

Below we've listed how many cuts you need to make and what prizes you can expect as a reward.

0-14 Clean Cuts - You get nothing and you need to wake up and try a bit harder tbh.

15-19 Clean Cuts - That's more like it, you just got yourself 30 Rupees but there's still room for improvement here.

20-27 Clean Cuts - Wow, you...you're pretty good at this, racking up this score will net you either a Monster Horn or Evil Crystal

28+ Clean Cuts - You're a Clean Cut Challenge Master and your skills will now net you either a Goddess Plume, Golden Skull or Blue Bird Feather!

Fun Fun Island

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There are very few things in the world as funny to us as Dodoh and his amazing Fun Fun Island. Located just to the east of Skyloft, this colourful little island is where you get to come and play Dodoh's High Dive - once you've gone and found his Party Wheel for him. Please go find his Party Wheel, he's absolutely devastated without it.

Once you've unlocked access to Dodoh's High Dive the rules are simple. Dodoh will have Link climb into a cannon, at which point he'll shoot him up into the air where it's your job to control his fall to the bottom. Successfully manoeuvring Link through rings on the way down will increase his Rupee multiplier, whilst hitting Dodoh balloons will reduce it. Once you get to the bottom you'll need to land on a revolving platform with different coloured sections that are worth varying amounts of Rupees.

It's worth noting at this point that if you can get Link through all five rings on the way down without hitting any Dodoh Balloons AND land on the multicoloured section of the revolving platform at the bottom, you'll net yourself a piece of heart!

In terms of strategy, moving through rings and avoiding balloons just takes a little practice. The real skill here is in learning how to land where you want to on the revolving platform and there's a commonly held belief that using a clock system is the best way to achieve results here. Basically, as you pass through the final ring on your way down, you want to choose your target section and imagine the platform is a clock. If the area you want to land on is at 12pm when you pass through the final ring, it's likely to be at 3pm or thereabouts when you land. Using this strategy should help you net bigger Rupee rewards. Good luck, and say hello to Dodoh for us!

Strich’s Bug Hunt

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Once you've completed the Fire Sanctuary area of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Strich up and moves his bug-based business dealings from his bedroom to Bug Island in the Thunderhead region of the game.

In this minigame, you'll pay Strich a small fee in order to run around trying to catch as many bugs from a pre-set list as you can as quickly as possible.

There are two difficulty levels in Strich's Bug Hunt, Beginner and Wrangler, both of which have a different set list of bugs you'll need to get your hands on.

  • Beginner Bugs - Skyloft Mantis, Starry Firefly, Lanayru Ant, Volcanic Ladybug, Sky Stag Beetle
  • Wrangler Bugs - 2x Eldin Rollers, 2x Faron Grasshoppers, Woodland Rhino Beetle, Blessed Butterfly, Lanayru Ant, Sand Cicada, Gerudo Dragonfly, Skyloft Mantis

If you can finish either course in under two minutes, collecting all five bugs in Beginner or all ten in Wrangler, Strich will reward you with a random rare bug (five of these if you've played on Wrangler).

There isn't any particular strategy to speak of with this minigame and really it's all about having multiple turns, learning the layout, where the bugs are and how to grab them quickly!

For people who are having trouble filling out their full roster of rare bugs or just really enjoy the bug-hunting aspect of the game, this is the place to be!

Fledge’s Pumpkin Pull

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Once you've completed Fledge's optional side quest, getting him some stamina potions so he get make himself stronger, he'll be available to play this fun bow game in the courtyard at the front of the sparring hall in Skyloft.

The rules here are nice and simple. Fledge will chuck pumpkins into the air and it's your job to shoot them successfully out of the sky with your bow. Each pumpkin you shoot down is worth points, with each consecutive hit raising the number of points you net for each pumpkin from a base level of 10 all the way up to 50. Fledge will also throw in some special shiny pumpkins that are worth double the number of points you're currently on.

Let's take a look at how many points you need to start winning stuff and what the prizes are. Special note to heart piece collectors, there's one up for grabs here!

  • Score 150 - 50 Rupees
  • Score 400 - A random rare item
  • Score 600 - A piece of heart

Rickety Coaster

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Once you've visited the Rickety Coaster for the first time during the Sandship portion of the game and then completed that area, you'll have access to this terrifying, twisting, turning minigame where you need to ride the coaster as fast as possible without coming off the rails!

There are two courses to fling yourself along here and if you can finish the beginner course in less than one minute you'll earn a rare treasure. If you're brave enough to complete the expert course in under 65 seconds you'll net yourself a sweet piece of heart.

Harp Jam

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You'll first come across this minigame during a side quest that results from you having smashed a large chandelier at the Lumpy Pumpkin. Once this quest has been resolved you can feel free to return and jam out for Rupees whenever the feeling takes you.

This is one of the more simple minigames and all you have to do is strum you harp in time to the music in order to please the audience and put in a good performance. In terms of rewards, a good showing that generally sticks to the rhythm will net you 20 Rupees but, if you really get into your groove and pull off a note-perfect performance, you'll be rewarded with 50 whole Rupees!

Thrill Digger

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This Minesweeper-esque minigame takes place in Eldin Volcano and you'll need to bomb a crack in a wall behind a hut in the Bokoblin village there in order to access it.

Once you've done this, you'll be greeted by Tubert the Mogma who'll challenge you dig holes on a grid for Rupees whilst avoiding both bomb hazards and Rupoors - special Rupees which steal away what you've already earned.

There are three difficulty levels here, Beginner, Intermediate and Hard, each of which takes place on a larger grid and ups the ante in terms of dangers and valuable Rupees to collect. Let's take a look at each difficulty in more detail.

  • Beginner: Takes place on a 5x4 grid, features four bombs and gives you blue and green Rupees to collect
  • Intermediate: A 6x5 grid this time, it's still only got four bombs but it introduces Rupoors - four of them - but the prizes are better, consisting of red and blue Rupees
  • Hard: The biggest gird at 8x5, there are now eight bombs and eight Rupoors as well as Rupees scattered around which are now mostly red

If you're a little stuck with this one and need some tips you can also pay 20 Rupees to another Mogma who's located at the back of the minigame area who'll then provide you with help and guidance. Good luck!


Looks like you reached the end of this guide; why not head back to our Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD hub for more tips and help for the game?

There you'll find tips on the pros and cons of motion controls vs. analogue stick control, a list of the main differences between Skyward Sword on Switch and the Wii original, how to use the Zelda & Loftwing amiibo, where to find the Moonlight Merchant and the Thunder Dragon, and how to beat every boss and minigame.

You'll also find guides for all heart piece locations, all goddess cubes, and where to find every Gratitude Crystal, every upgrade treasure, every bug, and every potion recipe to fill your bottles with.