When The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time first launched in 1998, there were very few things more frustrating than stumbling across a valuable Rupee when Link’s wallet was already full. Of course, that was part of what made upgrading his wallet so important, especially when there were plenty of expensive items to purchase in the game. But with the upcoming Switch 2 remake increasing Link’s starting wallet capacity from 99 to 200 Rupees, it seems Nintendo has decided to make carrying money a little less restrictive this time around. And while I certainly appreciate that change, it has also created a mystery surrounding one of the original game’s most memorable side quests.
What makes this particularly interesting is that Link’s new starting wallet essentially gives players an upgrade they previously had to earn by collecting Gold Skulltula Tokens. In the original Ocarina of Time, players were rewarded with the Adult’s Wallet after collecting 10 of those tokens, which increased their carrying capacity to 200 Rupees. But now that the remake apparently gives Link that same capacity from the beginning, I’m wondering what Nintendo has decided to do with the reward players would normally receive for completing that first milestone. And considering some of the other changes that have surfaced through early hands-on previews, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Gold Skulltula quest has received a few surprises of its own.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake’s New Wallet Could Change the Gold Skulltula Quest
According to Kotaku’s October 14 report, which cites IGN’s hands-on preview, Link can now carry up to 200 Rupees from the beginning of the Ocarina of Time remake, more than double what his original wallet allowed. That’s a welcome change, especially since players can accumulate quite a bit of money simply by exploring Kokiri Forest and Hyrule Field. However, the increase also means the Adult’s Wallet, which was originally the first reward in the Gold Skulltula quest, no longer serves its intended purpose. Nintendo hasn’t revealed what players will receive in its place, assuming that reward has been changed at all, but I think there’s a pretty good opportunity here to make one of Ocarina of Time‘s classic side activities even better.
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For those unfamiliar with the Gold Skulltula quest, it involves collecting tokens from 100 Gold Skulltulas scattered throughout Hyrule, then returning to a cursed family in Kakariko Village to claim rewards for reaching certain milestones. The family had been transformed into spider-like creatures as punishment for their greed, and collecting the tokens gradually restored them to their human forms. Some Gold Skulltulas could only be found at night, while others were hidden behind obstacles that required Link to obtain certain items before he could reach them. To this day, I can still hear their skittering, informing me that one is nearby, ready to be killed and its token collected.
As for the rewards themselves, the Adult’s Wallet was just the beginning. Collecting 20 tokens earned players the Stone of Agony, which helped locate hidden secrets when using the N64’s Rumble Pak, while 30 tokens unlocked the Giant’s Wallet and increased Link’s capacity to 500 Rupees. The next two milestones awarded 10 Bombchus and a Piece of Heart, respectively, before collecting all 100 tokens finally freed the family’s father and granted players a repeatable 200-Rupee reward. I can’t say that final reward was ever particularly exciting to me, especially considering how much effort went into finding every Gold Skulltula, but Nintendo has proven time and time again that it loves torturing us with trivial rewards at the end of an exceedingly long collectathon—looking at you, Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.
Link can now carry up to 200 Rupees from the beginning of the Ocarina of Time remake, more than double what his original wallet allowed.
Still, I’m hoping Nintendo has done something more interesting with the first reward than simply moving the Giant’s Wallet down to the 10-token milestone. Sure, getting the ability to carry 500 Rupees that early would be useful, but it would also create another question about what players would receive after collecting 30 tokens. I’d much rather see something new added to the reward pool, especially if it encourages players to continue hunting Gold Skulltulas beyond those first 10. The remake has already introduced several new features and items, including an additional bottle and the ability to summon a Business Scrub merchant, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to hope that Nintendo has reconsidered some of the original game’s collectible rewards as well. Of course, there’s no evidence yet that either of those additions is connected to the Gold Skulltula quest.
Ocarina of Time Remake Has a Chance to Make Its Classic Rewards Even Better
I also don’t think giving Link a larger wallet from the beginning is necessarily taking anything important away from the original experience. The 99-Rupee limit could be frustrating at times, and with the remake introducing new ways to spend money, having a little extra room makes sense. But I do think Nintendo needs to be careful about how many of the original game’s rewards it makes available without requiring players to earn them first. Part of what made exploring Ocarina of Time so satisfying was knowing that even the smallest discovery could eventually lead to something useful, and I’d hate to see some of that incentive disappear simply because Nintendo wants to make the game more convenient.
Ultimately, though, I’m more interested in what the remake could add to the Gold Skulltula quest than what it might have taken away. Having played the original game enough times to remember where many of those spiders are hiding, I’d love to discover that Nintendo has changed some of their locations or introduced new rewards that make collecting all 100 tokens worthwhile beyond simply completing the quest. And if the new starting wallet means the first reward has been replaced with something I haven’t seen before, I think that would be a pretty good trade. There’s still plenty we don’t know about how extensively the remake has changed the original game, but with its November 5 release approaching, I’m looking forward to finding out whether rescuing that cursed family still has a few surprises left for me.
- Released
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November 5, 2026
- ESRB
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Everyone 10+ / Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
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