When contemplating the magic of Nintendo, one has to consider the music. Nintendo games have a special power to transport us back to specific moments in time and revive memories from a simpler age. Part of this power comes from the unforgettable music that’s become as beloved as the games themselves over the years.
If you’re a Nintendo fan to any degree, chances are you have a favorite theme or melody from one of their games that’s close to your heart. Whether it’s the “Hyrule Plains” theme from Ocarina of Time or the legendary “Aquatic” theme from Donkey Kong Country, this often ambient music has a unique ability to pull at our heartstrings and stir some deep emotions inside of us.
For these reasons and more, we were thrilled when Nintendo announced the launch of their new music streaming app: Nintendo Music. Released on Halloween of this year, Nintendo Music provides high-quality audio of all your favorite Nintendo game soundtracks, exclusively for Nintendo Switch Online members. The app is available in both the Apple and Google stores and is Bluetooth compatible—allowing you to connect to most of your smart devices.
Prior to the release of this app, most gamers had to resort to unofficial YouTube uploads to get their Nintendo music fix. But what separates this app from streaming these soundtracks via YouTube? Well, we’ll tell you!
While the app’s library is already vast—reaching as far back as the NES and as forward as the Switch—more music has been continuously added each week since launch. A good number of your favorites from franchises like Zelda, Mario, Metroid, and Splatoon are already included, but given the massive amount of classics Nintendo has produced in its history, there’s plenty more to be added down the rainbow road.
For now, you can revisit the Ocarina of Time soundtrack or check out the amazing score from Super Mario Bros. Wonder. There are classic N64, GameBoy, and NES scores while catering to fan favorites, like the Wii soundtrack. That’s right, you can finally stream the Wii Shop, Mii Channel, and Wii Sports music in one convenient place. And what if you don’t ever want a given song to end? Nintendo has thought of that, too. The app contains an amazingly convenient loop feature that, when applied, allows the listener to extend a song anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. Not every song can be looped, unfortunately, but a good number of them can; and the loops are surprisingly clean and seamless.
As with Spotify or Apple Music, listeners can create their own custom playlists of their favorite music. Nintendo has also included creative playlists of their own, themed around specific characters and games. There’s a playlist to fit almost every mood and vibe, and with the loop feature included, this is a great source of background music for work or studying.
We’re eager to see the future of these Nintendo-generated playlists and hope they’ll eventually be able to include holiday playlists and more.
Whether you’re zipping through traffic on your morning commute to the sounds of the Mario Kart 8 soundtrack or enjoying the extended ambiance of a looped Breath of the Wild track while you read, the Nintendo Music app is a joy to use. The app is just one of many bonus perks now included with a Nintendo Switch Online membership, and given the cost of other annual console online memberships, it’s practically a steal.
We’re excited to see what music gets added as time continues forward into the new year. We’ll be making some epic Couch Bandits playlists in the meantime! Thanks for reading.
The Couch Bandits 