This morning’s Xbox Games Showcase was full of surprises, and plenty of games I’m very keen to get my hands around, but I don’t think anything brought me quite as much joy as seeing Melbourne’s very own Beethoven & Dinosaur get the opportunity to debut its next title, Mixtape.
The creative crew is once again teaming up with Annapurna Interactive, and once again for a joint that has a heavy focus on music and vibes, but this time with an altogether warmer and more lush-looking experience that draws on classic coming-of-age stories and nostalgia for the music of the 80s and 90s.
It’s also one of a new wave of games attempting to make the rendering styles of recent animated movies like Into/Across the Spider-Verse, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and TMNT: Mutant Mayhem work in a playable setting, with detailed environments and stylised, low-framerate characters meshing together for a very handcrafted feel.
The game will follow a group of three friends on their last night of high school, re-experiencing formative memories via narrative vignettes set to a curated and killer soundtrack that features the likes of DEVO, Roxy Music, Lush, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and more.
Mixtape is due to launch in 2025, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and it’s also going to be launching into Xbox Game Pass on day one, so there are few reasons not to get excited. I had high praise for the studio’s debut effort, The Artful Escape, back in 2021 (you can read my review here), so I have no doubt this will soar straight into my list of favourites for the year.
In case you do need help, though, you can watch the stunning reveal trailer for Mixtape below:
“From Beethoven & Dinosaur, developers of BAFTA award-winning game The Artful Escape, Mixtape draws inspiration from classic coming-of-age movies, bringing together nostalgic aimlessness, mischief, music, the highs and lows of adolescence, and the bittersweet feelings brought about by growth, transformation, and moving on.”