Mixtape Interview: “Where do you set your fantasy stories? You set them in places like California.”
Mixtape, the sophomore release from Australian developer Beethoven & Dinosaur, has launched to critical acclaim. Published by Annapurna Interactive, the game follows three music lovers—Stacey, Cass, and Slater—during Stacey’s final night in her small hometown before moving to New York to pursue her dreams. The roughly three-hour narrative journey is set in ’90s suburbia and heavily emphasizes nostalgia and period-appropriate music.
The game features a curated soundtrack of iconic ’90s artists including Devo, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Joy Division. This musical foundation pairs with the experience’s focus on memory-making and the emotional weight of growing up and leaving behind a familiar community. Mixtape has resonated strongly with critics and audiences who grew up in small American towns, offering nostalgic appeal to a specific demographic.
GameSpot awarded the game a 9/10, praising its charming execution, while PC Gamer highlighted its effectiveness as an interactive narrative experience. However, some reviewers noted the game functions more like a film than a traditional gameplay experience.
One notable quirk: the game never explicitly states what year it takes place, leaving players to infer the timeline from contextual clues scattered throughout the narrative. While context suggests the ’90s setting, the tonal consistency with that era remains debatable. Mixtape is priced at $20 USD (£16 GBP) and is available as a single-player experience on PC.