I listen to a lot of video game Music in the background to accompany me at work or with daily tasks around the house. Nintendo is picky about copyright and is multiplying complaints about its songs online, especially since no official solution was offered to enjoy this music legally. So Nintendo launched Nintendo Musicits official music streaming application. You certainly need to be a subscriber to Nintendo’s online service, but for fans of Nintendo music, this is excellent news.
Many hoped to see Nintendo music land directly on Spotify or Apple Music. That Nintendo preferred to launch its own application is ultimately not surprising, as the brand is often reluctant to collaborate with other digital giants. In this sense, an independent application avoids advertising breaks imposed by third parties, and offers an uninterrupted experience.
The Nintendo Music app fills a long-time fan need. The easy-to-use interface, a vast selection of playlists, and above all the possibility of listening to iconic songs from several generations of consoles make this application a success. Ideally, Nintendo could have offered a free version, but it seems logical that they would look to integrate this offering into a paid service.
The application benefits from a fluid, very intuitive interface, reminiscent of that of major streaming services like Spotify. The playlists are very well organized, the loading time is fast, and it is possible to download songs for offline listening, which remains an undeniable asset for listening while traveling without using up your mobile plan.
In addition to the basic functions (search, looping, queue management), Nintendo Music offers unique options that cannot be found elsewhere. In particular, we find personalized covers for each song instead of the generic image of the game, a spoiler prevention system, a rare tool in this field, which allows you to hide songs from games that you do not have. yet completed, even if this function can still be improved (it sometimes hides the entire album rather than sensitive pieces). A particularly useful option is extending song duration for those who like to listen to long music loops without abrupt interruptions. Some music can be extended up to 60 minutes, which corresponds well to user expectations.
Despite its qualities, Nintendo Music also presents some notable limitations. The music library, although varied, is still limited to around twenty soundtracks. If we find a nice diversity between recent games and older titles, there remains plenty of room for progress to present other emblematic albums. Nintendo has promised regular additions, and we can expect to see classics like Wii Sports or Mario 64.
Another downside: the absence of credits for the composers and artists behind these pieces, as well as real complete files. This information would be a really welcome addition for such a platform, especially since Nintendo likely owns this data. Finally, certain pieces cannot be extended, which seems to be linked to technical constraints. If the extension function is well thought out, it would have benefited from being applicable to all songs.
Nintendo Music marks a small turning point for Nintendo in terms of digital services, finally offering fans an official and convenient way to access cult music from their favorite games. Despite small flaws, such as a still modest library and limited functionality, the application offers a pleasant and fluid experience. Future updates promise to expand the still somewhat thin catalog and improve the application but for now, Nintendo Music is a great start.
