Mixtape Preview – A Bygone Era Captured Beautifully

Mixtape is the perfect encapsulation of the wonderfully weird feelings of growing up, standing on the edge and looking at the fall to adulthood. Every frame is gorgeous, every emotion powerfully evocative. 

As is no surprise, Mixtape is designed around music. You play one of three teenage friends who are determined to make their last night together one they’ll never forget. Each track of the tape is announced with a key frame showing the song and the artist before it starts playing. 

Growing Up is Weird and Wonderful

Preparing for that last night together, each one of those tracks from the eponymous mixtape sends you off into a memory of some formative event in growing up. Each memory is lovely and powerfully relatable, ranging from a first kiss to running from the cops crashing a house party. 

In essence, Mixtape is a John Hughes film made in the modern age through the medium of video games. It’s about the awkwardness of growing up, the sadness of leaving things behind, and the rebellious attitude of youth. 

In one, you remember your first kiss. In silhouette, your character leans in to get a kiss from a boy who she doesn’t much care for but wanted to get her first kiss out of the way. 

Cut to an insanely detailed set of teeth and tongues. Each thumbstick controls its own tongue as the writhe, slap, and slither together. It is awkward, hilarious, and a perfect way to show just how weird it all can be. 

Every memory is a little story told about their lives that is a great window into the era the game is portraying. Quick cuts to static images doodled on in the background, like MTV, and flourishes of art are everywhere. 

Simply put, Mixtape has a stellar aesthetic that is impeccably drawn together. It is extremely effective.

Mixtape's Visual, Sound, and Gameplay Design Come Together Perfectly

Even just the visual design of the neighborhoods and the roads the characters skate on works. There is an authentic realism to them that fits the somewhat cartoonish characters that inhabit it very well.

The opening scene sees you and your friends skating down a huge hill, each of you yelling out "Car!" when one is coming to avoid it, while leaves litter the ground and the greenery passes you by. It is a beautiful introduction into the world, and the lighting ties it all together into one of the better looking stretches of games in memory.

Unsurprisingly, seeing as all of the memories and the game is named after a mixtape, the tracks fit the moods of whatever is going on perfectly. Mixtape features a huge list of amazing artist, like The Smashing Pumpkins, the Cure, DEVO, Iggy Pop, and a whole lot more.

Obviously, the music is great in and of itself, but a lot of thought and care has been put into making sure each track enhances what we see and play on screen. Gaming's best moments are when gameplay, visuals, and sound all come together as one, and Mixtape is designed to hit you over the head with that again and again as we move from track to track down memory lane.

Mixtape Preview | Final Thoughts

My brief preview of Mixtape makes me confident in saying that it will be the best coming of age story put to video games that I can think of. It’s a classic story of teenagers moving through the world as they try to figure it out. 

I can’t wait to soak it all in and vibe with a soundtrack that will transport me to a past I may never have experienced, but it’s one that everyone will relate to. If I had to guess, I imagine there will be a fair few people that find many aspects of it eerily biographical.

Mixtape was previewed at Summer Game Fest.