Video game music ranges from classic 8-bit melodies to wild jingles and beautiful orchestral arrangements. The Nintendo Music app has it all and is currently exciting MeinMMO author Max Handwerk.
When I went on vacation as a child, there were often long car rides, sometimes even overnight. My brother and I sat in the back seat, always with our Game Boys. First the Game Boy Color, later the Advance shaped our young years and those car rides.
For our parents, it was probably also quite pleasant that the Game Boy was on board. It meant peace in the back while we tried to see something on the screen, which, at least with our first Game Boys, did not light up by itself. We were happy about illuminated highway tunnels or the good old Game Boy lamp.
That there was peace was also due to a nearly ironclad rule when playing Game Boy games in public: “Please, please turn the sound off!” For some reason, my parents were not as thrilled with the cheerful Pokémon bike music as I was. And when things got wilder, like battle or racing themes, any enthusiasm was definitely gone.
Nevertheless, over the years, I developed a great love for video game music. From classics like Pokémon and Zelda, which had the typical retro sound, to wild sound storms in Mario Kart, to games like Mass Effect, Final Fantasy, Baldur’s Gate, or Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which features grand compositions and melodies – I listen to them all.
I was even more excited when I discovered that there is an app within Nintendo Online that addresses this.
Nintendo packages its classics in an app that you might already have
I have had the Nintendo Online membership for several years, primarily for worldwide Mario Kart races, but also to try out the retro games that can be played with it. What I absolutely did not know, however, was that the “Nintendo Music” app is also included in this membership. You can simply download it to your smartphone.
A colleague told me about the app a few weeks ago, and since then it has become a constant companion in my daily work. I always listen to music while working, and usually, I make sure it is not too distracting, rather instrumental “background” music. A lot of video game music actually falls into this category.
So what could be better than letting a few Pokémon tracks play in the background when I’m back to writing the Pokémon GO article?
In fact, the app has a few really cool features to offer:
- There are albums organized by games – that’s relatively logical.
- It offers thematic playlists, such as “Good Night”, “Exploration”, “Summer”, or similar – you can find a lot of music that matches your current mood. And you can also find something new there!
- For some songs, you can choose a “Extend to…” option. Then the Mario Odyssey title screen simply plays for 60 minutes (though I admit I do reach my limits there as well).
- There is also a sleep timer that shuts off the app at some point. This fits quite well with sleep playlists, which actually exist in the app.
Personally, I’ve been exploring the app a lot in the first few days and have found a lot of cool stuff. At the same time, however, I also noticed that not everything from games is available in the app that one might want to listen to. For instance, I miss the older Pokémon games. However, you can find some other classics.
And: The selection is Nintendo-related. So you won’t find tracks from games that are not from Nintendo.
I probably wouldn’t specifically get a membership for the app, as ultimately too much is missing. But: The offering is growing, and for me, it was a cool bonus of a service that I already use. Maybe you feel the same way!
What do you think about video game music? Do you like it, or do you find it rather annoying? Let us know in the comments. And aside from the app: This year, Nintendo released the Switch 2. The new console was launched in summer with various new features. We have an overview on MeinMMO: Here are all guides, tips, and tricks regarding the Nintendo Switch 2 in the compilation article.
