Mixtape review: a stop-motion-like, post-Spider-Verse aesthetic you can play

If you grew up in the heyday of MTV, then you'll appreciate that a great song was just as much defined by its music video. Many hours of my teens were lost just surfing music channels, and I think it's no coincidence the ones I still remember fondly were from the '80s that pushed all kinds of artistic and technical wizardry, like A-Ha's pencil-sketch 'Take On Me', Peter Gabriel's stop-motion 'Sledgehammer' or Dire Straits's computer-animated 'Money For Nothing. That same inventive spirit can be felt in Mixtape, a game celebrating the last night three teenage friends spend together, which is almost like a playable compilation of music videos.

Although made with Unreal Engine 5, indie studio Beethoven & Dinosaur eschews the pursuit of photorealism for a textured hand-made style that fittingly pays tribute to the pre-internet joys of analogue tech capturing memories, be it Polaroids documenting a house party, music videos taped on VHS, and of course mixtapes (CD or cassette equally acceptable) for any occasion, be it a crush or an epic last hurrah. (For a similar thematic feel, read our review of zine art-inspired music store puzzler Wax Heads.)

While John Hughes' high school coming-of-age movies from the '80s have been referenced as an influence, and protagonist and aspiring music supervisor Stacey Rockford also begins with her fourth-wall-breaking narration like Ferris Bueller, there's a modern touch to its painterly characters and stepped animation that feels reminiscent of the post-Spider-Verse era of animated films.

You can feel the intent and craft in every frame, be it the hand-animated lip syncs to a lovely touch where the characters also clap in sync to the hand-claps of the opening track, 'Feel Good' by Devo, as Stacey and her best friends Van Slater and Cassandra Morino skateboard through their suburban hometown.

The sound of something special

It's one hell of a way to kick off a soundtrack that promises to be nothing but the hits, with more than a couple of dozen songs spanning from the '60s to '90s, so as not to limit its nostalgia to any one particular era, though so hipster it hurts might be the reductive way to sum it up. As far as coming-of-age tales go, it's actually pretty simple, as the trio go in search of booze to take to the most popular girl in school's party while reminiscing about their own teenage delinquent misadventures - escaping the cops while riding a shopping trolley, shooting at cans and bottles off a derelict car in the woods, sneaking into a dinosaur park late at night.

Naturally, there's a song for pretty much each occasion, and every occasion some kind of interactive minigame that can be over as quickly as tapping a sequence of buttons for a secret handshake, or as simple but instinctively pleasurable as tapping a button to head-bang to 'Freak' by Silverchair playing on the car stereo. It's all as low-stakes as the story itself, where the worst thing that can happen is crashing into an oncoming car while skating - in which case, the action simply rewinds like a tape back a few seconds so you can try again.

But then Mixtape isn't about being challenged, but rather about experiencing its heightened-emotion vibes, where the seemingly mundane can become extraordinary and surreal. A recollection of a first kiss is depicted with excruciating hilarity as you use the thumbsticks to control two tongues licking each other back and forth, while a home run in baseball practice causes the local field's surroundings to gradually transform into a professional stadium. In a particular cathartic moment, you get to vent your anger by squeezing both triggers to just make objects around you combust.

Musical mini-gaming

At its highs, Mixtape guides you through a succession of short and snappy minigames that perfectly express the song that's been picked for the moment before quickly moving on. But with a story to tell, it doesn't always have the same arcadey pace as Sayonara Wild Hearts or Tetris Effect, giving way to moments that feel more like filler. That's not to criticise the song selection, because honestly, there isn't a better song for just hanging out in your room than 'Just Like Honey' by The Jesus and Mary Chain, but let's just say that some scenes are more meandering, almost recalling the sluggish exploration moments of the Life is Strange game.

But even if it doesn't hit every note perfectly, these teenagers, in their raw, goofy, all-feeling, and vulnerable ways, feel faithfully realised rather than just trading on high school movie tropes or coming off awkwardly as 'how do you do, fellow kids'. So I did have a blast hanging out with them, raising a fist in solidarity to their petty, juvenile, but still somehow meaningful acts of small-town rebellion. There may not be much reason to return once that ride is over, unless you do care about trophy-hunting, but just like any good mixtape, it's easy to hit play, even if you're just skipping to your favourite bits.