“Mixtape” Review by Nick Navarro
There’s a certain kind of magic that only comes from a great coming-of-age story. The kind that makes you think back to old friendships, late-night drives, awkward first crushes, and the songs that somehow became permanently attached to specific moments in your life. “Mixtape” understands that feeling completely. From the second its opening moments began rolling across my screen, I could tell developer Beethoven & Dinosaur wasn’t simply trying to make another narrative adventure game. This was a heartfelt celebration of youth itself, wrapped inside a lovingly curated ‘90s aesthetic and powered by one of the best soundtracks I’ve heard in years.
After absolutely adoring “The Artful Escape,” I already had high expectations for the studio’s next project, especially knowing how strongly that game used music to shape its identity. Somehow, “Mixtape” managed to exceed those expectations anyway. Rather than chasing the cosmic spectacle of their previous work, Beethoven & Dinosaur instead goes intimate and deeply personal here, crafting a story about friendship, uncertainty, growing up, and the strange emotional limbo that exists between adolescence and adulthood. The game follows three friends, Rockford (Stacey), Slater, and Cassandra, during their final night together after graduating high school in Northern California during the 90s. Rockford serves as the primary playable character, and her dream of becoming a music supervisor perfectly frames the game’s entire structure. As the trio heads toward one last party together before life sends them in different directions, a carefully assembled playlist triggers dreamlike memories from throughout their teenage years. What unfolds is essentially a playable scrapbook of formative experiences, stitched together through music, humor, and nostalgia.
What immediately impressed me most about “Mixtape” was how natural its writing feels. Coming-of-age stories can sometimes fall into the trap of trying too hard to sound authentic, but the dialogue here consistently lands. The conversations between the three leads feel messy,
funny, awkward, and emotionally honest in a way that mirrors real friendships. These characters constantly joke around, tease one another, and avoid openly discussing the heavier emotions sitting beneath the surface, which made them feel incredibly believable to me. There’s a warmth to their chemistry that carries the entire experience from beginning to end, the humor also always shines and lands which I found surprisingly rare in games lately. The voice acting elevates that writing even further. Every performance feels genuine and understated, which helps the emotional scenes hit far harder than they otherwise would have. Whether the game is aiming for absurd comedy or quiet reflection, the cast nails the tone every single time. I found myself becoming attached to these characters remarkably quickly, and by the time the credits rolled, I genuinely didn’t want to leave their world behind.
Let’s get into the visuals really quick, “Mixtape” is stunning. Beethoven & Dinosaur once again proves it has one of the strongest artistic identities in the industry right now. The game constantly shifts between grounded reality and surreal memory fragments, often blending the two together in visually inventive ways that perfectly capture how nostalgia tends to distort our recollections. It isn’t even afraid to throw in real world footage. Neon-soaked streets, dreamy suburban backdrops, abandoned attractions, late-night convenience stores, and hazy sunsets all combine into a presentation that feels heavily inspired by classic coming-of-age films without ever feeling derivative. The animation work also deserves praise because it adds so much personality to every sequence. Characters are animated with a stop-motionlike look, along with exaggerated expressiveness during comedic moments while quieter scenes slow things down to let emotions linger naturally. Every memory feels distinct, both visually and mechanically, which keeps the pacing consistently fresh throughout the entire runtime.
Of course, none of this would work nearly as well without the soundtrack, and “Mixtape” absolutely delivers one of the best licensed music selections I’ve experienced in a game. Featuring artists like DEVO, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, and Joy Division, the soundtrack constantly enhances every single scene in meaningful ways. Some tracks are used for emotional reflection while others inject energy into the game’s more chaotic sequences. I even
discovered songs I’d never heard before, including Yesterday’s Hero by John Paul Young, which immediately found its way into my personal playlists afterward. That sequence also paying homage to John Hughes’ “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” was a brilliant moment. The way the game integrates music into gameplay deserves enormous credit too. Rather than simply existing as background audio, songs actively shape the rhythm and identity of each sequence. One moment you’re skateboarding through a memory with euphoric energy, and the next you’re wandering through a quiet emotional flashback where the music says more than the dialogue ever could. Beethoven & Dinosaur clearly understands how deeply music becomes tied to memory, and “Mixtape” uses that idea brilliantly.
Gameplay itself is intentionally simple, but I never viewed that as a negative. This is not a mechanically demanding game, nor does it pretend to be. Instead, every gameplay segment exists to reinforce emotion, tone, or character development. You’ll skateboard, take photographs, hit baseballs, explore strange dream sequences, explode vehicles with your middle finger just because you want to, and basically stumble through wonderfully bizarre scenarios that perfectly capture the chaotic unpredictability of teenage memories. One standout sequence for me involved wandering around a video rental store while under the influence, knocking over VHS tapes and stumbling through aisles in a surreal haze. As somebody who actually worked at a video store years ago, that entire section hit me with a bizarre mixture of nostalgia and secondhand embarrassment that I absolutely loved. It perfectly captures the game’s ability to make even ridiculous moments feel weirdly personal.
If I had any complaints at all, they’re fairly minor. The game is short and may offer very little replay value to some gamers outside of trophy hunting or revisiting favorite sequences through chapter select. I also wish replaying sections allowed players to skip cutscenes more freely while cleaning up collecting trophies. Beyond that though, it’s genuinely difficult for me to criticize what Beethoven & Dinosaur accomplished here. What makes “Mixtape” resonate so strongly is that it understands growing up is rarely as cinematic as movies taught us it would be. Life keeps moving whether or not we get perfect endings, perfect friendships, or perfect final nights together. The game embraces that bittersweet reality while still celebrating the beauty of those fleeting moments that define who we become. It’s nostalgic without becoming trapped in nostalgia, sentimental without becoming manipulative, and heartfelt without ever losing its sense of humor.
By the time I finished “Mixtape,” I found myself reflecting on my own memories far more than the game itself, and I think that’s exactly what Beethoven & Dinosaur intended. Some games challenge your reflexes. Others challenge your intellect. “Mixtape” challenges your memories. It reminds you of the music, friendships, mistakes, and tiny moments that quietly shape your life forever. Short, heartfelt, hilarious, visually gorgeous, and emotionally authentic, “Mixtape” is one of the most magical narrative adventures I’ve played in years. You may not be doing the usual amount of “gaming” but instead doing a high amount of “experiencing” and I just thought that was awesome. I honestly can’t recommend it enough.
9.5/10
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Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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