Top 5 Time Wasters in The Legend of Zelda

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For being the chosen hero of destiny, Link sure finds a lot of free time to wander around and play games. With the surrounding circumstances, one would think that Link would feel more pressure to get off his butt and save Hyrule and the princess. However that is not always the case.

The Legend of Zelda is known  for its wide selection of mini-games, or time wasters as this article will refer to them as. Some mini-games are simple games of skill while some are more so based on luck. Whatever your poison may be, this article is our top 5 time wasters in the Zelda series.

The Trendy Game

links awakeningThe Trendy Game from Link’s Awakening gets our number 5 pick because of its addictiveness and overall purpose to the game. The Trendy Game, located in the Southeast corner of Mabe Village, is a simple game of timing with a little bit of skill. The purpose of this claw game is like those you find in many arcades. Link has to control a claw to place it over an item and pick up his prospective prize.

The most important item in this game is the Yoshi Doll which is used as part of the game’s trading sequence. Other items includes a piece of heart, a shield, some magic powder, and of course Rupees. The Rupees makes this game a great way to quickly build up some money which is needed to buy the highly expensive Bow and Arrow from the shop.

Bombchu Bowling Game

bombchuThe Bombchu Bowling Game from the Ocarina of Time is one of the most addicting games in the series. In this game, Link must “bowl” Bombchus into a hole at the end of the hall. Simple right?

However there is a catch. Bombchus are highly unpredictable with their movement at times which makes this a challenge in itself. Put in the obstacles of Cucoos and Blade Traps and we have ourselves a game that is not so easy anymore.

The best prize in this game is a piece of heart.

Letter Sorting

The Letter Sorting game in The Wind Waker is on this list because it is a fantastic way to acquire some Rupees and it is just plain out fun. The goal of this game is to sort the post office’s letters into their specified slots. To play, gamers must show some hand eye coordination to quickly change slots to match the symbol on the letter that is up.
zelda letter sorting
For Link’s efforts, he will be rewarded with a Piece of heart and from there on a good handful of Rupees that is based off the number of letters that are sorted.

Target Carts

The Target Carts mini-game is one of the often over looked games in the Oracle of Ages. The cost of this game is only 10 Rupees but the prizes are worth far more.

Now Target Carts requires the Seed Shooter and some good timing and reaction time. The objective of the game is to shoot the crystals that are located around the tracks. What makes this hard is that Link is riding a mine cart at a relatively quick pace which makes it vital to be precise with your aim.

There are 12 crystals in total. Hitting 9 of these 12 will reward Link with 20 Rupees. Hitting all of them will reward him with the Rock Brisket. Doing so again will reward him with the Boomerang.

Horseback Archery Range

ootWhile choosing the games for this list I had several people mention the Horseback Archery game from the Ocarina of Time. Due to its apparent popularity I had no choice but to make it my number one selection.

As its name suggests, the game focuses on testing your archery skills while riding Epona. Link starts the game with 20 arrows and then has to take aim and fire at a variety of targets. Hitting the center of a target or a pot will award Link 100 points to his total score. Hitting other spots on the target will award him with points based upon where the arrow hits.

By scoring 1000 points Link will receive a piece of heart and scoring 1500 points and up will reward him with a larger quiver to hold more arrows.

In conclusion, thank you for reading my article. I hope you have enjoyed it and would love to hear some feedback. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my list by commenting.

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About Author

Noah Glaser is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati where he majored in Information Technology with a minor in awesome. Noah has worked in web marketing for over 5 years and has built a reputation that has followed him both professionally and independently. He is the founder and lead content contributor for The Hidden Triforce.In the 5th grade he bought Link’s Awakening for his brother as a Christmas gift. Since stealing it back, he has been hooked to the Zelda series and has never looked back. In his spare time you can find Noah frolicking with his Porygon and Kiwi Birds. He dislikes chocolate, cheese, and bacon.

  • Kevin Lewis

    When playing Link's Awakening, I spent about an hour on the Trendy Game earning about 20 Rupees each time, just to buy the bow and arrow, then I ended up stealing it :P

  • Hero of Winds

    What about the target in Phantom Hourglass? I spent hours on that.

  • Hero of Winds

    @myself *target game

  • prongs_babe_317

    I spent hours fishing both in OoT and TP. It's a great way to just relax after finishing a temple or when you are in a tough spot and just need to do something else.

  • Phil

    you got the wrong game in ages… the boomerang is won by getting over 400 points in the goron shooting gallery. playing the cart game just gets you more rupees which are very easily obtained in this game.

    shooting gallery = way more addictive than target carts.

  • Noah

    http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Target_Carts

    And many other sources out there that states the boomerang is acquired from the target carts game

  • I AM ADDICTED TO THE BOMBACHU GAME, FTW!!!

  • Marcus

    What about the archery game in clock town i Majoras Mask!? I have never worked so hard for a piece of heart.