Nintendo's Zelda Notes App Helps Players Track Hyrule Collectibles

Nintendo's Zelda Notes companion app is helping players of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake track down all 100 Golden Skulltulas and other hidden collectibles scattered across the game's kingdom of Hyrule, according to The Verge.

The app, developed by Nintendo of Japan in Kyoto, functions as a digital companion to the remake rather than a standalone purchase, and it is drawing attention from players who previously ignored the game's spider-shaped collectibles entirely.

What is Zelda Notes, and how is Nintendo distributing it?

Zelda Notes is built into the free Nintendo Switch app, The Verge reports, meaning it installs alongside Nintendo's existing mobile software rather than as a separate download. Verge senior reporter Jay Peters wrote that he expected to skip the Golden Skulltula hunt again in the remake, as he had during his original playthrough of the 1998 N64 title, but the app's maps changed that habit once he started using them.

How does the app guide players to Golden Skulltulas?

Inside the app, players can open a map of Hyrule and tap on individual regions for a closer view, according to The Verge. When zoomed in, the map places icons showing the locations of collectibles, giving players what Peters described as "just enough direction to nudge" them toward an otherwise easy-to-miss pickup. Ocarina of Time hides 100 Golden Skulltulas across its world, per The Verge, a volume that Peters said he never finished locating during his childhood sessions with the original cartridge.

Does using Zelda Notes require a paid subscription?

No. The Verge reports that Zelda Notes is accessible through the Nintendo Switch app without a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, lowering the barrier for remake players who want map assistance without paying for an additional service tier.

What other collectibles does the app track in Hyrule?

Beyond Golden Skulltulas, The Verge reports the same mapping system covers "pretty much every other collectible in the game," giving players a single reference point for secrets tucked throughout Hyrule's fields, dungeons, and towns rather than requiring separate guides for each item type.

How did using the app change the reporting experience?

Peters wrote that he now finds himself "constantly opening up the app to make sure" he has not missed a secret, a shift from his earlier indifference toward the collectible hunt. The account, published by The Verge as part of its ongoing coverage of the Ocarina of Time remake, frames the app less as an add-on feature and more as a habit-forming layer that changes how players approach exploration inside the remake. The Verge's report does not specify release details for the remake itself beyond the app's role within it, and Nintendo has not issued a separate statement on Zelda Notes usage figures.

The Verge's full account, including screenshots of the app's map interface, is available at the originating story.