Beethoven & Dinosaur’s Mixtape, from well-known independent games publisher Annapurna Interactive, plays out like many classic coming-of-age stories. It’s a story about innocence, youthful angst, and the belief that you have everything perfectly planned out.
You know, typical high school stuff. Of course, that’s not even close to how things work, even as you’re about to graduate high school and take those first steps into adulthood. I know that now as an adult. Back in 2005, though, the whole world was ahead of me. I thought I could do anything; I thought I was invincible.
I wouldn’t say that Stacy Rockford, the protagonist of Mixtape, thinks she’s invincible, but she does portray herself as someone who has everything under control. She has her bags packed and a plane ticket for New York City, all purchased, ready to start her career as a Music Director. It’s what her whole life has been building up to, and her knowledge of always finding the right song for a moment is all the confidence she needs.
As such, Rockford serves as the game’s narrator, taking us through a journey of her past, present, and talking about what she’s looking for in the future. The result is in line with our favorite comfort movies that will have us feeling nostalgic for our youth, even if it has some missteps along the way.
Mixtape combines the optimism of a coming-of-age ’80s movie with the angst of a ’90s film
Taking place in an undisclosed year in the 1990s, Rockford, along with friends Van Slater and Cassandra Morino, is busy making sure their last night of high school goes according to plan. You see, there’s a big party being thrown, and this is the perfect way to say goodbye. Not only is Rockford headed to New York City to fulfill her dreams, but Slater and Morino are about to embark on a road trip before the latter begins college.
There’s one hiccup, though: Rockford was supposed to be on that road trip, too, which puts more pressure on this night to be absolutely perfect.
Mixtape perfectly captures the constant optimism we saw from similar stories in 1980s movies and gives it that rough ’90s edge that helped the decade stand out. These friends are the very definition of teenage rebellion. Not in a Ferris Bueller kind of way, but in a legitimate running in with the law way. Despite that 1990s era toughness, the overall optimism of classic 1980s films is felt throughout.
Everything you’d expect from the classic movies of old is alive and well in the world of Mixtape. Watching the journey of Stacy, Van, and Cassandra was incredibly satisfying, and combining the two decades was a genius move. It’s a decision that helps things stand out rather than become lost in the shuffle.
Listen to the girl as she takes on half the world
Having somewhat grown up during this time period (I graduated high school in 2005, but most certainly felt the mix of hope and angst during the 90s), the themes of Mixtape are incredibly relatable. The biggest issue, though, is that Stacy Rockford is not a likable protagonist. On the one hand, I get it; she’s meant to sound a little vain and self-conceited. The issue, though, is that Van and Cassandra are so well-written that Stacy becomes even more frustrating. She lacks the charisma of a Ferris Bueller or the humor of John Cusack’s Rob Gordon in High Fidelity.
She’s not a bad character, and the game’s final moments had me tearing up because I was relating so well to her. She’s confident, she’s strong, and she’s inspiring. But she’s also scared and nervous. You know, typical teenager type stuff here. Her best moments come when the walls are taken down, sometimes through flashback and other times through various gameplay sequences. I’m just left wanting more. I’m not saying she has to be Ferris Bueller or Rob Gordon; I just want more reasons to like her. To be honest, though, the biggest issue is that everyone else is extremely well written. I absolutely love Van Slater with all my heart, and Cassandra’s personal story is honestly the best part of Mixtape.
As for the game’s main narrative, yes, it’s as good as advertised, even with some commonplace tropes that sadly seem unavoidable. There’s far more at play here than simple nostalgia bait, even if said nostalgia bait works well and has me remembering high school parties and long-lost friendships. Those memories play perfectly on Mixtape’s story, though, as within the confines of its narrative structure, it almost purposefully leaves certain plots open-ended.
Rather than isolating on the story it wants to tell, Beethoven & Dinosaur have instead used music as a foundation for one that’s incredibly relatable, with us filling in certain story gaps not necessarily based on how we’d want them resolved, but also on how similar scenarios ended up in our personal lives.
She made me a mixtape
Since I brought it up, now’s as good a time as any to talk about the music of Mixtape, since it’s essential to the story.
Much has been made about how every section of the game was made with a song in mind, something I can confirm to be 100% accurate. From frustration and anger accompanied by “Love” by The Smashing Pumpkins, the haunting, bittersweet beauty of Joy Division’s “Atmosphere,” and the urgency of John Paul Young’s “Yesterday’s Hero,” everything lines up so exceptionally well.
Music just has this way of evoking emotion in ways other forms of art and entertainment can’t. It’s a perfect marriage along with the minimalist gameplay. The soundtrack of Mixtape is the guiding light, not active gameplay. Though to its credit, the gameplay does a great job of helping to bring players in to better relate to the characters and story.
Yes, for the most part, you’re a passive passenger on this ride, but the gameplay elements do a perfect job of evoking the emotion of not just the story unfolding, but also the song playing. When you’re angry, listening to The Smashing Pumpkins, you’re flipping people off. When John Paul Young is playing, you’re running through the town, engaging in various platforming sections.
Everything is so well thought out and laid out together that it all comes together like a puzzle piece. Or, should I say, the perfect mixtape.
Mixtape: Final thoughts
It’s the question every high schooler has undoubtedly asked at one point in their life: what if this night would never end?
Of course, that would be awful, because you’d always be in high school. All kidding aside, we’re honestly asking that question for a different. reason. It’s your last chance to hold onto the innocence of youth. Becoming an adult is scary, and there’s a lot of fear that comes with growing up. Sure, you’ll write down in each other’s yearbook that you’ll be friends forever, but we all know that that’s no guarantee.
There are still some friends I chat with from high school, but when it comes to a large portion of my core friend group, I haven’t spoken to them in years. We’ve all gone our separate ways. While that’s helped me shape the person I am today, I often wonder what they’re up to. What they’re thinking about. Did their dreams become reality? I’d like to think so.
While I’ll most likely never get that closure, Mixtape lets me relive those last few moments of youthful innocence. It’s far from the only modern coming-of-age story we’ve seen released that seems to cater to millennials, but it’s also certainly one of the better ones.
PROS:
- Surprise, surprise: a killer soundtrack
- An incredible story backed by great writing and performances
- The right balance between light gameplay and storytelling
CONS:
- The protagonist isn’t always likable or charismatic
- Limited replayability
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