Mixtape launches with licensed ’90s soundtrack featuring The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure and Iggy Pop

Mixtape launched on May 7 with a licensed soundtrack that includes The Smashing Pumpkins, The Cure and Iggy Pop. The coming-of-age adventure game is available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC.

Created by Beethoven & Dinosaur, Mixtape draws on the films of John Hughes. The game’s description reads:

“On their last night of high school, three friends embark on one more adventure together. Play through a mixtape of memories, set to the soundtrack of a generation. Skate. Party. Avoid the law. Make out. Sneak out. Hang out.”

The title’s developers framed music as central to the design. “Mixtape is about music. It’s about DEVO. It’s about the Smashing Pumpkins, Lush and Alice Coltrane. It’s about how you feel when you listen to Iggy Pop,” they wrote explained on X. “The characters talk about the songs. The levels are designed around the songs. We couldn’t change the songs. We couldn’t replace them. We just couldn’t.”

Soundtrack

Mixtape’s licensed soundtrack spans post-punk, alternative rock and classic pop. The full track list is below:

“Atmosphere” – Joy Division
“That’s Good” – DEVO
“Plainsong” – The Cure
“Just Like Honey” – The Jesus and Mary Chain
“Monochrome” – Lush
“Have You Seen Her?” – The Chi–Lites
“Remember When” – Mitch Murder
“State of the Heart” – Mondo Rock
“The Touch” – Stan Bush
“Most of All” – B.J. Thomas
“Roads” – Portishead
“Freak” – Silverchair
“Love” – The Smashing Pumpkins
“Candy” – Iggy Pop
“Galaxy in Turiya” – Alice Coltrane
“More Than This” – Roxy Music
“Spellbound” – Siouxsie & The Banshees
“Sensitive to Light” – Rainbow
“Witchi Tai To” – Harper’s Bizarre
“Yesterday’s Hero” – John Paul Young
“Shine” – David Gray
“Dare” – Stan Bush
“Drunk Flamingo” – Abrahams and Mole
“Powder” – Allclear
“Airwalker” – Bertrand Dolby
“Deep Space Scan” – Curtis Dunn
“Zebra Crossing” – The Eye Gougers
“Moon Unit” – Wooden Sword

Because the soundtrack is extensively licensed, the developers suggested the game may be less common on streaming channels than other new releases.

Player response on Steam is strong. Mixtape currently holds an “overwhelmingly positive” user review rating. Aggregate review site Metacritic lists the game as “generally favourable” with a score of 85 out of 100.

Separately, The Strong National Museum of Play announced four new inductees to the World Video Game Hall of Fame this year: Angry Birds, Silent Hill, FIFA International Soccer and Dragon Quest.