
Thanks to last month's release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, a whole new generation of fans are experiencing the series' opening story for the first time. Hopefully, those of you who've been lucky enough to give it a go have been progressing smoothly – sadly, others haven't been quite so lucky.
Over the past couple of weeks, a number of players have reported an infuriating soft-lock glitch present in the game which hinders the player's progress at the Lanayru Mining Facility. Inside the facility, one section tasks the player with moving a crate in a number of directions across a path in order to create a platform to reach a higher area; unfortunately, some are finding that the crate gets stuck in an awkward position and cannot be moved along the whole path.
The issue has been captured by Reddit user Sawyerqs below
It's certainly an odd little glitch, and no one seems to have a definite answer as to why this might be happening or what actions a player has to take to trigger it. We managed to complete this section of the game without issue during our own playthrough, so it only seems to affect select players.
Speaking on Reddit, players have been sharing their own experiences with the glitch and how they've managed to fix it:
"This happened to me too. I have restarted the console a couple times now and reloaded a save. I hope they fix this since now I'm softlocked and I really don't want to restart the game"
"Same thing happened to me. I completely closed the game and when I [finally] made it back to the room it was fixed."
"Wow, I thought that I was missing something but no I guess this really is a glitch. It's a little frustrating to have to make it all the way back to this room because of this but hey maybe Nintendo will patch this for other players."
If you've stumbled across this article because you're stuck in the same boat as these unlucky players, completely closing the software and making your way back to the room in question appears to be the best course of action. If you're reading this before reaching this part of the game, perhaps it would be wise to make sure you save regularly during your time at the Lanayru Mining Facility just in case!
Have you had any trouble with this part of the game? How have you been finding Zelda: Skyward Sword HD? Let us know in the comments.
[source reddit.com]
Comments 59
Huh...
Reminds me of the glitch where if you spoke to the wrong NPC during the Song of the Hero quest, you would get soft-locked. They actually released a dedicated Wii channel for fixing this.
What next, a dedicated Switch app? /jk
At least this time, they can just patch it out.
Well hopefully they patch it out, but I've been so uninspired to play anything that I'm still at the Earth Temple 😅
I had no problems with this in my play through, but this exact moment did stand out to me because I questioned what the point of it was... I mean, there's no puzzle here at all, you literally just push and drag a crate to put it against a wall. I suspect the pointlessness* of the task makes the glitch even more infuriating for those that have had it !!
*we're quite deep into the game at this point. It wouldn't be pointless if it was the first time we encountered a crate and moving a crate. But it isn't the first time... so yea, it really sticks out as a strange moment.
Back in my day, the only puzzles we had to solve in Zelda games were moving blocks, and we liked it.
SOKOBAN NINJA APPROVED
@Kimyonaakuma yea my playthrough has felt like a bit of a battle at times too. It's definitely a good game, but it's showing its age - not helped by BotW of course.
Two things that would instantly make this game more compelling...
1. A breeding program for the Loftwings (yes, thinking FF7 chocobos here) with some great items unlocked behind certain colours - like the ability to return to the sky from anywhere (a useful skill towards end game and for completionists).
2. The goddess cubes chests that appear in the sky should have had a puzzle attached to each of them like the Shrines in BotW. That would instantly add some more much needed variety to the game, and make the sky a bit more interesting.
As if I needed another reason to hate this dungeon besides the dreary length, awful music and boring enemies.
-the others are ace though
I am loving replaying this in the Switch. Luckily I had no issues at that point but would have been rather annoyed experiencing that glitch!
So far I have had no issues and the button controls make it really enjoyable for me.
@Pokester99 IKR?
I never got hit by any LoZ softlocks, but I'm definitely afraid of them.
It's amazing.
I really wish the would add more options for the controls, I love using motion for the sword and items but haaate using it for the loftwing. Also let us choose the L button function, let us switch between hold for camera or hold for sword
QUICK TO THE WII SHOP CHANNEL TO DOWNLOAD A FIX!!!
I didn't have this glitch when I played through this section. Let's see if I get the ending scene glitch. I hope I don't
I'm close to this part. Hope I'm safe! Also...love the picture of Girahim being Joe Biden to Link. Lol
I honestly didn’t even get this far in the game before I sold my copy off. Skyward Sword was the only 3D Zelda game I hadn’t played and I was looking forward to it but man... it just really failed to pull me in. Even as a Zelda fan I was totally underwhelmed.
I never got soft locked before, even on the Wii version. So it's very unfortunate for those unlucky few. Currently in the sand sea section of that region. Having awesome fun.
Removed - unconstructive
Played that part last week and had no issues. Looks infuriating, though.
Having a blast with the actual game, I must say. Loving it. Only mainline home console Zelda (outside of Zelda II) that I hadn't played.
Haven’t had the issue but definitely would have been infureated if it had happened to me. It’s a shame, as the two dungeons that follow are some of the best 3D Zelda dungeons in my opinion
I have already passed this point, and I had no issue
I had no issue in that section at all, how very strange.
as always, it is usually worth it to wait on game releases. from sales, QoL updates, and glitches being removed like these...
This glitch hit me, too. I can't say this for certain, but it seemed to me that it happened when I didn't blow away all the sand before I started moving the box. It seemed like it made it move off track by just a hair. Anyway, loading my save at the statue just a bit before solved it, though I wasted a good 15 minutes trying to "solve" the glitched puzzle before figuring it had to be glitch.
Can you not just go away and come back?
Haven't had a problem with this segment, but the mining facility has been a drag. Many obstacles just feel like doing chores. Other than that I'm having fun with this game.
Lanayru Mines is a vast place. Thankful I just made it thru this area late last night. Recognized that area with the minor bug. I did not run into that problem thankfully
@John_Deacon Ending scene glitch? I didn't know that there was one. I just finished the game last night, and I didn't run into any glitches, but man... If I ended up with one right at the end of the game, that would be infuriating!
Of course. How irritating. 😑
@Kitchener You are one of the few people I've met that wasn't charmed by that awful dungeon.
This happens on the Wii version too.
It happened to me, having played on the Wii, i wondered what was wrong. Quit and restarted, i went through the next time fine.
@Pokester99 The glitch on Wii was only soft-lock if you made backup saves or got the save data update channel. If you did neither, you’d be screwed and hard-locked.
@nocdaes your number 1 suggestion would cost them sales of their amiibo, no way they'd do that.
@quinault did this happen on the wii,,or is this only in the switch version?
I think that making this game is an excellent idea so that the fans can play it
@FlameRunnerFast well, the sales part is unlikely on 1st party games (maybe 1 time per year IF u are lucky). Been watching for a sale on the Gameboy color zelda remake since release. I think it had a 20% or 33% off sale 1 time for digital version, i know Luigi's mansion 3 did, but was hoping that meant further discounts would come. Nope, I can't even get the same discount now that i have the funds, lol.
@twztid13 I think you're being quite generous with that statement !! What percentage split do we honestly believe bought the Skyward Sword amiibo for that ability versus simply to have it/ collect it/ would buy it regardless? I'd take a stab at 5% vs 95%.
I know what you mean though... it's a clear decision by Nintendo to monetise the ability.
@nocdaes good question, but they wouldn't know that until after it was too late,,tho. I was just meaning in their thinking while developing the game/new features. Once they knew the answer, the decision would have been made already. I would love that as a dlc, tho, but ofc that wouldn't happen.
@twztid13 yup, unfortunately Nintendo likes to artificially overvalue their games. What I said is mostly true for AAAs, but Nintendo often only does that for E3 or Holiday sales, and yeah 33% off max.
Granted, even not paying for the game for a long time can result in a Deluxe version or so on coming out later. So it usually pays to wait. We all have backlogs to get too.
@Kitchener
I loved this dungeon, especially the music. Just goes to show that everyone has a different opinion
@twztid13
To me, only on the Switch.
Dat Nintendo quality 👌🏻🐸
This is one of my least favourite dungeons in the series. It's overlong, not helped by the fact that it has no miniboss, half the time it's like you're staring at the game through a sepia filter and dealing with sand and dust...just ehhhhgghh. Even the music just drones on and on, sounding more grating as it goes (the music in the past is an improvement though). The timeshift stones were used much better everywhere else in the game, especially the Sand Ship.
Definitely the low point of the game for me and finally riding that minecart through the corridor of statues, seeing that awesome cutscene with Zelda/Impa/Ghirahim and witnessing Groose in Faron Woods feels like a breath of fresh air after slogging it through round one of Lanayru Desert. Thankfully the giant tree, the intro to silent realms, Lake Floria, the return to Skyview Temple and the incredible Ancient Cistern are my highlights of Skyward Sword and all come straight after! ^__^
Thanks for the fixes! At least this one doesn't render the entire game unplayable, so I will deal with it personally.
Well, at least SSHD gives you 3 save file slots, unlike BotW. My years of playing Elder Scrolls games and having dozens of saves, leading me to do the same in any game with multiple save files, will hopefully keep me from this issue.
That's wierd as I had no issue.
Reminds me of the softlock in Twilight Princess, where saving on the wrong side of the bridge at à certain point meant that it would never spawn, and you would have to restart the whole game. Yeah, that happened to me. Took a long time to play back to that point
I also had this problem. Exiting the software and reloading the save fixed it for some reason. Weird how there is no menu option for loading a previous save.
@GameManAdvance While I definitely understand why you would say that it does get more interesting later in the game but still repetitive at times too. I am enjoying but not sure I would recommend it overall.
@Chaoticwhizz I honestly believe you. But I have a policy with big games like this that if I’m not significantly pulled in by the 10hr mark I refuse to waste any more of my time on it.
@GameManAdvance Understandable. For me it started to get interesting around the 20 hour mark. I was determined to play through this since it was the only 3D Zelda game I havent' played and started the lore. I'm about 40 hours into the game now and recently got the bow. The story is very meh so far but I am liking the combat more.
@Moonlessky you can actually invert the loftwing and beatle's flight controls. It literally is the last option in the options menu.
@Lyricana that might actually be it. Cause I definitely blew away all sand before moving the block. I am also the same person who spent an hour getting rid of all the sand in the room with the spikes that pop out of the floor.
@RobbWes that applies to the camera controls, it inverts up and down it doesnt invert buttons vs motion
@nocdaes you can just get an aftermarket amiibo card off of ebay or etsy it's just as good as the original.
@Moonlessky pretty sure it just inverts the left stick. Also it is actually the second last option. Didn't figure this out until after I had already beaten the game. Was using the 8bitdo pro 2 controller to invert the left stick instead. Also mapped the stick buttons to the back buttons.
@LXP8 you might be able to skip the return to Skyview if hold on to a bottle of Skyview spring water after the first visit.
@RobbWes Hmm I think I tried that back in the day on the Wii version and it was just regular water upon first visiting
Saw this on reddit, the glitch seems to be caused by the new quick save system.
FIX: if you go back to a bird statue and create a new save and reload it, it resolves the issue.
@RobbWes I normally am too and I don't know why I started to move it before it was entirely blown away. The block moved halfway there then stopped on a nearly blown away pile, so I stopped.. blew it away and then tried to move it but it was broken then and didn't move all the way. It left that small half inch space. Interestingly, it's not just a visual and physics issue. It doesn't make the sound effect for slamming into place, either.
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