Mixtape Review – A Love Letter to the '90s

I'll be upfront with you. I'm not the guy who normally boots up a slow, heavily narrative-driven game and calls it a Friday night. Give me a retro platformer. Give me a competitive FPS. Give me an RTS where I'm managing a base and barking orders at digital soldiers. That's my lane. But Mixtape? Mixtape reached right through my chest and grabbed me by the nostalgia gland. And I am not even a little mad about it.

Mixtape from AnnaPurna Interactive

What Is Mixtape?

Mixtape is a narrative adventure game developed by Melbourne-based studio Beethoven & Dinosaur, the same crew who made The Artful Escape and published by Annapurna Interactive. Mixtape released May 7, 2026 on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2, and it's also available on Xbox Game Pass.

You play as Stacy Rockford, a music-obsessed high school senior who has dreamed of being a music supervisor since she was eight years old. On her last night before leaving for New York, she and her two best friends: the effortlessly chill Van Slater and the quietly rebellious Cassandra Morino. The story follows the final night of their Northern California suburb high school adventures. The whole thing is framed around a mixtape Stacy has curated for the perfect sendoff. What follows is a coming-of-age story about friendship, growing up, and the terrifying, beautiful feeling of everything changing at once.

The game runs about 3 to 4 hours. It has stop-motion-inspired animation that draws comparisons to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. And it features one of the most legitimately incredible licensed soundtracks I've heard in a game in years.

This is as much a vibe as it is a video game.

Chill Crew: Mixtape by Annapurna Interactive

The Guy Who Graduated in 1997 Is Telling You This Is the Real Deal

Here's the thing you need to know about where I'm coming from: I graduated high school in 1997. I lived this world. The '90s suburban teen experience, the feeling of a summer night that somehow feels like it has to mean something because you sense it's one of the last ones before everything changes. Mixtape nailed it in a way that genuinely caught me off guard. This game made me think about my high school friends. Some of them I still talk to. Some of them I haven't seen since my senior year, and playing Mixtape made me feel the weight of that in a way I didn't expect from a $17 indie game on a Tuesday night.

That's not nothing. That's actually kind of remarkable.

The characters feel real in a way that a lot of games with teen protagonists fail to pull off. Stacy and her crew aren't performing at being teenagers, they talk like kids who are way smarter than the adults around them realize, wrestling with genuinely big questions dressed up in small-town restlessness.

Greetings From Party Mountain

It's an Interactive Movie and That's a Compliment

I want to address the elephant in the room, because I've seen some reviewers ding this game for not feeling enough like a "video game." And yeah, Mixtape is essentially an interactive movie. You're mostly walking, watching, and occasionally jumping into a minigame. Here's my hot take: for this game, that's the right call.

Mixtape isn't trying to challenge you. It's trying to move you. The low-friction design kept me inside the story instead of pulling me out of it to retry a platforming section or grind a mechanic. It felt like sitting down with a great film, except I was the one guiding Stacy through it. The interactivity, light as it is, made the emotional beats land harder than they would have if I was just watching.

Could some of the minigames be tighter? Sure. A few of them overstay their welcome slightly. But the overall balance and relaxed controls, gorgeous visuals, killer writing, world-class soundtrack. It all adds up to something that felt effortless to sink into. Coming from someone who's usually chasing a leaderboard, that's a compliment of the highest order.

The music in Mixtape is unmatched

The Soundtrack: The Real MVP (And a Word to Streamers)

We need to talk about the music, because it is genuinely central to everything this game is doing.

Mixtape's soundtrack is packed with iconic licensed tracks. We're talking Devo, Smashing Pumpkins, Joy Division, Iggy Pop, and more. The director described building the game the way you'd build a playlist: arranging songs to see what story emerges from the peaks and valleys of the music. That philosophy comes through in every scene. Songs don't just play in the background, they're woven into the narrative. Stacy talks to you about the tracks. They're the emotional spine of the whole experience. It's one of those rare games where the music doesn't feel licensed, it feels chosen. Like someone cared deeply about putting exactly the right song in exactly the right moment, and it shows.

Now, a practical note for any streamers or content creators reading this: that incredible soundtrack is also a DMCA landmine. You will not be able to stream or record this game on Twitch, YouTube, or any live platform without some serious audio routing magic to mute the in-game music. Just plan accordingly before you go live.

Typical High Schooler’s Room in the 90s

The Visuals Are Stunning

Even if the music wasn't doing the heavy lifting, Mixtape would still be a gorgeous game to look at. The stop-motion-inspired art direction gives every scene a handcrafted, tactile quality. It feels like someone built these characters and sets with their hands. The palette shifts and surreal visual sequences that accompany the emotional peaks of the story are genuinely beautiful. There are moments in this game that look like nothing else out there right now.

Is Mixtape Worth the price?

Yes. Absolutely yes. For the price of a fast food combo meal, you get 3 to 4 hours of some of incredible character writing, evocative art direction, and the most carefully curated music in recent gaming memory. If you grew up in the late '80s or '90s, the nostalgia alone is worth the ticket. And even if you didn't, even if 1997 is ancient history to you, the core of what Mixtape is doing is universal. It's about friendship. About the terrifying act of growing up and moving on. About how music can make a moment feel like it matters forever. That story doesn't need a decade to land.

Mixtape made me feel something.

Final Verdict

Mixtape is a love letter to the '90s, to mixtapes, to the specific ache of leaving and being left behind, and it's one of the most unexpectedly moving games I've played in years.

I went in skeptical. I came out texting one of my old high school buddies at 11pm just to say hey. That's the review right there.

Frequently Asked Questions About Mixtape

How long is Mixtape? Mixtape runs approximately 3 to 4 hours for a single playthrough.

How much does Mixtape cost? Mixtape is currently $17 on Steam. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass.

What platforms is Mixtape available on? Mixtape is available on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Can you stream Mixtape on Twitch or YouTube? Due to its fully licensed soundtrack (Smashing Pumpkins, Joy Division, Devo, Iggy Pop, and others), streaming Mixtape without DMCA issues requires audio routing to mute in-game music. Plan accordingly before going live.

Is Mixtape a walking simulator? Mixtape is a narrative adventure game with light exploration and occasional minigames. It's closer to an interactive movie than a traditional game, but that's very much by design.

Who made Mixtape? Mixtape was developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur, the Melbourne-based studio behind The Artful Escape, and published by Annapurna Interactive.

Is Mixtape worth it? If you love '90s nostalgia, coming-of-age stories, and incredible music, absolutely yes. At $17 for 3–4 hours of a genuinely moving experience, it's one of the best value plays of 2026.