Mixtape is a charming experience about three teenagers reliving their greatest hits as they graduate high school and separate. It takes these moments and curates them with a licensed soundtrack to emphasize their importance. The visual presentation accentuates the importance of these memories through style and fantastical representations. It’s about celebrating what we have, but not being afraid of what comes next. It’s special for that.

Stacey is our tour guide on memory lane. Slater and Cass are her best friends, but she feels she has to leave town to pursue her dream in New York. The city of dreams calls and her friends want to support her, though they also don’t want things to change. They’re a group of scoundrels who have the most fun when they’re sticking it to the man together. At some point though, we have to grow up. The world won’t wait for us, so we need to put forth the effort if we want to achieve our goals. Stacey and company were supposed to go on a road trip to send Cass off to college, but Stacey decides she has to leave first. This causes friction in the group, but they still want to have one last night together. There are some great moments where the group talks through their thoughts, reminiscing and expressing their feelings indirectly to each other that cemented their relationship for me. It’s the way they interact throughout the story that made me feel their connection. This, coupled with the music and visuals, transported me to an era that I only have a passing relationship with. It gave me nostalgia for my own childhood. Both as a desire for simplicity and a record of how far I’ve come. It reminded me of all the dumb things I said and did back then too, which made me realize how authentic the dialogue of the game was. The trio definitely waxes more poetically than I did at their age, but that’s also another point towards the storytelling that I enjoyed. What should be obvious is that the story is an idealistic recreation of three teenagers’ childhood. It’s not supposed to be a super realistic depiction. This choice can be polarizing, though I enjoyed it because of its parallels to how many people view their childhood. Longing for that time can prevent you from growing and meeting life head on. It’s okay to remember the good times fondly, but use that desire for more times like it to create them in the present.

Mixtape is a video game without much gameplay. You could categorize it as a visual novel or walking simulator, and that’s perfectly fine. I enjoyed the story here, though it wasn’t as impactful as I think this kind of story could be. The overall message seems to be that people tend to romanticize the past or become too comfortable in their lives that they never strive to make a change. It may have just come at the wrong time for me, but I think it could hit harder for others. I didn’t feel much of an emotional impact overall, but the experience was enjoyable for what it was. If you have any fondness for the 90s/80s or an undemanding story-based game, then you might enjoy Mixtape.