If you’re looking for a feel-good trip down Nostalgia Lane, teen adventure Mixtape is gunning for your heart. Whether you grew up in the early 90s, or you simply have an affinity for classic coming-of-age tales, there’s a lot to love about this charming tale of friendship and growing up that feels like a John Hughes film in video game form.
Mixtape follows a trio of teens in 90s suburbia who are struggling to cope with an upcoming change that will see them forced to split up for the foreseeable future. As the main character, Stacy Rockford, narrates their final day together, she uses beloved songs ranging from the 60s to the 90s to set the tone of each moment. But how long will it take you to experience this soundtrack from beginning to end? Let’s take a look.
How long does it take to beat Mixtape?
An average playthrough of Mixtape should take around 5 hours. Its short runtime helps the game to feel like an extended 80s teen flick, mixing conversation-focused encounters in the characters’ bedrooms with compelling gameplay sequences that range from dodging cars as you skateboard down winding roads to pretending to orchestrate fireworks in the night sky while riding in a convertible down the coast.
As thrilling and heartfelt as the story is, it’s worth noting that it’s a fairly straightforward affair with minimal freedom in how to approach each section of the game. You can interact with some things while having downtime in the bedroom for a bit of backstory, but the game is otherwise comprised of exceedingly linear sequences. This is hardly a bad thing, though, as it helps lend the game an even more cinematic feel.
That being said, Mixtape has a very generous chapter select option, which allows you to revisit each of these points throughout the trio’s last day together so that you can wrap up any missing trophies or achievements. And there are a decent number of these to work on if you’re going for 100%, asking you to do things like have every optional conversation, knock over a certain number of traffic cones while skateboarding, or knock over a bunch of VHS tapes in a store while stumbling around intoxicated.
While it’s short, Mixtape packs in so much heart into every moment — thanks in part to its killer soundtrack always running in the background — making it well worth the $20 price tag. If you’ve got an afternoon to spare and need some nostalgia delivered right to the face, don’t pass this one up.
Mixtape is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
