I believe that you remember very well what your last day of compulsory education was like. We all go through that emotional moment in life that leads us towards inevitable change and acts as a farewell to youth. You are aware that it is the last time you will see some people, and even the greatest friendships are put to the test after finishing school, because after that everyone goes their separate ways. That common thing that held you together disappears, and no matter how happy you are that school is over, there is that awful thought lurking in the background that you have to come to terms with the fact that nothing will be the same after school. Because you will never be the same again. And that’s why on the last day of school we give ourselves a break – we sing, dance and drink – aware that a new chapter of life is coming, whether we’re ready for it or not.
| Initial price | Reviewed version | Reviewer copy |
| 19€ | PC | Acquired through subscription |
If you’re wondering what this intro is for, know that it’s the literal plot of a game called Mixtape. With three friends, we are living the last day of their summer vacation before life separates them. Their farewell to their youth should culminate in a big binge on the beach, but first they have to find booze. During this quest to stock up on alcohol, the friends reminisce about crazy and heartwarming moments from their past, while dealing with the uneasy breakup that follows. In the midst of all this, tensions and obstacles arise that threaten to give their youth the grand finale it deserves.
If you’ve already been sold on this Mixtape, know that it’s only the first half of the experience! The second is phenomenal spice in the form of equally phenomenal music. The whole story is permeated with a playlist of stuff from the 70s and 80s. Or as the game’s motto says, you will hear “nothing but hits” on the playlist. The game has a special relationship with music because the protagonist Stacy Rockford has such a relationship with music, who is so in love with music that she knows how to choose the ideal song for every moment. When Stacy chooses a song, reality seems a little unreal, almost like a musical. And then, with this carefully selected music, we experience what from a teenage perspective seems to be the biggest and most important night of their lives.
The result is a fantastic and unique experience – a rarely seen game that acts as an epic celebration of youth and youthful rebellion, a genius ode to the art of music, an unexpectedly mature story without pretension, an incredibly strong dose of nostalgia that we can identify with and that could move you to tears. It is me, like no other game so far.
The mixtape is what I would describe as an absolute example of a video game as a work of art. A skilfully designed work that recognizes the power of music, presents it as an interactive event and delivers it as an experience that is recognizably human so that everyone can find themselves in it in their own way. This is not a game about some mysteries or supernatural things, nor a story about heroics or adventures that we cannot otherwise experience. The mixtape is a virtual reminder of what it feels like to be young and think adults don’t understand you. The mixtape is almost like a captured memory of that time when you want to show the world who you are, but you haven’t quite decided who and what you want to be.
The closest comparison to Mixtape would be the games from the Life is Strange series. However, in those games we were always on some kind of “mission”. Here, however, we have what the game itself would describe as the “optimal teenage experience”. Do what teenagers in the 90s really did. Activities such as throwing stones at frogs, creating crazy combinations of drinks, etc. have been turned into mini-games. As you play with “delinquents”, there is also skating, cleaning the principal’s house and similar activities that raise the pressure on adults.
Gameplay in Mixtape is reduced to separate episodes in which there is usually no challenge or mechanics that are elaborated in depth or fun in themselves. I think it’s a missed opportunity that Mixtape doesn’t have video games within the game because it would be ultra nostalgic to be able to access arcade machines or retro games – if not real ones, then at least imitations of old hits. In general, gaming as a topic is unusually neglected in this game, and the focus is placed on other media such as music, film and literature. It’s a pity, because in the 80s and 90s video games were popular among teenagers, and they were often seen as a medium that “corrupts the youth”.
So, the gameplay in Mixtape is not something that will infect or delight you. The most positive thing is that the game is varied, so you never do the same things in a row. Until the very end, you are always served situations in which you do something you have not done before. No segment of the game lasts too long, mostly because it is accompanied by songs that last 3-5 minutes. And then the whole adventure lasts about three hours, which in my opinion is the ideal duration from which everything that could be extracted was extracted.
Mixtape is not a game where you will get some special reason to play it more than once. There are no story branches, different scenes or multiple endings. But trust me you will want to play it more than once. You might even want to show it to someone who doesn’t normally play video games. Because every moment of this story is simply great and in the end the Mixtape is like a playlist that you can always return to and it will always be good for you. You just “rewind” the tape and the good thing starts again…
This game is carried equally by the story and the music – mostly by joint forces. Stacy, Van and Cassandra are superbly written and acted characters. On the one hand, typical delinquents are full of resistance to any authority, but they are not boring and uninterested kids, but occasionally they spill grains of wisdom that they have either heard or formed themselves. The game is full of such life thoughts. Right in the first minute of the game, Stacy says, “Always make a playlist because soon you won’t be listening to music but what you used to be.” Such wisecracks occasionally slip through the dialogue, but the game isn’t smug about dwelling on them. All this is finely arranged through drama, humor and moments in which the Mixtape seems like a collection of short stories that convey the essence of human friendship.
And then there’s the music. They say there’s no arguing about taste, but Stacy is so confident in the power of her playlist that it’s not up for debate because there’s nothing to argue about—it’s that good. The mixtape has an excellent 25 tracks that take you through different genres, but mostly alternative music. There’s Iggy Pop, The Cure, Joy Division, The Smashing Pumpkins – nothing but hits.
Of course, the point here is not in the selected music as such, but in the way it is placed. Stacy always announces the song to the player himself, says something about it and then we get something like a playful music video for that song. You know how the Red Hot Chilli Peppers had a fictitious game as a video for their “Californication”? In several moments, the mixtape reminds of just such a combination where it is almost impossible to separate the gameplay from the music and the music from the gameplay.
In addition to the sound of the game, it also looks like real candy. The locations are great and it will sound silly when I say that the lighting in some unusual way conveys the atmosphere of summer here. But it’s true! The game has surprising physicality and actually asks the player to destroy things. Towards the end we also have a section that looks like a pretty realistic camera shot. And in fact, the visual style of the game is close to some kind of animated film, especially because of the stop-motion animation. Some may not like it, but there is no doubt that the game looks great. She is definitely even more beautiful in person than in pictures and videos. The only minus is that there are small graphic anomalies in some parts, but I believe that this will be fixed soon.
I’ve gone through two tabs of text with this review and now I’m in danger of telling you too much about the game. And I wouldn’t want to because Mixtape is best experienced without prior expectations. However, it’s been a long time since a game left such a positive impression on me and I would like to recommend it to everyone – both gamers and the audience that doesn’t (anymore) play games, and young rebels and old delinquents. To everyone who at least once felt that an unforgettable part of their life ended with the end of school.
Because Mixtape is a really fantastic game. We won’t mention it as the pinnacle of gaming, but when we remember the games that provided an unforgettable experience in the short term, this will be known as the ultimate hit that reminded us of a short and unforgettable experience of our own youth.