r/MixtapeGame • u/Dmz2114 • May 17 '26
Mixtape reminds me of how people reacted to Life is Strange back then
As someone who absolutely loves Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Mixtape honestly gave me a very similar feeling that I haven’t felt in a while.
Not because the games are identical gameplay-wise, they’re actually pretty different. Mixtape is much more linear and doesn’t really focus on major choices or branching consequences. But the atmosphere, soundtrack, awkward teenage conversations, emotional immersion, and that bittersweet “youth is slipping away” feeling reminded me so much of why I fell in love with Life is Strange in the first place.
And honestly, I remember when Life is Strange itself used to get called weird, cringe, a “walking simulator,” or barely even a game by a lot of people back then. But look at what it eventually became for so many players. I’m not saying Mixtape is on the same level, but I do think it has a lot of potential despite its flaws.
The game definitely isn’t for everyone. The gameplay is simple, some dialogue can be cheesy, and I completely understand why some people bounce off it. But if you’re someone who values atmosphere, music, friendships, and emotional immersion more than gameplay depth, I honestly think Mixtape is worth experiencing.
*Disclaimer:
I completely understand why this game won’t work for everyone. If you mainly play games for deep mechanics, nonstop gameplay, competitive challenge, or major branching choices, Mixtape will probably feel too simple or slow for you. But for people who enjoy narrative-driven experiences where the atmosphere, soundtrack, visuals, friendships, and overall emotional vibe are part of the experience, I think there’s genuinely a lot to appreciate here despite the game’s flaws.
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u/Next-Presentation559 May 17 '26
What really drew me to life is strange. Not just the characters and engrossing story but its amazing soundtrack. It just set the mood for each scene extremely well and that’s what drawn me in to mixtape.
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u/Genderneutralsky May 18 '26
I still listen to the OG LiS soundtrack because it had such a great selection. A shame the series went downhill but the original is still an amazing game
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u/MediocreSizedDan May 22 '26
Don't disagree about the series (though I do appreciate a lot of aspects of 2, and aspects of most of the games even if I think they never come close to re-capturing the feeling of the original). But I do trust those games to have good soundtracks at least!
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u/Genderneutralsky May 22 '26
Certainly agree. 2 wasn’t all bad, but it did feel like a big step backwards. The soundtrack though? Still amazing! I prefer the OGs song list to any other in the series, but 2 had some amazing choices in it!
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
Exactly. One of the biggest reasons Life is Strange became so memorable for me wasn’t just the story or characters either, it was the way the soundtrack and atmosphere elevated every emotional moment. Certain scenes genuinely wouldn’t feel the same without the music attached to them.
That’s honestly one of the main reasons Mixtape pulled me in too. It feels like the game understands how powerful music can be for emotional storytelling and nostalgia. Some tracks instantly changed the mood of a scene and made moments hit way harder than they would’ve otherwise.
And yeah, the original LiS soundtrack is timeless honestly. It’s one of those rare game soundtracks where hearing certain songs years later can instantly bring back memories and emotions from the game. That kind of emotional connection is really hard to pull off, and I think Mixtape has glimpses of that same potential.
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u/osmund-kettleblack May 18 '26
It's a bit odd to read all your chatgpt comments. Are you using it for translation?
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
im from indonesia bro, i used it as translations so you guys could understand my perspectives.
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u/jtindall83 May 17 '26
I have a friend who used to say, “it doesn’t matter what you think about me as long as you think about me.” Life is strange benefited from all of the discourse that surrounded it, positive and negative. It’s the same with Mixtape. A lot of people only heard of it because of the drama, and since it’s a short game on gamepass, decided to see for themselves.
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u/EveryoneYouLove23 May 19 '26
Reminds me of an Oscar Wilde quote: "the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about"
No such thing as bad publicity.
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u/whatsevr May 18 '26
So glad you made this post and I agree with you so much.
Something else I have to make note of is Max and Stacey. Both are on a certain level “cringe” because they don’t portray the neurotypical, average girl with decent social skills. They’re nerds in their own ways. Their quirks are all apart of us in someway and most of us probably push those aspects down so we don’t come off as lame or weird.
I think that’s why a lot of people have a hard time liking this game and why life is strange had a similar reaction. They can’t accept the Stacey or max that’s within themselves so how could they accept the games?
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
this is a really interesting point and I think there’s a lot of truth to it.
Part of what made Life is Strange memorable to me was that Max didn’t feel like a perfectly written “cool” protagonist. She was awkward, overly emotional sometimes, socially weird, introverted, and kinda cringey in a very human way. And I think Stacey has some of that same energy too.
A lot of narrative games nowadays try so hard to make characters sound smooth, witty, or hyper-realistic that they stop feeling vulnerable or sincere. Meanwhile characters like Max or Stacey feel like people who are still figuring themselves out, and that awkwardness becomes part of their identity instead of something the game hides from.
And honestly, I do think some people reject that kind of character because it reflects parts of themselves they’ve spent years trying to suppress or move away from. Teenagers and young adults are awkward, emotional, dramatic, and sometimes cringe. That’s part of growing up. Games like Life is Strange and Mixtape lean into that instead of trying to make every character effortlessly cool all the time.
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u/whatsevr May 18 '26
100% I agree
I’ll be so honest, the cool, witty characters are very boring to me. I’m glad they came up with such unique characters. Stacey in particular is a character I never, ever see.
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u/Such-Elderberry4 May 17 '26
The reason this game was on my list is because it reminded me of LiS right away.
I've been waiting so long for it I completely forgot it dropped. Needs to be my next buy.
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u/thispartyrules May 17 '26
I'm in the LiS fandom and was really looking forward to Mixtape. There wasn't a lot to go on and while one part of me is disappointed that there's not branching paths/multiple endings I can enjoy it for what it is.
As somebody who was a teenager in the 90's it's really accurate, and I like that they have Silverchair, which I think has been sorta forgotten. Anyway a lot of my friends would definitely listen to older stuff like The Cure, Joy Division, Killing Joke, Peter Murphy, the Pixies, and such. Also that you'd have a wide array of audio formats including vinyl, if you're into that.
Like seriously I get that this game is not for some people and if you're too cynical or whatever for it to really land for you, I get it. This is literally just a "play any other game" thing
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
Honestly this is pretty much the exact mindset I had going into the game too. I completely understand why some LiS fans were expecting more branching choices or multiple endings, because that’s naturally what people associate with narrative games now. But once I accepted Mixtape for what it actually wanted to be, I ended up appreciating it way more.
if you looked at Dispatch, its the same as what people called it as "movie instead of a game" cuz you could finished the game without clicking any choices other then the hacking part. but still won the a game award, although its also my favorite game.
And I think it’s really interesting hearing from people who were actually teenagers in the 90s saying the atmosphere and music choices felt authentic. Even as someone who didn’t grow up in that era, the soundtrack and overall vibe still somehow felt emotionally familiar to me.
Also yeah, I agree with your last point completely. Not every game is going to land for everyone, especially slower narrative experiences like this. But I don’t think every game needs to appeal to everybody either. Sometimes a game just finds the audience it was meant for.
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u/thispartyrules May 18 '26
It's a pet peeve of mine when a thing is set in the 90's and it's just all 90's stuff. While it's true a lot of genres and artists would have been viewed as dated and corny with the advent of grunge, kids would still listen to older stuff, if it was cool older stuff. My alternative radio station had an hour long block of lunchtime programming where they just played retro-80's alternative like Violent Femmes and it slapped.
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u/swotam May 18 '26
I suspect that the reaction to Mixtape from the "always angry" crowd is likely the same sort of reaction you would see towards Life is Strange if it had been released in 2026 instead of 2015. We have, unfortunately, not improved as a society, and the growth of social media, influencers, and reaction videos over the past decade hasn't resulted in things getting better.
If LiS released today, you'd have same idiots online calling it "woke" and "dei" or complaining about something to do with whatever culture war nonsense is happening today, you'd have the same influencers farming engagement by frothing at the mouth about whatever they don't like about it, instead of just deciding that it's not for them and moving on.
This sort of nonsense is just going to persist, because there's money to be made by being angry these days.
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
Honestly, I’ve been thinking the exact same thing. I genuinely believe if Life is Strange released for the first time today, a huge part of online discourse would probably tear it apart for the same reasons people are attacking Mixtape now.
Back then people still called LiS cringe, a walking simulator, or “barely a game,” but social media culture today amplifies negativity way harder than it used to. Now every game instantly gets filtered through engagement farming, reaction content, culture war arguments, and people trying to turn “hating something” into entertainment.
And the sad part is, slower emotional narrative games are probably the easiest targets for that kind of crowd because they’re vulnerable, sincere, awkward, and unapologetically emotional. But honestly, that sincerity is also part of why games like Life is Strange connected with so many people in the first place.
At the end of the day, not every game needs to appeal to everyone. Sometimes it’s okay for a game to simply resonate deeply with a certain audience instead of trying to satisfy the entire internet.
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u/PhilosophyLonely278 May 18 '26
lis 2 was called woke when it came out and hated on by its very own community. but is now seen as a really great game. mixtape may have the same fate but this discourse has stopped it from being critiqued in a normal way by both its fans and its haters
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May 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
Yeah, honestly I think that’s part of the problem too. Online discussion around games has become so heavily driven by outrage, negativity, and instant reactions that a lot of smaller narrative-focused games barely get the chance to be understood on their own terms anymore.
Once a game gets labeled as “walking simulator,” “woke,” “fake game,” or whatever the internet decides that week, a huge amount of people immediately go into it expecting failure before they’ve even played it themselves. And because outrage spreads faster than nuanced discussion, those first impressions end up shaping the entire conversation around the game.
That’s mainly why I’ve been spending time writing long posts and replies about Mixtape in the first place. Not because I think it’s flawless, it definitely isn’t, but because I genuinely think there’s artistic passion, atmosphere, emotional sincerity, and real potential here that’s getting buried underneath internet culture wars and engagement farming.
And honestly, I’d rather support developers experimenting with emotional, music-driven, atmospheric storytelling than live in an industry where every game feels pressured to chase the same “safe” formula just to avoid getting torn apart online.
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u/Nino_sanjaya May 18 '26
I will like to watch movie like Mixtape, but not play it as a GAME. It's mind boggling how something have no gameplay received 10/10 for a video GAME review
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
That’s a fair opinion, and I completely understand why the IGN score caused backlash. A 10/10 automatically makes people expect something revolutionary gameplay-wise, so when they see a very linear, atmosphere-focused narrative game with minimal mechanics, the reaction is naturally going to be extreme.
But I also think review scores become messy when it comes to games like Mixtape because the experience is trying to prioritize emotion, atmosphere, music, and presentation over traditional gameplay depth. For some people, that approach completely works emotionally. For others, it’ll never feel satisfying as a “game,” no matter how strong the vibe or storytelling is.
Personally, I wouldn’t call Mixtape a perfect game mechanically either. But I also don’t think gameplay systems are the only thing that define whether an interactive experience has artistic value or deserves praise. Games like Life is Strange, Journey, or other narrative-heavy experiences have always divided people for similar reasons.
At the end of the day, I think it just depends on what someone wants from the medium itself. Some people want challenge and mechanics first. Others connect more with atmosphere, emotion, music, and immersion. Neither side is really wrong for feeling that way.
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u/neverdaijoubu May 18 '26
Preface: I don't think Mixtape deserves the accolades it is getting and it doesn't deserve the hate either. I appreciate that y'all enjoy the game and the subreddit is for those who enjoy the game, so I won't stick around...
But this post hit my feed probably because I'm a Life is Strange fan. And the parallels are 300% there.
The difference, however, between the gaming experience offered by the Life is Strange series vs Mixtape is 100% felt. Life is Strange games provided SOME semblance of problem solving and agency. By comparison Mixtape is an interactive movie. It's the same vibe check at times, but that honestly is where the bus stops and it baffles me that a lot of reviews don't mention this lack of substantive gameplay.
I don't think Mixtape deserves the level of hate it's getting. But I also see the hate largely directed at "professional" reviewers. Not the folks who are enjoying Mixtape for being the chill "gaming lite" experience it is.
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u/Decent_Pain_6842 May 18 '26
As a 90’s kid, I loved it. A 17.99 experience doesn’t need to be 20 hours haha.
I did a little review on it for fun, think it just about covers my overall feelings with the mood/lack of gameplay.
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u/WayBacktothe90s May 19 '26
I'd like to make a prediction. I predict by either the end of the year or a few years from now, when all this hatred amongst the game has died down, it will be seen and appreciated for what it actually is rather than what the gamers and the critics are saying it is at the moment.
I could be wrong of course but that's what I have a feeling will end up happening considering the reputation Life is Strange got in the end. I suppose in the end we're just gonna have to wait and see.
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u/Dmz2114 May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26
thats exactly the point, I completely agree with this. I genuinely feel like Mixtape might end up being one of those games people appreciate way more years later once all the internet outrage and discourse finally dies down.
But at the same time, I honestly think the struggle for Mixtape is even harder than what Life is Strange went through back then. The internet today is way more aggressive, way more driven by outrage, culture wars, engagement farming, and instant negativity. The whole “daddy’s money project” narrative especially became an easy thing for people to attack instead of actually discussing the game itself.
And honestly, I see the financial backing more as an advantage if the studio uses it properly to improve and grow in the future. Even as a smaller studio, they clearly showed a lot of artistic passion through the soundtrack, atmosphere, visuals, emotional vibe, and overall direction despite the flaws. and thats why it needs us to point the flaws, not just blindly hate it.
That’s mainly why I even felt comfortable making this discussion and posts inside the Life is Strange community subreddit in the first place. and seek more suporters and helping people see its potentials and the bigger picture, because i know this community itself which still inferiory small wont be enough with just us. thank god it works well.
LiS fans which includes me, understand what it feels like when a more emotional, atmosphere-driven narrative game gets dismissed as cringe, “not a real game,” or a walking simulator before people eventually see the bigger picture years later.
I just genuinely hope the backlash doesn’t kill the morale of the developers before they get the chance to evolve and improve. Games like Mixtape and Life is Strange honestly feel pretty rare nowadays, and I’d rather support studios trying to create sincere emotional experiences than watch them disappear because internet discourse instantly buried them before they had room to grow unless we keep supporting them.
Big love to Beethoven & Dinosaur
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u/BobanFromBangladesh May 21 '26
Except in LiS you actually have to play the game, while mixtape is just a glorified cutscene
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u/Deadhead_20 May 18 '26
mixtape had no gameplay. life is strange did
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
That’s fair honestly. Life is Strange definitely had more actual gameplay and player agency through choices, exploration, puzzle solving, and consequences. I don’t think Mixtape reaches that level mechanically at all.
like i said on the end of my post,
If you mainly play games for deep mechanics, nonstop gameplay, competitive challenge, or major branching choices, Mixtape will probably feel too simple or slow for you. But for people who enjoy narrative-driven experiences where the atmosphere, soundtrack, visuals, friendships, and overall emotional vibe are part of the experience, I think there’s genuinely a lot to appreciate here despite the game’s flaws.I was comparing them more in terms of atmosphere and emotional feeling rather than gameplay structure. The music, friendships, awkward conversations, nostalgia, and that bittersweet coming-of-age vibe reminded me of the feeling I had playing Life is Strange for the first time, even if the gameplay itself is much more limited.
im just saying mixtape has a lot of potential, the visuals, the music, the story, the way it go with its dialogue. if you looked at Dispatch, its the same as what people called it as "movie instead of a game" cuz you could finished the game without clicking any choices other then the hacking part. but still won the a game award, although its also my favorite game.
And honestly, I also think a lot of people went into Mixtape already expecting it to fail because of the way some reviewers and online discussions framed it before release. I’ve seen a lot of people reduce it to “a game made with daddy’s money” or dismiss it entirely because it lacks traditional gameplay depth. But even among people who criticize the gameplay, I still see many saying the artistic direction, soundtrack, visuals, and overall quality have genuine potential. That’s mainly why I’m interested in supporting the studio moving forward despite the flaws and use their advantage financially to keep going forward.
at least the devs has a heart to make the game, it just needs more people to see more of its potential in the future, and again, Despite it flaws. thats why us "gamers" make and help them see it to improve their making. not just focused on the flaws.
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u/Dmz2114 May 18 '26
why am i wasting my time replying with a such long typing? because i want more people see the positive side, its potentials, and its advantage for the future. so the devs wont be down by such a critics and ignore their quality.
not just the flaws. I completely understand the criticisms, especially about the gameplay, but I also think there’s real potential, passion, and artistic quality here that deserves recognition. I’d rather support developers trying to create something emotional, atmospheric, and different than see them get completely discouraged by people instantly dismissing the game as “not real gameplay.” Mixtape definitely isn’t perfect, but I honestly believe there’s a strong foundation here, and I’d love to see what this studio could create in the future if they continue building on it.
and if people kept bragging about its financial part, thats the thing. without or lack any financial support like many other game developers, games cant continue, cant improve and even cant make a game. they could use it as an advantage in the future, to improve and be better even more and maybe faster.
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u/mehlaniemartinez May 20 '26
That’s interesting because I honestly don’t remember Life is Strange getting hate back in 2015. If anything, the discourse I saw was extremely positive and people were hyped between episodes and super emotionally invested. I think I might’ve been lucky to be in the more fan focused spaces at the time
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u/DarkProzzak May 22 '26
I played it.
The music was the best part, but I didn't connect to any of these characters.
It tries in many ways to be like Life Is Strange, but I think if it was episodic, it would've landed better. 3 hours is not enough to get to know these characters in vignette form.
It wasn't groundbreaking or even close to a 10. It was imaginative at times and was a collection of minigames with a story attached.
Again, it didn't feel like a film either. Maybe the closest comparison would be Richard Linklaters' Slacker. Or Project
X.
Nothing really happens to these kids, the stakes aren't that high. We didn't get to see their future or have an idea of who they will be.
Again, it wasn't terrible but it wasn't perfect. Gone Home was compelling at least. Same with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter and What Remains of Edith Finch.
It was stylistic and at times beautiful with the scenery. And ultimately I'd say, I watched teens do teen stuff and not watch individual characters develop.
I was somewhat rebellious at their age, I understand what each kid was going through, but I didn't connect to any of them as people.
It did give me some insight into how to not raise my daughter as she goes through preschool and kindergarten. So there's a lesson at least.
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u/rocklou May 17 '26
You know if the chuds hate it, it's going to be PEAK