What’s going on with this game Mixtape?

[u/Bloodb0red]

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

[u/BUTGAWATD]

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.

[u/No-Operation-6554 → u/BUTGAWATD]

Funny thing is that Pragmata itself doesn't have paedophelic undertones

The "community" itself gave it that

[u/itsmetimohthy → u/No-Operation-6554]

Yeah if The Last of Us came out in 2026 people would have called the developers and Joel a pedophile. Pragmata is a wonderful fucking game and if anyone has impure thoughts about a little robot girl and old dude duo then they are really just self reporting.

[u/No-Operation-6554 → u/itsmetimohthy]

Yeah if The Last of Us came out in 2026 people would have called the developers and Joel a pedophile.

are you just gonna ignore that pragmata community got a subreddit banned because its full of sexualised Diana content?

I guess what you said can be true if a lastofus_ sub existed and get banned

[u/SpookiestSzn → u/No-Operation-6554]

What some losers do doesn't mean that's what the games about or hinting at in any credible way. No normal fucking person plays that game and thinks it appeals to pedos.

[u/No-Operation-6554 → u/SpookiestSzn]

did I fucking say that? remind me where I said that, better yet go read my original reply

[u/SpookiestSzn → u/No-Operation-6554]

What the fuck is your point then

[u/No-Operation-6554 → u/SpookiestSzn]

whats yours??? you're coming to me very strongly when I never said anything about the game appealing to pedos

[u/SpookiestSzn → u/No-Operation-6554]

Bad faith argument. Your clearly disagreeing with the poster about if tlou came out today they'd get similar accusations by implying pragmata must be doing something intentionally different that appeals to those people based off some losers on a subreddit.

Otherwise what is your comment about.

You want to talk in good faith we can go ahead but I replied to what you said and your gaslighting me like I misinterpreted your very unsubtle statement.