Mixtape Reviews
A music-driven coming-of-age journey that turns memories into playable vignettes, blending style, sound, and emotion into a uniquely crafted experience
But as a game and a story I was hoping for something with a little more kick. Perhaps, much like an actual mixtape, it will get a nice place somewhere and you'll think about it every once in a while. Going back however will probably show the cracks in the foundation that were always there.
The real treasure was the friends we made along the way
A wonderful story about youth and growing up that looks and sounds great.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Even if I wanted to try ponder, this game leaves no room for any "buts." The combination of visuals and sound is a true spectacle; the narrative magically blends story, pacing, and direction; and the experience proves to be a catharsis that's hard to shake off. Mixtape is simply, without any qualifiers, a real masterpiece.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
If you can find similarities between the events in the mixtape and your own past, you can be sure you'll experience unforgettable emotions. Johnny Galvatron, please continue, but make it a bit more gamified. Thanks.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
The nicest thing that can be said about Mixtape is that it has imaginative visuals and that the animation quality is pretty good. Adventure game fans won't find much intrigue or excitement because the experience is suffocatingly automated, and all the set-pieces offer no challenge. The biggest sin Mixtape commits is that it's ultimately insufferably boring and pretentious.
Stunning art direction and a stellar soundtrack are what makes Mixtape so wonderful. Its narrative isn't the most meaningful, but when everything else is so good, it hardly matters. This is a game that exists to be a short, enjoyable experience: its characters and story might not leave a lasting impression on you, but its music and visuals certainly will.
Mixtape is a narrative-driven experience that uses music, atmosphere, and character-driven storytelling to recreate the feeling of growing up in a way that feels deeply personal. It’s mechanically simple, but that simplicity allows its emotional core to stand out, making it one of the most memorable and affecting games in its genre.
Mixtape succeeds as a narrative adventure. It tells a coming-of-age story through a smart blend of visuals and music, delivering some genuinely fun moments along the way. Unfortunately, it's not a game for everyone.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Mixtape isn’t the Game of the Year; it isn’t a revolution in the gaming industry; and it isn’t a project that redefines an entire genre. But that’s not what it’s trying to be. Mixtape is a beautiful, extravagant, music-filled tribute to youth, friendship, and those final moments before life changes forever. It’s a game that proves video games still have room for distinctive artistic visions. It shows that there are still developers who want to create something emotional, human, and creative instead of endless checklists and generic open worlds. And that’s exactly why Mixtape is one of the most delightful and interesting surprises of recent years.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Mixtape does what every great compilation album does. It begins with a bang, hooks you into its throes, rises and falls, and then finishes with a number to remember. That’s both in the music choices, expertly compiled by the team at Beethoven & Dinosaur, and in the gameplay and narrative.
Mixtape feels a little Lo-Fi, but there are some good times to be had.
Mixtape is a beautiful love letter to music and friendship. The narrative is handled really well; in spite of its similarities to other coming-of-age stories, the characters are realized fantastically thanks to great dialogue and voice acting, and the music choices are incredible. While the gameplay is limited, the mechanics are peppered throughout to perfectly accompany the respective story beat. Even though the visuals are lacking on the Switch 2, Mixtape is still a phenomenal experience and an easy recommendation.
Mixtape is an emotional experience built through music, nostalgia, and memories of youth and farewells. With striking art direction, an impeccable soundtrack, and extremely human moments, the game manages to transform simple situations into something profoundly special.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Mixtape is exactly the kind of experience that justifies the existence of video games as an art form. With the full creative support of Annapurna Interactive, Beethoven & Dinosaur has delivered something no other medium could replicate: an interactive, musical, and emotional memory about the beautiful pain of growing up. Through creative and varied vignettes, a soundtrack that could easily rank among the best of recent years, and an art direction that rivals the industry's greatest works, Mixtape leaves a lasting impression that will endure far beyond its three-hour journey. It is not a perfect game—players looking for a challenge may come away frustrated, and its replay value is virtually nonexistent. But for those willing to surrender themselves to the experience, Mixtape is one of the most beautiful, sincere, and essential experiences of 2026. Put on your headphones, press play, and let Blue Moon Lagoon carry you away.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Mixtape is a musical romp through the last night of now and the beginning of forever. A narrative that can make you laugh and make you cry. It’s a wild absurdist piece with a curated soundtrack of licensed music that is never very far away from delighting you with another moment that makes you light up.
Mixtape is a truly unique experience. It’s not a game that aims to impress with its difficulty or complex mechanics. On the contrary, some purists might even argue that it’s hardly a video game at all, since most of the time, we’re actually doing very little. The gameplay is minimalist and serves almost exclusively to complement the emotions, dialogue, and music.
Review in French | Read full review
In answer to the questions we posed at the beginning, Mixtape is neither an interactive film nor a traditional video game in the most conventional sense. It occupies a space all its own, blending cinema, music, and interactivity to tell a story that would likely not have had the same impact in another medium. Beethoven & Dinosaur is a bold experiment that could have taken more risks with gameplay and devoted more attention to some of its characters, but it still manages to find its own identity.
Review in Italian | Read full review