Mixtape

Плохой сюжет, неинтересные и отталкивающие персонажи и никакой геймплей

мою дверь с пенсилом сожгли патлы

Here’s a fact about Mixtape—this is not a game about the nineties, but rather a game about nostalgia for the nineties. It is a pastiche of coming-of-age stereotypes set in a teen drama film, drawing upon vague romanticisms of adolescent youth familiar only to those who have grown up watching a version of the decade from pop culture. Another game cashing in on the aesthetics of retro nostalgia might seem like another tiresome detriment, especially as much of our present media seems fixated on recycling the same properties and stories with little room for the inventive and new. Story-wise, there is nothing new Mixtape is telling—and yet, it is precisely this fact that makes Mixtape’s story about memory and feeling all the more interesting. Stacey Rockford lives during a time of transition—having just graduated high school, she is about to leave her small town in California for the big city dreams of New York. It’s her last day, and with her carefully curated soundtrack and best friends Slater and Cassandra, Stacey plans to make her final night in Blue Moon Lagoon a memorable one. This time of transition doesn’t just describe a particular point of Stacey’s life; the nineties is the last decade of the twentieth century, the last gasp of air of the previous millennium. It is the perceived end of history before the years that followed proved Fukuyama wrong. As the day progresses, drama over an upended road trip gradually reveals the strain in one of her friendships, putting the rest of her day and her relationships in uncertainty. ‘Uncertainty’ is, in fact, what undercoats much of Mixtape: uncertainty of who Cassandra is, of what Stacey feels, of whether the road trip will happen or if Stacey will even make it to her flight in the morning on time. Uncertainty of whether these three friends will remain as close as they are, or if the future’s pull will fragment them into different directions. The game reveals its story through a series of playable vignettes intersected amidst the day of our three main characters. These vignettes are shown through objects spread out among all three characters’ (and more’s) rooms, with each space exposing not just who these people are, but the moments that defined them and drew them closer in the first place. All these vignettes have varied mechanics, from skipping rocks and skateboarding through the suburbs to flying through the air and hitting softballs out of a gradually revealed stadium. There is a fantastical underpinning to many of these vignettes that bleeds into the present, a blurring of the imaginary to convey a felt reality. It’s rather magical realist in a way, evocative of the manner memory is conveyed in What Remains of Edith Finch. In fact, the aforementioned game is perhaps the best comparison to make of Mixtape, both in terms of how they’re narrative ‘walking simulators’ that touch upon themes of memory through varied mini game segments. Where they diverge is their presentation: whereas Edith Finch takes its cues from the literary, Mixtape is undeniably cinematic. The animation of Mixtape is undeniably stellar, blending the stylistic cues of Into the Spiderverse with the warm, experimental and occasionally grungy aesthetics of late eighties and early nineties cinema. It’s a wonderful treat for the eyes, even on lower graphic settings. At times, it does feel like a playable movie, yet it’s the balance of cinema with interactivity that Mixtape is best experienced as. This is, after all, a game about memory; memory that was experienced, occasionally heightened, but ultimately can never be returned to. Of course, it would be a mistake to talk about Mixtape and not discuss its core foundation: the music. Mixtape’s story is built around its soundtrack, and what a wonderful playlist Stacey (and, of course, the game’s director Johnny Galvatron) arranged. Each track is an undeniable banger, expanding on the emotional core of each scene that revolves around it. Of course, the music is just as much a point of controversy: many of the songs are from the eighties (although this is less a point of contention), and one of the tracks was released in 2011. A few of the songs, furthermore, are from fictional bands Galvatron and another collaborator composed on their own. While the game’s soundtrack doesn’t necessarily have to reflect the decade, the anachronism and fictionalization may seem to be headscratchers—it must therefore be reiterated that Mixtape is not a game about the nineties, but the nostalgia for the nineties. Just as Stacey’s memory and present are heightened and fictionalized by her emotions, Mixtape’s heart, its soundtrack, eschews historical accuracy for emotional resonance. Whether or not this choice is a good one is up for debate, but it is a choice that ties into Mixtape’s overall narrative. This is not, of course, a game that would resonate with everyone. The picture of nineties America it portrays may be unfamiliar to those who have experienced the period. Its dialogue is reminiscent of Life is Strange’s teenage cringe and CW teenage drama shows; charming to some, grating to others. Not every mini game is a winner, though there is enough variance and none necessarily overstay their welcome. Mixtape is not about the nineties, yet it is perhaps very nineties in a meta way: another entry of the cynical capitalization of nostalgia, yet one that wears a lot of heart and earnestness underneath it all. It is a polaroid photograph weathered with age of a point of time that can never be returned to: of the transition between adolescence to adulthood, of the last hurrah of the twentieth century. As the present grows ever more disquieting, perhaps the most comforting truth Mixtape offers beyond its nostalgia is the fact that the future has always been as unknowable then as it is to us now.

If you buy this, you're getting it for the experience, not the "complex" gameplay. Its a walking simulator with an amazing coming-of-age story.

A quirky and fun story featuring great music and some bittersweet 90s nostalgia. Gameplay mechanics are limited but entertaining and often amusing part of the narrative. It's pretty short but honestly think it's a solid length for what the game is, but might be worth considering for some given the price and that you're not likely to play this game multiple times.

像走进了一部青春公路片，而且自己在设计这部电影的soundtrack，每一帧都是艺术，每一首歌都是一段故事。

青春，回忆。

Just freaking wow. I loved this game so much. If you love music, play this. Immediately.

年度游戏

미자들이 술 구하러 다니는 내용 10/10