u/12_oz_senkin

The monastery stands above the underground prison where, according to tradition, the Armenian king Tiridates III held Saint Gregory the Illuminator captive for 13 years before Gregory converted him to Christianity, traditionally dated to around 301.

Originally, in 642, Nerses III Tayetsi built a chapel above the dungeon where Gregory the Illuminator had been imprisoned.

For the last five years or so, I usually end up playing games one, two, sometimes three years after release, if not more. But yesterday a miracle happened, and I played Mixtape on launch day!

I had been waiting for it since the first trailer. The game set certain expectations, and it absolutely delivered. Genre wise, it is my favorite kind of “movie with barely any gameplay”, but the opening scene alone makes you feel like a young rebellious idiot with healthy knees again. Pure joy.

So far I have played about two hours out of what is probably four, and I am completely hooked. The pacing is pretty unusual. The game jumps rapidly between moments in the characters’ lives, shifts through time, and the main heroine keeps talking directly to the player. It feels fresh, the jokes land well, and I love the unserious tone with serious things underneath.

Mixtape feels like a playlist. Honestly, it is a playlist. The music carries every other part of the game the same way a skateboard carries you downhill. The directing is built around the soundtrack, the heroine’s personality is tied to it, and even the conflict revolves around music. The girl is about to leave her small hometown for New York to become a music supervisor, but to do that she has to leave her best friends behind.

This is a game about friendship. Stuff like that always gets to me, because half my friends are scattered around the world and I miss them, and Mixtape almost feels like it is saying: “It is going to be okay. There is still a lot ahead. Wanna go for a ride?”

Play it. The game costs way less than a real skateboard.

The year started off rough for him, the little guy had surgery, but he pulled through and now runs around like never before. Love his noble gray fur. He supports me and my wife even in the toughest moments, and we spoil him with scratches and treats. Pure bliss.