Nintendo recently stirred excitement among its dedicated fan base by unveiling Nintendo Music, a new streaming app designed for Android and iOS. This surprising development comes hot on the heels of Nintendo Alarmo, a Nintendo-themed alarm clock app released earlier this month, leaving fans eagerly puzzled over the lack of updates or clarifications regarding the rumored Nintendo Switch 2 and its speculated hardware specs.
When you open the app, you’re instantly reminded of familiar interfaces like Spotify. It offers many of the features you’d expect, including playlists curated by Nintendo themselves. But there are also some intriguing extras, like the ability to filter out potential spoilers from game soundtracks and extend tunes to play up to an hour without simply looping them.
So, what’s the verdict? Many of you might already be convinced and ready to download it on your Android or iOS device. As long as you have an active Nintendo Switch Online membership (even if you’re just on a trial), you can make the most of Nintendo Music and its offerings whenever suits you.
But let’s address some glaring issues.
First, Nintendo’s decision to launch a standalone music app, instead of just uploading its soundtracks to platforms like Spotify, raises some eyebrows. Other developers and publishers have already streamlined their content, making Nintendo’s choice feel somewhat inconvenient. For music lovers who prefer a single, cohesive library with easy access, being forced into a separate app with a subscription can be off-putting.
There’s also the elephant in the room regarding fan-uploaded Nintendo soundtracks on platforms like YouTube, a practice spanning over two decades. With Nintendo Music’s launch, the situation becomes more complex. For one, the app surprisingly omits the composer and artist details for tracks, providing only game titles. Historically, fan uploads have gone the extra mile to include such vital information.
Nintendo’s aggressive copyright strikes on fan-uploaded soundtracks now make more sense in light of Nintendo Music. Yet, some noteworthy benefits to game preservation are being lost, benefits that Nintendo is in a prime position to provide.
Lastly, the current selection of soundtracks is disappointingly sparse. Though it spans the full range of Nintendo consoles, only 23 soundtracks are available as of now, leaving many iconic pieces unrepresented. The trailer hinted at classics like the Super Mario 64 soundtrack, but oddly, it’s nowhere to be found in the app.
Given Nintendo’s vast archive of timeless games and soundtracks, the fact that it took decades to offer such a service, and the decision to introduce it as a standalone app, it’s reasonable for fans to anticipate a more extensive library at launch.
In wrapping up, one can’t help but ask: when will they drop the Legend of the Seven Stars OST for us to enjoy?
