by Danreb VictorioWhen I first got my hands on a demo of Mixtape at Summer Game Fest last year, I knew it was going to be special. I knew it as soon as I put on the headphones and started vibing to the music, and the 20 minutes spent with the game’s characters were enough to make me appreciate everything this unique experience had to offer. I’d go so far as to say I was sold when I left SGF.
At its core, Mixtape is a coming-of-age walking simulator about three friends as they go through what could be their last day together.
The main protagonist, Stacey Rockford, is an audiophile to say the least. Tomorrow, she’ll be on a flight to New York to pursue her passion and knack for knowing what songs to play at the right moments, but that’s tomorrow. We’re here for today, and she has the whole day completely planned out, so much so that she curated a selection of songs to play at every moment and every activity the crew takes part in.
Stacey is joined by (Van) Slater, an apathetic and aloof guy who’s essentially the group’s “good for nothing” except for being a talented musician. Finally, there’s Cassandra Morino (I think she might be Filipina–Uyyyy Philippines!), the former goodie-two-shoes and daughter of the town sheriff, whose sheltered ways have gone by the wayside in exchange for a more rebellious, yet exciting, life with Stacey and Slater.
Together, the trio makes up your typical “three best friends that anybody can have” in high school, which is a perfect way to stay invested in a story that presents itself as a John Hughes-esque film in video game form, complete with a big serving of musical retrospective.
It’s the music that really sets this game, story, and experience apart. When you first start a save file, after listening to Stacey’s monologue (that actually does a terrific job explaining what exactly you’re getting yourself into), it’s followed by a short tidbit about the song playing in the background. In this case, you’ll be treated to the sounds of Devo’s “That’s Good” (1982), which somehow still sounds like it’s ahead of our time, as you skate downhill on a busy highway en route to your parents’ house. It’s a perfectly thrilling way to start the headrocking adventure.
You’re probably thinking, “But wait, skating downhill on a busy highway? Devo? Didn’t you say it was a walking simulator?” Yes, yes, and yes. Absolutely all of this makes Mixtape special. Nothing you do in the game is inherently difficult, and even more questionably impressive is that nothing you specifically do in the game is new, either. Skateboarding and doing tricks on the skateboard? Been there. Experiencing the wooziness of a drunk video game character? Done that. Hit a home run at the park? Uh huh. Going through someone else’s bedroom and reminiscing about past memories that end by transitioning you to a different way to play the game? Enough. There’s nothing new here.
While none of that is unique, there is still some creativity behind these “typical” gameplay moments. In one section, an angry Stacey skates away and starts blowing up all sorts of cars and obstacles, she eventually makes like Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro and flies through the sky, and later in the game, she conducts a symphony of fireworks. The game is a hodgepodge of weird, yet typical video game set pieces that just work in ways that make the whole experience enjoyable, with the music enhancing it exponentially.
My favorite part of the game is actually a sad part in the narrative. After Stacey sees Cassandra hang out with a girl that Stacey hates, you can feel everything Stacey goes through. There’s jealousy and anger, but it’s mostly sadness, and as the song (“Most of All” by B.J. Thomas) plays, Stacey says, “You need a song that plays in counterpoint, something that fills the gaps, harmonizes.” The song is a beautiful one, and in the game, you’re seeing Stacey uncontrollably float backward through the city, seeing everything around her frozen while she just flows.
I’m not a concert goer. I’ve gone to like maybe two or three in the 37 years I’ve lived, but I definitely appreciate a good soundtrack, and the selections in Mixtape aren’t just great. The music feels alive, like a living, breathing character itself, making the game better. Iggy Pop, the Smashing Pumpkins, Roxy Music, Lush, Alice Coltrane. They’re all here, and the song selections are all so carefully crafted and curated to make sure that the vibes remain perfect, and I absolutely get that every game does this, but the fact that Stacey–sorry–Beethoven & Dinosaur make this the game’s point of emphasis deserves to be commended.
Visually, Mixtape bleeds style. The character art and animation are reminiscent of the style seen in the Spider-Verse films and K-Pop Demon Hunters, while the world around the characters looks like typical Unreal Engine 5 art. There are some moments where the characters look out of place, like when they’re running through the forest, but that’s probably the one negative I have about the game, and I’d call that a nitpick.
When I rolled credits on Mixtape, I whispered to myself, “Dang, I’m never gonna play anything like this again.” If I do, it’ll be compared to Mixtape, both fairly and unfairly. And again, the things this game does from a gameplay perspective aren’t unique. It’s the careful sum of its parts that makes Mixtape a modern classic, and at $20, it’s an easy recommendation whether you binge or slow burn the six-hour title.
I wasn’t a fan of The Artful Escape, but Beethoven & Dinosaur have created an amazing experience in Mixtape that deserves to go triple platinum.
Mixtape
