Mixtape review: casual gamer’s dream with a killer soundtrack

Mixtape takes casual gaming to laid-back new levels. The coming-of-age drama can be completed in a single sitting and with only one narrative thread to follow, it’s impossible to go wrong. If you’re used to spending hundreds of hours squeezing every last secret out of massive open-world games such as Elden Ring or pushing yourself to frustrating limits to get good enough to be a contender in Fortnite, Mixtape’s interactive storybook experience presents a baffling proposition.

But the minute you start skateboarding through the sun-kissed north Californian countryside setting with DEVO’s euphoric synthpop gem ‘That’s Good’ blasting through your speakers, Mixtape will make total sense.

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The game, set in the fictional town of Blue Moon Lagoon at some point during the 1990s, follows a trio of teenage best friends out to celebrate their last night together before college and post-high school jobs send them to different corners of the country. There’s chilled out stoner Van Slater who doesn’t want anything to change, while overachiever Cassandra Morino is looking forward to a life away from her parents’ sky-high expectations. You play as Stacey Rockford, who’s eager to escape her “Big Suck” hometown, join older sister Debbie in New York and become the world’s greatest music supervisor, even if that means ditching a planned road trip with her besties.

Mixtape starts with music obsessive Stacey doing her best Fleabag impression to tell you about the technical specifications of her CD Walkman, and the emotional power that the ideal playlist commands. She’s already got the soundtrack to her last hurrah sorted but the day doesn’t go to plan. The underage mates struggle to get alcohol and come into conflict with party-pooper cops while simmering resentment between the angsty teens soon boils over. It’s a messy, melodramatic tale in the same style as Superbad or Skins.

There are various mini-games within Mixtape – control the tongues involved in a sloppy, awkward first kiss, explore a bedroom for pieces of a map leading to boozy treasure, put the batteries in a handheld Mina Master camera before exploring an abandoned dinosaur theme park – but most of your time will be spent watching lush cutscenes play out. Some gamers have been outraged at just how little control they have over the story, but the game’s lack of alternative endings doesn’t take anything away from the feel-good tale of camaraderie.

And really, Mixtape is all about the music. Indie developers Beethoven and Dinosaur based each chapter of the game around a particular tune and every needle drop is deployed with pin-point accuracy. The Smashing Pumpkins’ furious ‘Love’ accompanies a moment of adolescent destruction, David Gray’s ‘Shine’ soundtracks a sepia-toned flashback to the three pals decorating their woodland hangout and Jesus And The Mary Chain’s ‘Just Like Honey’ conjures the perfect bedroom hangout vibe. You can headbang your heart out to Silverchair’s driving anthem ‘Freak’ and Roxy Music’s celebratory ‘More Than This’ elevates a cinematic moment that mirrors The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’s iconic bridge scene.

There are plenty of cult classics in Mixtape as well, so be prepared to fall in love with John Paul Young’s playful alt-rock gem ‘Yesterday’s Hero’, the dreamy psychedelic pop of Harpers Bizarre’s ‘Witchi Tai To’ and The Chi-Lites’ trippy ‘Have You Seen Her’.

The love letter to playlisting wraps up with the twinkling majesty of The Cure’s ‘Plainsong’. Mixtape might not be the most challenging game around, but it’ll have you thinking twice about leaving the house without the perfect song in mind.

‘Mixtape’ is out now on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC and PlayStation 5