Nintendo recently took its fan base by surprise with the launch of Nintendo Music, a streaming app designed for Android and iOS users. This comes hot on the heels of the Nintendo Alarmo launch—an alarm clock themed around Nintendo—that dropped this month. Meanwhile, the gaming giant remains silent on any Switch 2 news, despite ongoing leaks regarding its hardware details and potential release date.
Upon using Nintendo Music, you’ll notice a familiar interface—akin to Spotify and other popular music apps. The app has all the expected features, like Nintendo-curated playlists but adds unique perks like spoiler filters for songs from specific games and the option to extend certain tracks by up to an hour, rather than just looping them.
So, what’s the verdict? For many, the decision to download the app is a no-brainer. If you’re ready to give it a try, remember that it’s available for any Android or iOS device as long as you have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership—even those trial memberships count. This gives you the full experience of Nintendo Music’s offerings whenever you wish.
However, let’s address a few significant points here.
Firstly, Nintendo opted to create a distinct music app rather than simply uploading its soundtracks to platforms like Spotify, which is the path taken by other developers and publishers. While having easy access to official Nintendo OSTs is enticing, forcing fans into a separate app with an extra subscription is not ideal for those who appreciate a more centralized music library that includes other genres and offers social features.
Moreover, devoted Nintendo fans have been uploading OSTs to platforms like YouTube for over two decades, making this official app feel rather late to the scene. Bafflingly, Nintendo Music doesn’t include detailed composer and artist information for individual tracks, listing only game titles. This is a stark contrast to fan uploads, which typically provide much more comprehensive credit details.
The launch of Nintendo Music helps explain Nintendo’s aggressive copyright policies against prior fan uploads, yet some key aspects of game music preservation have been lost. Given Nintendo’s resources, one might have expected them to offer more detailed track information than anyone else could.
Lastly, the app’s current selection is fairly limited. While it technically covers the entire span of Nintendo consoles, there are a mere 23 soundtracks available at launch. This notable omission includes several iconic soundtracks, which is surprising, especially given the teaser trailer photoshopped titles like the Super Mario 64 OST that aren’t actually available.
Considering Nintendo’s vast array of classic games and soundtracks and the lengthy wait for this service, it’s understandable for fans to wish for a more comprehensive library from the get-go.
In the end, the pressing question remains: When will we finally see the Legend of the Seven Stars OST make its debut on the platform?
