Mixtape
Developers Beethoven & Dinosaur
Publisher Annapurna Interactive
Director Johnny Galvatron
Engine Unreal Engine 5
Platforms
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • PlayStation 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox Series X/S
Release 7 May 2026
Genre Adventure
Mode Single-player

Mixtape is an adventure game developed by Beethoven & Dinosaur and published by Annapurna Interactive for Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S, released on 7 May 2026. The title is inspired tonally and visually by 1980s coming-of-age films similar to the work of John Hughes.

Gameplay and story

Teens Stacy Rockford, Van "Slater" Slater and Cassandra Morino are best friends in the fictional northern California town of Blue Moon Lagoon in the 1990s; Stacy and Van have known each other since they were kids, while Cassandra, the daughter of the local police chief, joined them during high school, seeking to be rebellious against her strict parents. The game's events as well as the character's backstories are told as parts of memories and playable vignettes throughout the game, such as skateboarding down a hilly road, slinging rocks across a pond, or exploring a run-down dinosaur park.[1][2]

Following the last days of high school, Stacy, an aspiring music supervisor, has arranged to fly to New York City to catch a break for her dream job that she just learned about, cancelling a planned road trip she was going to take with her friends. Instead, she has planned to spend the last day before the morning flight with Slater and Cassandra in preparing for a large party to be thrown by Camille Cole that night. Stacy frequently breaks the fourth wall to explain to the player that she has chosen the perfect track list for this day and introduces each song as it starts.[3]

They spend the day milling about town and at Stacy's bedroom, reminiscing about the past, when they realize they need to find some alcohol to bring to the party. Ransacking Stacy's older sister's bedroom, they find clues leading to "The Ritz", a dilapidated, abandoned shack in the woods that they have hung out at. On their way there they stop at Cassandra's home, where Cassandra's dad returns, revealing that he knows there's something going on that evening and grounds Cassandra against her wishes, and also insists that she must attend a college much closer to home, considering Stacy and Slater to be a bad influence in her life.

Stacy and Slater go to the Ritz and through more clues from Stacy's sister, find a large stash of alcohol and fireworks. As they relax, Cassandra arrives along with Jenny Goodspeed, another student who Stacy dislikes since Cassandra has separately hung out with her. Stacy pulls Cassandra aside and learns that she and Slater are still planning on the road trip but are taking Jenny along instead, since Stacy had abandoned them for her New York City trip without any notice. They get into an argument, and Cassandra leaves with Jenny to go drinking near a local convenience store, leaving Stacy shocked. They head to Slater's home while Stacy comes to realize what she has done. While there, Cassandra's dad comes to warn Slater's mom about breaking up a large party that was planned and that she should keep Slater home. Stacy overhears that he will be checking out some teenage delinquents at the convenience store, and races ahead of him to warn Jenny away and hide Cassandra, instead presenting herself as the delinquent. Slater arrives, helps to distract Cassandra's dad, and the three of them flee.

As they distance themselves from the store, they are met by a caravan of cars led by Camille, asking if they know a place to hold a party since their plans were busted. Stacy directs them to the Ritz, and the party ensues, while Stacy and Cassandra reconcile. A misplaced firework causes the shack to catch fire, ending the party, and as the police arrive, Stacy, Slater, and Cassandra make to leave, but Cassandra decides to stay back, telling her father she had set the shack on fire as an act of defiance against her parents' strict upbringing, which she will continue to rebel if they hold her back. Her father acknowledges they have an understanding, and lets Cassandra go while the other police arrive. The three return home, and say their last goodbyes, promising to keep in touch.

Development

Melbourne-based studio Beethoven & Dinosaur had previously developed a music-themed platforming title The Artful Escape, also published by Annapurna Interactive and released in 2021.[4] Initial conception of Mixtape began when game director Johnny Galvatron had created a mixtape of his favourite songs and "arrange them in different ways" to "see what story it can tell" based on musical crescendos and lulls to form a narrative.[5] After creating a horizontal slice of the game to roughly map out how Mixtape's story outline, Beethoven & Dinosaur searched for new songs to add to moments lacking emotional weight or designed moments around a certain song choice.[5] Galvatron described the feel of the game as "sorta like channel-surfing [old-school] MTV at 3 AM".[6] The title is "soundtrack-driven", featuring music from Devo, Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Joy Division, and more.[7]

Beethoven & Dinosaur chose not to include a streamer mode in Mixtape to remove copyrighted audio as it described the licensed music as "the soul of Mixtape".[8] The studio could not simply turn off the music or remove it as much of the game is inextricably linked to music as the characters discuss the music and the game's "levels are designed around the songs".[9]

Art direction

Mixtape features stop motion-inspired animation.[10] The Guardian compared Mixtape's art direction to the animation style featured in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).[11]

Release

At Summer Games Fest 2025, Mixtape was confirmed to be releasing on Xbox Game Pass.[12][13] The game was initially targeting a 2025 release.[14] In November 2025, it was delayed to 2026, as announced by the developer via its social media accounts.[15]

During Nintendo's Indie World Showcase on 3 March 2026, it was announced that the game would launch on 7 May 2026 and confirmed a release for Nintendo Switch 2.[16][17]

Reception

Mixtape received "generally favorable" reviews for the Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 versions while the Windows and Xbox Series X/S versions received "critical acclaim" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[18][19][20][21] Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received mighty approval, being recommended by 97% of critics.[22]

Simon Cardy of IGN gave the game a perfect score of 10/10, writing that the game "sets a new standard for coming-of-age stories in video games and does so with a masterful sense of style".[27]

Tom Regan of The Guardian gave the game three stars, opining that the game had lower stakes than Life Is Strange.[31]

Harvey Randall of PC Gamer criticized and described the game a "good movie" instead of a game itself.[33]

References

  1. ^ Arias, Jackie (13 June 2024). "Mixtape Has Goonies, Stranger Things' Wholesome Retro Vibes". GameRant. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  2. ^ Clarke, Jon (8 June 2025). "Mixtape Hands on at Summer Games Fest". Xbox Era. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  3. ^ https://www.ign.com/articles/mixtape-preview-its-all-about-the-music-in-the-idyllic-90s
  4. ^ Carey, Sean (10 June 2025). "Upcoming Xbox Games — 5 top picks from Summer Game Fest 2025". TrueAchievements. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  5. ^ a b Manchester, Austin (20 February 2026). "'It's such a heavy hammer to wield': Mixtape director talks crafting the game's nostalgic narrative". Polygon. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  6. ^ Delaney, Mark (11 June 2025). "The Transcendent Vibes Of Mixtape". GameSpot. Retrieved 15 February 2026.
  7. ^ Singh, Surej (10 June 2024). "Iggy Pop, Joy Division, Smashing Pumpkins and more to soundtrack new 'Mixtape' game". NME. Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  8. ^ Scullion, Chris (7 May 2026). "Mixtape studio says the game has no streamer mode because its licensed music is its 'soul'". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  9. ^ Cardy, Simon (7 May 2026). "Mixtape Dev Explains Why the Game Doesn't Have a Streamer Mode". IGN. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  10. ^ Stewart, Marcus (11 November 2025). "Mixtape, The '90s Coming-Of-Age Adventure By The Creators Of The Artful Escape, Delayed To 2026". Game Informer. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  11. ^ Lum, Patrick (20 October 2025). "From Mixtape to Pro Jank Footy: the most exciting Australian indie games at SXSW Sydney 2025". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  12. ^ Muriana, Stefano (7 June 2025). "Mixtape shown at summer games fest". Mondoxbox. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  13. ^ "Mixtape, A New Game From Annapurna". Cinelinx. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
  14. ^ Washenko, Anna (3 March 2026). "Musical adventure game Mixtape will be ready to rock out on May 7". Engadget. Retrieved 23 March 2026.
  15. ^ Brady, Lee (11 November 2025). "Xbox Game Pass day-one game Mixtape delayed until 2026". TrueAchievements. Retrieved 11 November 2025.
  16. ^ "Mixtape - Official Release Date Trailer | Nintendo Indie World 2026". IGN Southeast Asia. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  17. ^ Daniels, Joelle (3 March 2026). "Mixtape Gets New Trailer Announcing May 7th Release Date". GamingBolt. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
  18. ^ a b "Mixtape for Nintendo Switch 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  19. ^ a b "Mixtape for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  20. ^ a b "Mixtape for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  21. ^ a b "Mixtape for Xbox Series X/S Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  22. ^ a b "Mixtape Reviews". OpenCritic. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  23. ^ Harte, Charles (7 May 2026). "Mixtape Review - A Night Of Greatest Hits". Game Informer. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  24. ^ Delaney, Mark (7 May 2026). "Please Don't Skip This Musical Coming-Of-Age Story | Mixtape Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  25. ^ Bishop, Rollin (7 May 2026). "Mixtape review: "A nostalgic, vibes-based experience set to a shockingly solid soundtrack"". GamesRadar. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  26. ^ Ignacchitti, Ivanir (7 May 2026). "Review: Mixtape". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  27. ^ a b Cardy, Simon (7 May 2026). "Mixtape Review". IGN. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  28. ^ Ingram, Roland (7 May 2026). "Mixtape Review (Switch 2)". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  29. ^ Croft, Liam (7 May 2026). "Mixtape Review (PS5)". Push Square. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  30. ^ Erskine, Donovan (7 May 2026). "Mixtape review: You're gonna live forever". Shacknews. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  31. ^ a b Regan, Tom (7 May 2026). "Mixtape review – tongues, trolleys and classic 90s tracks celebrate teenage misadventure". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  32. ^ Middler, Jordan (7 May 2026). "Mixtape review: A moving musical tribute to the final notes of adolescence". Video Games Chronicle. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
  33. ^ https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/mixtape-review/