Nintendo has launched a music app that captures the appeal of video game playlists

A new music streaming app has hit the market.

It's called Nintendo Music – and on it you can listen to dozens of hours of music from games like Mario, Zelda and Donkey Kong.

The app has been downloaded more than a million times since its launch on October 30.

The early success and enthusiasm of fans is a testament to the unique history and appeal of Nintendo music.

Nintendo: a melodic story

Ben Kidd analyzes video game music on his YouTube channel 8-bit Music Theory with videos like “Why Animal Crossing Music Sounds Nostalgic” and “Why Does Mario Music Sound 'Fun'?”

Kidd says the popularity of his videos shows how interested people are in video game music. But he says Nintendo music also has a lot to offer special That resonates with people.

“I think the strength of Nintendo's music really has to do with the strength of their early composers,” he says.

Composers like Koji Kondo, who pioneered video game music and created the ear-splitting melodies found in games like Super Mario Bros. or The Legend of Zelda.

Over the years, the same tunes have been remixed and reinterpreted in new games, evoking a sense of nostalgia among players.

“It’s kind of a chicken-and-egg situation,” Kidd says. “The melodies are so strong that they can be easily and very effectively reused. And the more you reuse them across games, the stronger they become.”

Kidd also says that over the years, Nintendo has positioned its new, young composers to work with industry veterans. He refers to the composer Toru Minegishi, who contributed tracks to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask alongside Koji Kondo in 2000 and then served as the main composer for The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess in 2006.

The broad appeal of video game music

The Nintendo Music app owes its early success to more than just Nintendo music itself.

People have been listening to video game music on other platforms like YouTube for years. There are playlists throughout the site, often organized by different tasks or feelings, such as sleeping or studying.

“Video game music is often designed to fill a background space without distracting the listener's attention too much,” says Harvey Jones, a musician who makes video game-inspired music under the name Pizza Hotline.

Jones is also part of the community on YouTube that shares and archives video game music.

“Around 2022, I started digging deep into 90s and 2000s video game soundtracks from consoles like the N64, GameCube, PS1, and Dreamcast, and I found so many hidden bangers “, he says.

Video game playlists like these can get millions of views. Jones says he expects Nintendo to respond to this kind of demand.

“With this app, they legitimized the experience of listening to video game music,” he says.

Nevertheless, the app has attracted some criticism. Kidd says one is that composers are not credited.

“I think it would be nicer for them if people associated these soundtracks that they love with the people who wrote them and not just the company they work for,” he says.

It's the kind of information he thinks would also be useful to users of the app. Just as a jazz fan might recognize the stylistic differences between John Coltrane or Hank Mobley, Kidd argues that attentive listeners might make their own observations about different Nintendo composers.

NPR reached out to Nintendo for comment on whether this feature would be added to the app and has not yet received a response.

The company has already added additional music to the app since launch, including songs from the Donkey Kong Country 2 soundtrack.

Copyright 2024 NPR