Nintendo recently took its fans by surprise with the debut of Nintendo Music, a new streaming app available for Android and iOS. This unexpected launch follows closely behind the release of Nintendo Alarmo, a fun Nintendo-themed alarm clock. Meanwhile, Nintendo remains tight-lipped about any details on the eagerly anticipated Switch 2, despite months of swirling rumors and leaked hardware specs.
Firing up the app gives off major Spotify vibes, presenting users with a familiar layout. It carries many familiar features you’d expect from music apps, like playlists curated by Nintendo. But it also brings some neat extras—like the ability to filter out song spoilers from specific games and extend tracks beyond their usual playtime, up to an hour, without getting repetitive.
So, is there more to this app than meets the eye? For many of you out there, the prospect of having Nintendo Music on your devices is probably pretty tempting already. If you’re an Android or iOS user, and you have a Nintendo Switch Online membership—trial or full—you can dive into this app’s offerings at any moment.
However, it’s hard to ignore some of the quirks that come with this release.
First off, it’s puzzling that Nintendo decided to roll out a standalone app solely for its music, instead of just adding its soundtracks to platforms like Spotify as many other game publishers have done. This could be somewhat off-putting for music enthusiasts who prefer having a consolidated music library. Sure, having official Nintendo soundtracks at your fingertips is great, but the setup isn’t perfect if it means using another app and subscription to enjoy them alongside your other music and social features.
Moreover, dedicated Nintendo fans have been busy for over two decades, spreading Nintendo soundtracks throughout the Internet, particularly on platforms like YouTube. Nintendo’s move into this space feels, quite frankly, a little late. What’s more, the omission of specific details like composer and artist names for each track—which fan uploads traditionally included—is baffling. Given Nintendo’s authority over its own content, this should have been a straightforward addition.
Following the launch of Nintendo Music, the frequent copyright strikes on fan-uploaded soundtracks make a bit more sense from a business standpoint. Yet, some important aspects of preserving these game histories have been overlooked, even though Nintendo is in the best position to maintain this musical heritage.
Another point worth mentioning is the rather limited selection of available soundtracks. Even though the app theoretically spans all Nintendo consoles, it only hosts 23 soundtracks as of now, leaving many iconic OSTs completely absent. The trailer for the app suggests that soundtracks from beloved games like Super Mario 64 are included, but in reality, they’re missing.
Considering the vast array of classic games and their soundtracks in Nintendo’s extensive archives, and how long it has taken them to release such a service, it’s reasonable for fans to expect a richer, more complete library from the start.
All this leaves us pondering—when will the Legend of the Seven Stars soundtrack finally make its appearance?
