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While early video games may have originated from a place of competitiveness and play, they've essentially evolved into emotion simulators. We feel elation when finally overcoming that tricky Elden Ring boss, or companionship when squadding up with mates online.

Much like a good playlist, games are great at cultivating a feeling, and that's exactly what Annapurna's latest game - Mixtape - aims to do. Following a trio of teens in the hours leading up to their departure from high school in a northern Californian town during the 90s, Mixtape is the epitome of romanticisation, pairing key life moments with iconic musical tracks that only serve to enhance the experience.

Its gameplay mechanics are pretty lightweight, to the point where I can see some gamers switching off due to its simplicity. But whack on a pair of decent headphones and give in to the atmosphere it sets, and Mixtape is a fantastic example of how games can blend multiple mediums into a totally unique form of entertainment.

While Mixtape follows three teens, Stacey Rockford is our main protagonist in Mixtape. Graduating high school with her friends, she has a dream of making it big time as a music supervisor and is planning a trip to New York.

However, this is at odds with plans she's previously made with her crew, Slater and Cassandra. Essentially ditching them on a road trip to Los Angeles, Mixtape follows their journey as we flash back through the moments that saw them bond friendships, as well as the times they clash over conflicting priorities.

As the story is told through Stacey's perspective, she regularly gives us pieces to camera, addressing the audience Fleabag style as she introduces new chapters with an accompanying track. Scoring this trio's journey through tracks that cultivate a certain vibe is Mixtape's secret sauce, and why I'd highly recommend playing the entire thing through in one go with your best pair of headphones.

Developer Beethoven & Dinosaur has licensed over 20 tracks from heavy-hitting 80s and 90s artists, including the likes of Joy Division, The Cure, and Iggy Pop. To list them all would arguably be a spoiler, but I can attest to the developer's impeccable taste with each track effectively elevating the emotion of each scene to new heights.

That bodes well, because from a gameplay standpoint, Mixtape is remarkably simple. You're never pressing more than a couple of buttons at once with very little scope for error.

In fact, I found my Nintendo Switch 2's screen dimming from inactivity on a couple of occasions due to not pressing anything for minutes at a time.

When you are in control of Stacey, you're doing things like skating down verdant suburban lanes, dodging traffic and performing tricks, although there's no real incentive or reward for pulling them off. Skating sections are repeated a few times during the game's roughly four-hour runtime, but most chapters offer up a new mechanic that rarely outstays its welcome.

Highlights include spending an evening throwing toilet paper over a teacher's home, escaping from a frat party in a shopping cart, hitting home runs after dark and simulating a gross re-enactment of a first kiss. They're all stereotypical American antics you'd expect from a coming of age movie, but they all fit into the template of Mixtape's vibe perfectly.

While Mixtape's cast isn't huge, its three protagonists are fantastically realised by both their animation and voice actors. Dialogue is filled with cringey slang that the early Life is Strange games helped to make endearing, and helped to keep me locked in during the lengthier cutscenes.

Outside of its music direction, its art style is arguably one of this game's strongest points, too. The world of Mixtape is portrayed using bold autumnal colours with its characters animated at what appears to be a half framerate.

I was worried this would make the game feel sluggish to control, but that was far from the case. In fact, it actually provided a more filmic look and feel to the overall aesthetic.

Playing on the Nintendo Switch 2 exclusively in handheld mode, I never felt like I was getting a lesser experience with the game remaining performant throughout its runtime.

Mixtape is the ultimate vibe curator, portraying an exciting character plot that had me engaged from start to finish. While it doesn't tread new ground in its story beats, it elevates the experience by pairing those moments with thoughtfully curated music choices, making it an experience that has to be played with headphones.

Those looking to be challenged by its gameplay might find Mixtape lacking - I'd describe it more of a multimedia experience rather than an out-and-out video game. But regardless of what label you want to put on it, Mixtape is absolutely worth your time if you've got any sort of affection for the musical era it worships.

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2. Code provided by PR.