The 10 HARDEST Zelda Mini Games
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VOICE OVER: Johnny Reynolds
WRITTEN BY: Johnny Reynolds
"Zelda" has some fun mini-games, but these were way too hard. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we're getting frustrated over the most difficult mini-games within “The Legend of Zelda” series. Our list of the hardest mini-games in "The Legend of Zelda" includes Cucco Wrangling from “The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” (2005), Rollgoal from “The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006), the Shooting Galleries of “The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask” (2000), Mounted Archery from “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017), and more!
Script written by Johnny Reynolds
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re getting frustrated over the most difficult mini-games within “The Legend of Zelda” series.
“Majora’s Mask” is a bit harder than “Ocarina of Time” in multiple ways, including its mini-games. There are two shooting galleries Link can visit; one in Clock Town and one on the way to the Southern Swamp, though both are challenging in their own ways. The Swamp one features rounds of stationary Deku Scrubs, as well as moving Guays and Wolfos. You’ll need nearly 2,200 points to win, and you’ll have to do it twice if you want both the Heart Piece and Quiver upgrade. The Clock Town one is slightly worse, requiring extremely fast reaction time to hit red Octoroks and avoid blue ones. Earning over 40 points the first time nets a Quiver upgrade, but a perfect score of 50 gets you the Piece of Heart.
After beating the Snowpeak Ruins dungeon, Link can challenge Yeto and Yeta to snowboard races down the mountainside. Yeto might push you over if you get too close, but beating him isn’t too demanding. Yeta, on the other hand, will make you work extra hard for that Piece of Heart. She’s much faster than her husband and always takes the massive shortcut, which means you have to as well. The number of times Link went headfirst into chasms during our playthroughs is simply too high to count. Yeta may be adorable, and we’re happy to have helped her. But this mini-game makes us want to rip all her happiness away.
“Ocarina of Time” has some beloved mini-games, but Bombchu Bowling sure isn’t one of them. It features three rounds of trying to hit an exact target with a Bombchu. You have to take the fuse time of each Bombchu into account as the lane grows longer with each round. You also have to get the angle just right, otherwise the Bombchu will go right past the target. Adding to the frustration are obstacles like Cuccos that can destroy the Bombchu instantly. As if the trial and error of the actual game wasn’t bad enough, you also have no idea what prize you’ll be going for until after you pay 30 Rupees. Could be a coveted Piece of Heart, or just 10 bombs you can find anywhere.
After completing his sidequest, Link can partake in Dodoh’s mini-game. He’ll be fired from a cannon, high into the sky, and dive back to the rotating platform below. He’ll get a reward (or not) depending on which space he lands on. There are also rings to dive through to multiply his winnings, and balls to avoid that reset the multiplier. It’s a pretty fun time once you get the hang of it, but earning its top prize is tricky. Only by getting your multiplier up to 10 and then landing on the single red and blue space will Link be given a Piece of Heart. Even if you get the multiplier up, the platform spins quickly, so it’ll probably take you more than a few tries.
Cuccos have been causing Link grief for decades. But we’d rather take on a whole chicken army than try to play this mini-game again. In Hyrule Town, you’ll find Anju, whose herd of Cuccos has gone missing. She’ll ask Link to track them down, which takes the form of a multi-phase mini-game with a time limit. The first few rounds are easy as the number you need to catch is low and you have plenty of time. But eventually, Golden Cuccos are introduced, which are much faster and can break free of Link’s grasp. The Cuccos also grow further spread out, requiring items like the Pegasus Boots and Flippers to reach them.
It’s hard to call anything with an RNG element hard, but Sinking Ships from “Wind Waker” is too aggravating to ignore. Found on Windfall Island, Link can play what is essentially “BattleShip” for 10 Rupees. He’ll have 24 chances to hit three Big Octos on an 8x8 grid, each one ranging from 2-4 squares long. However, as there are no hints to their location, a lot of us just guessed and came away empty-handed. For those of us that were more determined, you could wind up dumping a bunch of money before ever getting a prize. Sure, you can be patient and adjust your guesses. But it took a different way of thinking and it wasn’t very fun anyway.
Lorule’s version of baseball gained a reputation for having one of the hardest Heart Pieces to get in “A Link Between Worlds.” Link has thirty pitches to gain a hundred points, with multiple pots spread across the field. Red ones are worth one point while gold ones are worth five, and birds that appear after hitting three pots in a row are worth twenty. Actually managing to get your timing right and hit the targets is where the challenge lies. There are three stances for the three distances, and swinging late curves the ball towards the left while swinging early makes it go right. Additionally, hitting a wandering crab causes pots to reset, so there’s more strategy than you’d think.
And here we thought the horseback archery of “Ocarina of Time” was tough (Xref). Near Highland Stable, Link can find Jini, who offers one of the most rage-inducing challenges in “Zelda.” While riding horseback, you’ll have to shoot balloons within a sixty-second time limit. Finding the right balance between speed and accuracy is incredibly difficult; it’s more than likely you’ll speed up to keep time and end up missing a target. By hitting twenty or more, Link gains the Knight’s Bridle, while hitting 23 or more on a second attempt gets him the Knight’s Saddle. As these are for your horse and completely cosmetic, they’re pretty poor prizes for the amount of effort it takes. Rapid-fire or multi-shot bows make it less infuriating, but it’s still no easy feat.
Inside the fishing hole of “Twilight Princess,” players can find Rollgoal. The premise of the mini-game is simple: tilt the box to cause the ball to roll, leading it across narrow paths to the opposite end without it falling. There are eight levels to beat, which earns Link the Frog Lure. However, doing this in the Wii version is much harder given you have to actually tilt your controller rather than use a joystick. Each level has a three-minute time limit, which sounds like enough until you reach the final levels and your hands start sweating. For an extra challenge after beating it, you can take on mirrored levels with increasingly-shorter time limits. Not that we’d want to, but to each their own.
A rhythm mini-game with the few buttons of a Game Boy doesn’t sound so bad. But this one is a surefire way to get royally pissed. In “Oracle of Ages,” Link can find a Goron dancing mini-game. To earn its best reward, you’ll have to play in the past era and on Platinum difficulty, which is frankly absurd. Even though there are only three poses, there is no room for your input to be off by even the smallest fraction. These sequences are fairly long too, and there are eight of them! Adding insult to injury, this is the only method to get the Bomb Ring, but there’s a chance the Ring you get won’t even be that one.
Which mini-game’s difficulty makes you never want to play it again? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more great “Zelda” videos!
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re getting frustrated over the most difficult mini-games within “The Legend of Zelda” series.
Shooting Galleries
“The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask” (2000)“Majora’s Mask” is a bit harder than “Ocarina of Time” in multiple ways, including its mini-games. There are two shooting galleries Link can visit; one in Clock Town and one on the way to the Southern Swamp, though both are challenging in their own ways. The Swamp one features rounds of stationary Deku Scrubs, as well as moving Guays and Wolfos. You’ll need nearly 2,200 points to win, and you’ll have to do it twice if you want both the Heart Piece and Quiver upgrade. The Clock Town one is slightly worse, requiring extremely fast reaction time to hit red Octoroks and avoid blue ones. Earning over 40 points the first time nets a Quiver upgrade, but a perfect score of 50 gets you the Piece of Heart.
Snowboard Race
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)After beating the Snowpeak Ruins dungeon, Link can challenge Yeto and Yeta to snowboard races down the mountainside. Yeto might push you over if you get too close, but beating him isn’t too demanding. Yeta, on the other hand, will make you work extra hard for that Piece of Heart. She’s much faster than her husband and always takes the massive shortcut, which means you have to as well. The number of times Link went headfirst into chasms during our playthroughs is simply too high to count. Yeta may be adorable, and we’re happy to have helped her. But this mini-game makes us want to rip all her happiness away.
Bombchu Bowling
“The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time” (1998)“Ocarina of Time” has some beloved mini-games, but Bombchu Bowling sure isn’t one of them. It features three rounds of trying to hit an exact target with a Bombchu. You have to take the fuse time of each Bombchu into account as the lane grows longer with each round. You also have to get the angle just right, otherwise the Bombchu will go right past the target. Adding to the frustration are obstacles like Cuccos that can destroy the Bombchu instantly. As if the trial and error of the actual game wasn’t bad enough, you also have no idea what prize you’ll be going for until after you pay 30 Rupees. Could be a coveted Piece of Heart, or just 10 bombs you can find anywhere.
Dodoh’s High Dive
“The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” (2011)After completing his sidequest, Link can partake in Dodoh’s mini-game. He’ll be fired from a cannon, high into the sky, and dive back to the rotating platform below. He’ll get a reward (or not) depending on which space he lands on. There are also rings to dive through to multiply his winnings, and balls to avoid that reset the multiplier. It’s a pretty fun time once you get the hang of it, but earning its top prize is tricky. Only by getting your multiplier up to 10 and then landing on the single red and blue space will Link be given a Piece of Heart. Even if you get the multiplier up, the platform spins quickly, so it’ll probably take you more than a few tries.
Cucco Wrangling
“The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap” (2005)Cuccos have been causing Link grief for decades. But we’d rather take on a whole chicken army than try to play this mini-game again. In Hyrule Town, you’ll find Anju, whose herd of Cuccos has gone missing. She’ll ask Link to track them down, which takes the form of a multi-phase mini-game with a time limit. The first few rounds are easy as the number you need to catch is low and you have plenty of time. But eventually, Golden Cuccos are introduced, which are much faster and can break free of Link’s grasp. The Cuccos also grow further spread out, requiring items like the Pegasus Boots and Flippers to reach them.
Sinking Ships
“The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker” (2003)It’s hard to call anything with an RNG element hard, but Sinking Ships from “Wind Waker” is too aggravating to ignore. Found on Windfall Island, Link can play what is essentially “BattleShip” for 10 Rupees. He’ll have 24 chances to hit three Big Octos on an 8x8 grid, each one ranging from 2-4 squares long. However, as there are no hints to their location, a lot of us just guessed and came away empty-handed. For those of us that were more determined, you could wind up dumping a bunch of money before ever getting a prize. Sure, you can be patient and adjust your guesses. But it took a different way of thinking and it wasn’t very fun anyway.
Octoball Derby
“The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds” (2013)Lorule’s version of baseball gained a reputation for having one of the hardest Heart Pieces to get in “A Link Between Worlds.” Link has thirty pitches to gain a hundred points, with multiple pots spread across the field. Red ones are worth one point while gold ones are worth five, and birds that appear after hitting three pots in a row are worth twenty. Actually managing to get your timing right and hit the targets is where the challenge lies. There are three stances for the three distances, and swinging late curves the ball towards the left while swinging early makes it go right. Additionally, hitting a wandering crab causes pots to reset, so there’s more strategy than you’d think.
Mounted Archery
“The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” (2017)And here we thought the horseback archery of “Ocarina of Time” was tough (Xref). Near Highland Stable, Link can find Jini, who offers one of the most rage-inducing challenges in “Zelda.” While riding horseback, you’ll have to shoot balloons within a sixty-second time limit. Finding the right balance between speed and accuracy is incredibly difficult; it’s more than likely you’ll speed up to keep time and end up missing a target. By hitting twenty or more, Link gains the Knight’s Bridle, while hitting 23 or more on a second attempt gets him the Knight’s Saddle. As these are for your horse and completely cosmetic, they’re pretty poor prizes for the amount of effort it takes. Rapid-fire or multi-shot bows make it less infuriating, but it’s still no easy feat.
Rollgoal
“The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess” (2006)Inside the fishing hole of “Twilight Princess,” players can find Rollgoal. The premise of the mini-game is simple: tilt the box to cause the ball to roll, leading it across narrow paths to the opposite end without it falling. There are eight levels to beat, which earns Link the Frog Lure. However, doing this in the Wii version is much harder given you have to actually tilt your controller rather than use a joystick. Each level has a three-minute time limit, which sounds like enough until you reach the final levels and your hands start sweating. For an extra challenge after beating it, you can take on mirrored levels with increasingly-shorter time limits. Not that we’d want to, but to each their own.
Goron Dancing
“The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages” (2001)A rhythm mini-game with the few buttons of a Game Boy doesn’t sound so bad. But this one is a surefire way to get royally pissed. In “Oracle of Ages,” Link can find a Goron dancing mini-game. To earn its best reward, you’ll have to play in the past era and on Platinum difficulty, which is frankly absurd. Even though there are only three poses, there is no room for your input to be off by even the smallest fraction. These sequences are fairly long too, and there are eight of them! Adding insult to injury, this is the only method to get the Bomb Ring, but there’s a chance the Ring you get won’t even be that one.
Which mini-game’s difficulty makes you never want to play it again? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe for more great “Zelda” videos!
