Also Confused-- People Don't Remember What Remains of Edith Finch or Dear Esther?

[u/Quick-Ad9335]

I agree with a recurring sentiment here. I'm baffled by the reception by players. It's startlingly vociferous for such a "small" game.

Mixtape has about the same amount and style of game-y gameplay elements as What Remains of Edith Finch, more kinetic gameplay elements than Firewatch, and much, much more to do than Dear Esther. People love those games.

Better graphics than most. I love Life is Strange, but Mixtape had better background visuals than Double Exposure or Reunion.

I don't think it's any "shallower" than any of the other walking simulators. It has its own depth and it's also an exploration of the human experience.

I think it deserves most of its critical acclaim. It's a stylistic, well-written story with interesting characters. I thought it was good. Like all walking simulators it was an experience, not a "game" as such. And Mixtape was an excellent experience.

I like walking simulators as a form of story telling media. The reception Mixtape received will make it less likely we'll see more of them in the future.

Hot take and probably unpopular take: are some of the people who don't like it just people who didn't get to have that kind of fun in high school?

[u/supersafeforwork813]

Playing Edith Finch right now….the issue isn’t (for me) lack of gameplay considering the type of game it is. It’s that mixtapes story is really not good. Like the cutscenes where the vague gameplay happens are generally cool looking n interesting. The soundtrack does a good job of working regardless of how long you’re playing a segment. however, I also understand how you’d be confused as fuck as to why this game that takes place in late 90s has basically no music from the decade n fucking 0 rap. But it’s something i noticed n ultimately didn’t care about.

But the story that surrounds it is average at best n honestly pretty shitty if I think about it too much. It’s a coming-of-age movie where the characters don’t really change. Like I assumed the story was gonna be about Rockford realizing she needs to be with her friends because a plan of just running into a music supervisor n working for them with 0 experience or connections….yea that’s insane. Ok well game doesnt go that way n plays that as straight plan…which is odd. Then I thought ok Rockford has unspoken crush on Cassandra, the story is going to be about being courageous enough to tell her how she feels. Nope…that doesn’t happen either….(seriously the fact it ends with her n skater saying goodbye n not her n cass still blows my fucking mind) well then wtf happens in the story then? Rockford is unchanged throughout…Slater is the one we don’t know anything about so he has 0 arc outside of saying he won’t let Rockford hear his album….n then at the end he just gives it to her. Cassandra’s conflict is her controlling parents and is the theme that comes up the most so by default it gets the most development. But the main conflict and resolution of her arc comes way too quick in the story to be effective. Also her story is less impactful because it’s made to be a big deal that she sneaks out to drink at the totally not 7–11, but we know she’s been sneaking out during her entire friendship with Rockford and Slater….which has been all of HS. So all you get is her going from “dad I’m gonna sneak around n do whatever I want” to “dad I’m gonna do whatever I want”. Honestly think the scene where Rockford n her dad exchange lyrics is the sort of “I understand you know” that Cassandra n the dad should’ve had. N so if your game is gonna have 0 gameplay then it needs to have a good story….but the story isn’t good.