Nintendo Music App: Impressive Concepts but Disheartening Constraints

Listening to Nintendo's musical compositions isn't straightforward due to their absence from popular streaming platforms. Typically, searching YouTube becomes the go-to for fans wanting tunes from renowned titles like Animal Crossing and Metroid. With the sudden appearance of the Nintendo Music app, I anticipated a centralized hub for all Nintendo soundtracks. However, despite its innovative features, some perplexing limitations hinder its potential.

A Similar Yet Limited Music Experience

The app mirrors the functionality of mainstream music services such as Apple Music or Spotify and is accessible to subscribers of Switch Online on both iOS and Android. It allows exploration of tracks by individual games or specialized playlists featuring categories like video game characters, battle anthems, or songs that invite extended listening.

An appealing feature is extended play for certain songs, which can loop up to 60 minutes. This feature has been particularly useful to listen to the relaxing piano melodies from 'The Great Plateau' even after several years. Moreover, a 'spoiler prevention' option can shield users from revealing game details they haven't yet experienced.

An Incomplete Catalog

Interestingly, the app includes limited selections from Nintendo's vast array of game soundtracks. Despite boasting a history of over four decades, currently, only 25 game soundtracks are featured. This list is surprisingly brief, missing iconic titles and focusing primarily on Nintendo Switch offerings.

Incremental updates promise future inclusions based on the slow addition of retro games to Switch Online, yet the timeline remains unspecified. The lack of thorough attribution for the real-life artists involved in these musical compilations highlights another peculiar shortcoming.

Unaddressed Flaws

The app struggles with inexplicable limitations; certain tracks cannot be extended without clear reasoning. This is frustrating, especially when you consider parts of a game where in-game music is predominantly heard in long plays. The absence of a desktop or web version further restricts access, making mobile the sole platform.

Though Nintendo Music provides an excellent listening experience to an extent, its missing elements create the impression that it was released prematurely. The app mirrors the recent trend of Nintendo products that blend innovation with restrictive confines.