Nintendo recently surprised its fans by introducing Nintendo Music, a new streaming app available on Android and iOS. This development comes alongside the release of Nintendo Alarmo, a themed alarm clock app, leaving fans still waiting for official news on the much-anticipated Switch 2 despite speculation and rumors about its technical details floating around for months.
When you open up the Nintendo Music app, it’s hard not to notice its resemblance to Spotify and other popular music apps. It includes much of the essential functionality you’d expect, like playlists curated by Nintendo. What makes this app special are a few unique features like the option to filter out spoilers in music tracks from specific games and the ability to extend certain tracks up to an hour instead of just looping them.
So, what’s the takeaway? Many of you are likely eager to give this app a try. If you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership, even if it’s just a free trial, you can enjoy everything Nintendo Music offers on your Android or iOS device.
But let’s address a few issues here.
For starters, it’s puzzling that Nintendo would opt for a standalone music app instead of simply sharing its soundtracks on platforms like Spotify, as other companies often do. For those who prefer a single, integrated music library, needing another app and subscription just for Nintendo music feels inconvenient. The soundtracks are a great addition, but integrating them into existing music services would be much more user-friendly.
Moreover, over the past two decades, many dedicated Nintendo fans have been tirelessly uploading Nintendo soundtracks on platforms like YouTube and elsewhere on the internet. Nintendo has definitely taken its time joining the soundtrack streaming scene — and even now, it’s missing vital information. The app doesn’t provide composer or artist details for individual tracks, only listing game titles. This is a glaring oversight since fan-uploaded versions often include this information, making them more comprehensive.
Nintendo’s recent efforts to take down fan-uploaded soundtracks now seem to make more sense with the release of Nintendo Music. However, this shift misses out on certain preservation aspects vital for historic gaming soundtracks and seems like a missed opportunity for Nintendo, who could provide this information more easily than anyone else.
Lastly, the selection of soundtracks currently available is quite limited. While reputedly covering the full range of Nintendo consoles, there are only 23 soundtracks available right now, omitting many classic and essential soundtracks. Even some that the announcement trailer hinted at, like the Super Mario 64 soundtrack, are missing.
Given Nintendo’s vast library of classic games and music, combined with how long it has taken them to release something like this, fans anticipated a far more extensive collection at launch.
All said and done, the big question remains: when will the Legend of the Seven Stars soundtrack be released on the app?
