Having played the original The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time countless times, I’ve been paying close attention to even the smallest changes coming to its Switch 2 remake. I already know this game like the back of my hand, and I expect my next playthrough of it on Switch 2 to be a breeze, albeit an incredibly enjoyable one. Still, that familiarity is also why I find the smaller changes revealed in recent Ocarina of Time previews so intriguing, especially when something as simple as changing how one of Hyrule’s merchants works could affect the way I play.
The merchant I’m referring to is none other than the Business Scrub, which long-time Ocarina of Time players will likely remember as one of those enemies that suddenly becomes a shopkeeper after Link teaches it a lesson with its own Deku Nut. While the original game had Business Scrubs stationed in specific places throughout Hyrule, the remake is apparently taking a very different approach to how players interact with them. In fact, one newly revealed item is highly reminiscent of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim‘s Dragonborn DLC— a comparison I certainly wasn’t expecting to be making this close to Ocarina of Time‘s release.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake’s Business Scrub Seed Is Basically Skyrim’s Black Market Power
As confirmed by recent hands-on previews of the Ocarina of Time remake, Link can obtain something called a Business Scrub Seed, which can be thrown to summon a merchant to his location. According to Nintendo Life, this even works inside a dungeon, meaning players no longer have to rely entirely on whatever supplies they find along the way if they’re running low. The seed is a consumable item, but there’s an interesting catch that ensures Link only uses it up if he actually buys something from the merchant. So, if I were to summon a Business Scrub just to find out what it was selling, I could apparently walk away without having wasted the seed.
Guess the games from the emojis.
I actually think that could be a fairly significant change to the way players approach Ocarina of Time‘s dungeons, especially those that take a bit longer to get through. In the original game, running low on bombs or arrows meant hoping I’d find what I needed in a nearby pot, patch of grass, or enemy drop, because leaving a dungeon and heading back to town for more supplies was hardly worth the trouble. Of course, the game was generally good about providing the items players needed to keep progressing, and I wouldn’t want that to change in the remake. But having the option to spend a few Rupees on supplies when I really need them sounds like a welcome addition, and it gives me another reason to actually hold on to the money I’m collecting.
As confirmed by recent hands-on previews of the Ocarina of Time remake, Link can obtain something called a Business Scrub Seed, which can be thrown to summon a merchant to his location.
What almost immediately came to mind when I learned about the Business Scrub Seed, though, was Skyrim‘s Dremora Merchant, who can be summoned through the Black Market power that was added in the Dragonborn DLC. To obtain it, you’d have to find the Black Book: Untold Legends in Benkongerike on Solstheim, make your way through Apocrypha, and then select Black Market as their reward. From that point forward, you could summon a Dremora Merchant for 15 seconds whenever you needed to buy or sell equipment, rather than making another trip to the nearest town. It was a pretty useful power to have, especially when you were nowhere near a shop.
Now, there are some fairly obvious differences between the two mechanics, so I wouldn’t go so far as to say Ocarina of Time has copied Skyrim outright. For starters, the Dremora Merchant can buy things from the player, while the Business Scrub seems to only sell Link supplies. Skyrim‘s Black Market is also a reusable power, whereas Business Scrub Seeds are consumable, which means Link can’t necessarily rely on having one whenever he needs it. But the idea behind them is effectively the same, and it’s one I think makes plenty of sense for Ocarina of Time, but we’ll see how it works in practice once the remake launches on November 5, 2026.
Ocarina of Time Remake’s Smallest Changes Could Make Its Dungeons Feel Different
All of that said, I do wonder whether the Business Scrub Seed could take some of the necessary challenge out of Ocarina of Time‘s dungeons. After all, part of what made the original game so memorable was having to work with whatever resources were available, and I can remember plenty of times when a much-needed arrow or heart from a broken pot felt like a small victory. But I don’t think the new merchant necessarily takes that away. Players will still need Rupees to buy anything, and they’ll have to use up a seed if they make a purchase. Plus, anyone who would rather play the game the way they remember it can simply ignore the item and continue relying on the supplies they find naturally.
Personally, that’s what I like about this addition more than anything else. Nintendo isn’t trying to replace the original game’s Business Scrubs with something completely unfamiliar, but it is giving them a purpose they never had in 1998, and one that I can actually see myself taking advantage of throughout the remake. I went into the Ocarina of Time remake’s reveal hoping Nintendo would find ways to surprise those of us who already know Hyrule like the back of our hands, and I think this is a good example of how it can do that without changing the game’s identity. I also never expected a Business Scrub to remind me of Skyrim, but I never thought I’d be looking forward to seeing one in the middle of a dungeon either.
- 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
