Nintendo’s music app has great ideas and frustrating limitations

Nintendo Music app disappoints with limited selection and odd restrictions.

: Nintendo Music launched on iOS and Android, but it’s exclusive to Switch Online subscribers. The app offers organized browsing and features like extended loops but lacks a comprehensive library with only 25 games included. Missing elements like additional game soundtracks and detailed credits make it feel incomplete. Users need alternative sources like YouTube for a fuller Nintendo music experience.

Nintendo Music was introduced last week, promising an organized approach to enjoying famous soundtracks on iOS and Android. However, the app is only accessible to Switch Online subscribers, which could limit its reach and appeal among wider audiences. While it offers curated playlists, artist pages, and a useful extended loop feature, it disappointingly lacks a rich library of Nintendo's massive 40-year history, only covering 25 games.

The limited range of soundtracks includes just two Zelda games and a few NES titles, and Fire Emblem is restricted to Game Boy Advance. Nintendo Music does not credit composers, oddly giving more prominence to characters from its franchises like Splatoon 3, which diminishes the recognition for legends like Koji Kondo. The absence of credits and incomplete track extensions adds to the app's peculiar limitations.

Despite its initial promise, Nintendo Music fails to deliver a comprehensive solution to accessing the company's musical assets. The content is heavily focused on modern Nintendo games, and its narrow scope suggests an incomplete rollout, which will likely evolve slowly. For many, it falls short of providing an all-encompassing Nintendo music experience, necessitating continued reliance on platforms like YouTube.

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