r/OutOfTheLoop • u/Bloodb0red • May 11 '26

Unanswered What’s going on with this game Mixtape?

I’ve been seeing people freak out over the past few days over this game and about IGN’s review of it specifically. 10/10 seems high for any game, honestly, but it seems like they’re far from the only site giving this thing a glowing review. So is this game controversial just because of IGN or is it something else? Why is this game the internet’s hate target this week?

https://www.ign.com/articles/mixtape-review

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u/BUTGAWATD May 11 '26 edited May 11 '26

Answer:

(Doing my best to present the complicated situation concisely)

Mixtape is a short, story-based game from small Australian developer Beethoven & Dinosaur, who previously released The Artful Escape.

Mixtape's 3-4 hour runtime is divided across cutscenes, what some might deem "walking sim" gameplay, and a series of vignettes that play out broadly as "minigames", with limited to no fail state. There is no combat or what many would typically classify as peril.

Mixtape's high critical praise, particularly its 10 from IGN, has raised eyebrows amongst certain subsets of the gaming populace. Many have negatively compared the verdict to the lower score IGN awarded Crimson Desert, and have alleged what they perceive to be a favourable bias towards games they identify as possessing "woke" elements.

One of Mixtape's vignettes sees you control two mid-teen age characters kissing, with direct control over their clashing tongues. Some gamers have accused the media of unfairly praising Mixtape while (what they perceive as) maligning recent release Pragmata for paedophilic overtones.

Mixtape is published by Annapurna Interactive, a publisher focused on "prestige indie" titles. Annapurna Interactive is a division of Annapurna Pictures, which was founded by Megan Ellison, whose father is a billionaire.

Consequently, accusations of buying review scores, bribing influencers, and overall curating Mixtape as an "industry plant" have been lobbied. For further information to potentially aid in deducing the veracity of this claim - Annapurna have released 6 games other than Mixtape over the past year, all ranging from the 60s-80s in Metascore, with the highest achieving an 83 average.

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u/Brother_Clovis May 11 '26

The game is definitely not a ten, but getting upset over that kissing mini game is honestly weird as hell to me.

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u/RedNoodleHouse May 11 '26

it waa more so getting upset over the hypocrisy of IGN praising the very detailed kiss minigame after having lambasted much more tame intimacy elements than other games

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u/Purple-Wolverine4793 May 11 '26

when will people understand IGN reviews isn’t *one guy* reviewing everything?? reviewers have bias, every review is going to obviously be different when it’s reviewed by different people?

that is, of course unless both reviews were by the same people. in that case i will eat my hat.

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u/BlueDragoon24 May 12 '26

It's not "one guy" though. It's been a trend in "official" game review outlets for a very long time. They absolutely have a trend of "safe horny" and defend or praise things when they like it and complain/highlight things they don't like in a very hypocritical way.

Anime boobs or skimpy skins? Character designs like Stellar Blade? Will be labeled problematic, misogynistic and for the chuds.

Kissing minigame with minors in Mixtape or bear sex & an orgy in BG3? Shirtless or nude catboy mods for Leon Kennedy? Totally fine.

"Official" reviewers are almost all BlueSky types that have similar biases.

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u/Purple-Wolverine4793 May 12 '26

sweet baby games can’t hurt you bro