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Everyone is buzzing about Mixtape, the highly anticipated coming-of-age title making waves this week. The reception on Steam has been “overwhelmingly positive,” and it earned a perfect 10/10 from IGN. Critic Simon Cardy praised the game for its deeply personal nostalgic touch, confessing, “Beethoven & Dinosaur may have made it just for me.” Our own Giovanni Colantonio felt moved enough to curate and publish his own musical accompaniment to his review (take a listen here). Whether or not you fall head over heels for it, the game undeniably resonates with a specific generation of critics. As my editor noted upon seeing the glowing scores: “The Millennials have logged on for Mixtape.”
While I technically fall into the Gen X bracket, the sentiment hits home. I spent countless hours crafting my own mixtapes—from actual cassette tapes to MiniDiscs—often wallowing in the dramatic angst of youth while desperately dreaming of escaping my small, stagnant village in the English Midlands.
I find Mixtape impressive as well; its curated soundtrack is impeccable, and the aesthetic is nothing short of sublime. It offers a lush, immersive experience that feels remarkably polished. The technical confidence displayed by such a boutique studio is staggering—it feels like Naughty Dog-tier craftsmanship. It is, quite simply, beautiful.
However—unlike Simon Cardy and many of my peers—I struggled to form a personal connection with Mixtape. In its effort to be universally relatable to a specific demographic of Western Millennials, the developer, Beethoven & Dinosaur, seems to have sanded down the edges, leaving behind some of its potential distinct character.
Image: Beethover & Dinosaur/Annapurna InteractiveThe studio is Australian, and director Johnny Galvatron clearly poured his own history into the project. Yet, the choice to frame the narrative within the quintessential, Hollywood-sanitized version of Northern California feels a bit safe. The era feels like a fluid blend of 1993, 2002, and the present day, creating a generalized sense of time.
I understand the creative intent, but it inevitably brings to mind last year’s Despelote, another poignant memoir-style game. While Mixtape aims for broad appeal, Despelote succeeds by embracing specificity—focusing intently on the developer’s upbringing in Quito, Ecuador, during the country’s 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Despite having fewer resources than Beethoven & Dinosaur, Despelote utilizes its visual and sonic elements to transport you into a singular, tangible memory. As a result, I felt a far deeper resonance with the creator’s vision, even though my own life experiences were vastly different.
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I would never label Mixtape as hollow—it is clearly crafted with genuine emotion and a sincere desire to resonate with its audience. But I can’t help but wish it had been set in Australia. Walking the streets of suburban Geelong, where Galvatron grew up, would have been a fascinating perspective shift compared to the cinematic, familiar pine-lined avenues of a Hollywood-ified youth. Now, that would have been a journey.
This Mixtape review is a real mixtape
Giovanni Colantonio opted to submit a playlist instead of a traditional review—and honestly, who can blame him?
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Source: Polygon
