Mixtape Reviews
Mixtape is successful because it fully embraces who it is. It knows it's an emotional, music-driven experience, all about mood and memories, and it doesn't change its mind very often. In the end, Mixtape doesn't feel much like a normal video game. It's more like finding an old box of memories in the back of a room and opening it again.
"Mixtape is a game which understands its influences but not why they work. The discourse around it has made that harder to see clearly. It is a game made by people with clear passions. Having love for your inspirations does not equate to creativity or good execution, though. With Mixtape, it results in a mediocre coming of age film in the form of a video game."
More interactive film than traditional game, Mixtape uses 27 licensed songs as narrative architecture. Mechanically thin but emotionally rich, it captures the fragile magic of youth's final moments beautifully.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
More than just a game, Mixtape is a mirror held up to our past. With rare subtlety and authenticity, it rekindles the fire of our teenage rebellions, the thrill of breaking the rules, and that wild carefree spirit that defined our first friendships.
Review in French | Read full review
Mixtape is an unexpected surprise, brief yet emotionally powerful, celebrating adolescence without romanticising it through fantastic vignettes accompanied by an incredible soundtrack.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Mixtape is a visually stylish coming-of-age adventure that captures the awkward charm of teenage friendships through strong writing, slick transitions, and a distinct John Hughes-inspired atmosphere.
Mixtape is an excellent experience. While I'd normally just say it is a great game, it proved to be more than that. It captures feelings and the experience of life in ways that an ordinary game just does not come close to meeting.
Mixtape is a fantastic celebration of the youth we all leave behind, an adventure with a playful interpretation of music unlike anything we’ve experienced in recent times.
Review in Unknown | Read full review
‘Mixtape’ shows just how magical music can be and what emotions it can stir up. Throughout the nearly three hours of this audiovisual masterpiece, I had butterflies in my stomach the whole time. The blend of retro charm, a killer soundtrack and the boundless energy of youthful friendship is a sure-fire hit.
Review in German | Read full review
Mixtape is a remarkable piece of work. It is the kind of game that reminds you why storytelling in this medium can be so extraordinary when the right people are given the freedom to follow their instincts all the way to the end. Beethoven and Dinosaur have created something deeply felt, visually inventive, and musically brilliant, and Annapurna Interactive have once again demonstrated why they are the publisher I trust above all others to deliver games that mean something.
In a world that seems built to stamp the whimsy out of us as we grow older, projects like Mixtape unleash us from society's shame and remind us to celebrate every moment like it's the climax of your favorite movie. Because one day you'll have to say goodbye. And wouldn't you hope that, whenever you do, you made it the sickest story to tell on your way out? Beethoven and Dinosaur sure did.
Mixtape is an ambitious and a polarising piece of art. It is a game that is currently setting social media ablaze not because of bugs or broken promises as of recent, but because it challenges the very definition of what a “game” should be. It is a playable core memory, a montage or highlight reel of youth that is as breathtakingly gorgeous as it is mechanically thin. The game is more like a visual novel with a few actions here and there rather than something similar to a Life is Strange or a Wolf Among Us that offers a bit more direction and implication from choice. Mostly the narrative framework of Mixtape is enjoyable. Three best friends Stacey, Van Slater, and Cassandra are on a final, aimless drive through their hometown on the night of their high school graduation. The usual tropes are here which is cliché of one last party and painting the town red in traditional American graduation style in their last blaze of glory before disbanding and doing their own things and learning how tough it is to go through emotions and have a support unit of friendship before it is gone.
In just over two hours, Mixtape condenses the adolescent sensation of feeling alienated yet anchored to a world that rejects you , that fights you, but of which you are inevitably a part, in a continuous cycle of eternal returns that involves every generation.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mixtape tends to lean more heavily on cinematic storytelling than meaningful gameplay, but beneath it all is a sincere, stylish and very relatable experience with a killer surreal 90s aesthetic and soundtrack.
Mixtape is one of those games that leaves a lasting impression and reminds you of your own experiences growing up, featuring excellent music throughout.
Mixtape feels less like something you played and more like something you experienced. It's introspective, personal, and deliberately constructed around emotion, not mechanics. It doesn't try to be everything, everywhere, all at once, and it's that focus that makes it stand out.
Mixtape is one of the most personal and emotionally resonant games I’ve played in years. Its experimental structure and collection of strange mini-games won’t work for everyone, but for me, every part of it clicked. The music, visual style, and coming-of-age story come together in a way that feels incredibly intimate and honest. It made me laugh, reflect on my own youth, and at times left me surprisingly emotional. Even though the story is rooted in a very specific time and place, the feelings behind it are universal. Mixtape won’t appeal to everyone, but if it connects with you, it will stay with you long after the final song fades out.
Mixtape is a great game in every way, both audiovisually and narratively. Realistic yet magical. Funny yet melancholic. A short, meaningful story about friendship and life.
Review in Finnish | Read full review
“Mixtape” is a great example of a well-made, if not quite phenomenal, production. This cinematic experience, which lasts just three hours, flies by in the blink of an eye, offering stunning visuals and sound. The characters, despite their archetypal nature, are simply impossible not to like, and the gameplay, despite its simplicity, remains inventive and is a ton of fun. However, one cannot escape the fact that, at its core, this is a rather shallow story that brazenly attempts to exploit nostalgia to evoke deeper emotions—with little success. It is also a story that, due to its atmosphere, won’t appeal to every audience member. Nevertheless, I believe it’s worth giving this game a chance.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Mixtape successfully translates the conflict of 90s adolescence into a gorgeous, handcrafted world backed by a legendary licensed soundtrack. The narrative pace is deliberate. This choice pays off by making every interactive vignette, from shopping cart escapes to skipping rocks, genuinely matter. If you're looking for an engrossing, emotional journey with authentic characters, this is an absolute must-play that perfectly captures the bittersweet reality of moving on.