Some games are fun. Some are pretty. And then there are games that just stay with you the kind you think about days after you put the controller down. Mixtape is that kind of game.
Made by a small Australian studio called Beethoven & Dinosaur, Mixtape is a coming-of-age adventure game set in the 90s. It’s short, it’s heartfelt, and honestly? It’s one of the most genuine gaming experiences I’ve had in a long time.
What’s the Story?
You play as Stacey Rockford a girl who lives and breathes music. Her headphones are practically glued to her ears. The night of the game takes place before she leaves her hometown to chase her dream of becoming a music supervisor in New York (basically someone who picks songs for movies and shows).
Before she goes, she wants one last big night out with her two best friends, Slater and Cassandra. Their mission? Find some booze, make it to a beach party, and soak in what might be their final night together as a group.
Simple? Yes. Emotional? Absolutely.
The Characters Feel Real
This is where Mixtape truly shines. Stacey, Slater, and Cassandra don’t feel like video game characters they feel like actual teenagers. They joke around, they argue, they say stupid stuff, and then out of nowhere they say something so honest it catches you off guard.
Stacey is bold and passionate. Cassandra is trying to break free from her strict cop dad. Slater has this quiet musical talent that nobody, including himself, fully sees yet. Each of them is dealing with something real, and the game doesn’t try to overexplain any of it.
The voice acting is fantastic too. Every line lands the way it should funny when it needs to be, and genuinely moving when it matters.
The Music Is the Soul of This Game
Here’s the thing Mixtape isn’t just a game with a good soundtrack. The music is the game. Stacey literally breaks the fourth wall to tell you what song she picked for each moment and why. It’s like having a friend DJ your memories.
The playlist jumps around in the best way possible from Devo to Joy Division to Siouxsie and the Banshees to some artists you’ve probably never heard of. But Stacey gives you a little bit of history with each track, so you never feel lost.
There’s a scene where the kids soar above their town set to Atmosphere by Joy Division, and I’m not exaggerating when I say it gave me chills. The music and the moment were just perfect together.
Gameplay: Simple but Smart
Don’t come into Mixtape expecting puzzles or combat. This is a game that uses gameplay to tell a story, not to challenge you. You’ll skate down hills, sneak through a video store while drunk, toilet-paper a principal’s house, and yes there’s even a scene where you control a pair of kissing tongues. It’s weird, it’s funny, and somehow it works.
If you fail at something, the game just rewinds and lets you try again. No frustration, no loading screens. It keeps the pace moving and never lets anything feel like a chore.
The only part that slows things down a little is time spent in the characters’ bedrooms. You can look around and trigger extra dialogue, but it feels a bit aimless compared to the rest of the game.
It Looks Stunning
Mixtape has this hyper-stylized cartoon look that somehow still manages to show real emotion on the characters’ faces. Built in Unreal Engine, the lighting is gorgeous. Every single scene looks like a painting you’d want on your wall.
The camera work is creative too one second you’re in third-person, the next you’re watching the chaos unfold from a news helicopter above. It keeps things feeling fresh and cinematic throughout.
Mixtape is a four-hour game that will stick with you far longer than most 40-hour ones. It’s about music, yes but it’s really about those nights you never wanted to end. The friends you thought you’d have forever. The version of yourself you were before life got complicated.
It’s not trying to be the biggest or most complex game ever made. It just wants to make you feel something. And it does that better than almost anything else I’ve played this year.
If music has ever given you chills, made you cry in your car, or taken you straight back to a memory this game was made for you.
Score: 9.5 / 10
“It’s less like playing a game with a great soundtrack and more like someone turned a soundtrack into a memory you can walk through.”
Also Read: SiGMA Asia secures PAGCOR endorsement ahead of 2026 return
