It took Johnny Galvatron and his small group of neophytes six years to make The Suave Escape, a musical narrative recreation that debuted in 2021. With Mixtape, the group has been engaged on it for about two years.
Annapurna Interactive printed the sport from Galvatron, a former star from the Australian band The Galvatrons, although it centered on a considerably cursed style of music video games. It did nicely sufficient for Annapurna, regardless of its current troubles, to publish Galvatron’s second recreation.
With Mixtape, Galvatron is again with a zany title that most likely nobody else would dare to make. I performed a 20-minute demo of the sport on the current Summer season Recreation Fest Play Days after which I interviewed Galvatron. The demo concerning the coming-of-age music recreation begins with a trio of youngsters on their final day collectively earlier than they separate and head off on their very own adventures after highschool.
They’re skateboarding down a mountain highway of their hometown, which they name “Massive Suck,” and should yell out “Automobile!” after they see an approaching automobile. To the tune of a Devo tune, they make it down the hill — an excellent portion of which you because the participant should information the skater to security. After which they cease on the predominant character’s home.
There’s a scene when two teenagers kiss and you need to take management of their tongues and ensure they’re appropriately mixing collectively. That half was hilarious, and made me really feel like I actually wanted to play the remainder of the sport. Of all of the video games I noticed at Summer season Recreation Fest, this was one of the pleasant.
It options music from Devo, Roxy Music, Lush, The Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Pleasure Division, the Treatment and plenty of extra. You get to play by means of a mixtape of recollections, set to the soundtrack of a era.
The sport will launch quickly on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X|S. It is going to be out there day one by means of Xbox Recreation Cross (Collection X|S, Home windows). Mixtape was a part of the Day of the Devs: Summer season Recreation Fest 2025 choice and was exhibited on the Tribeca Video games Pageant in New York.
Right here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
Johnny Galvatron: Mixtape is our second recreation as Beethoven and Dinosaur. We made Suave Escape, which was one other music recreation. Extra about performing music. We needed to do a recreation–mainly I simply needed to point out folks “That’s Good” by Devo, which is my favourite Devo tune. We began with the monitor checklist, to start with. I needed to have this actually good, deep lower mixtape, after which attempt to weave this narrative by means of the songs and the feelings of the songs. Attempt to use the medium, attempt to use gameplay to specific issues that I often categorical by means of video games, like betrayal or teenage freedom. It’s extra about utilizing the medium to attempt to evoke these sorts of emotions, quite than one thing that’s troublesome.
GamesBeat: One way or the other I believed there was one thing after Suave Escape.
Galvatron: Nope, simply this one. Spherical two. We’ve been engaged on this for 2 years, possibly a bit greater than two and a half.
GamesBeat: Suave was longer, proper?
Galvatron: Suave was like six years. I had no thought what I used to be doing. I’d by no means made a recreation earlier than. Nobody on the group had made a recreation earlier than. Annapurna held our palms the entire manner and allow us to get the sport completed, get it to an area the place we beloved it. Massive because of Annapurna.
GamesBeat: After I first noticed it I believed it appeared like Life is Unusual. However then you definitely see the motion, and it’s very completely different. How did you provide you with that type of type?
Galvatron: With a triple-A recreation you can begin with a clean slate and construct up what your artwork type goes to be. In indie dev, when you could have a small, devoted group of simply 4 or 5 artists, you begin with them. They type the core rules, and then you definitely begin to construct. It’s necessary with narrative video games, story-based video games, that you simply perceive the sum of the components. How the music goes to work, how the cinematography goes to work, the gameplay. You’ll be able to deliver the artwork type to take a seat in that. You’ll be able to lower it like a diamond going right into a becoming. That’s the artwork type you ought to be aiming for. Begin along with your group, construct on what they’re good at, after which finesse it into one thing that helps the story. It’s type of golden and nostalgic. I feel it’s very fairly.
GamesBeat: Have been there any explicit inspirations for it?
Galvatron: Clearly the music, to start with. Numerous motion pictures, like Wayne’s World and Dazed and Confused. Numerous hangout motion pictures. I needed to not solely present these nice moments of the teenage expertise, but in addition the idleness. Gamers name it “The Massive Suck.” If you may get simply the hanging out proper, if you may get the pacing of that to really feel good, then I feel that’s a giant a part of getting the sport proper.
If I may draw any comparability in video games, it could be What Stays of Edith Finch. One thing that was like a collection of vignettes. And you’ll go all the best way to the opposite aspect with Wario Ware, the place you could have a group of small video games. However I don’t know if I’ve a direct comparability.
GamesBeat: You didn’t have as darkish a imaginative and prescient for this one.
Galvatron: No. I like making video games which can be hopeful, which can be sort and candy. Hopefully we will get that throughout.
GamesBeat: What sort of reactions have you ever seen to it?
Galvatron: It’s been ridiculous right this moment. Individuals have actually beloved the demo. It’s a very tight demo. I felt good about it coming in. It’s been superb to see folks play it, to see them do a horrible kiss. That’s been hilarious to observe. It’s been nice.
GamesBeat: It’s three or 4 hours, the complete expertise?
Galvatron: The playthroughs we’ve been doing, for those who go round and take a look at every part, it’s about 5 hours.
GamesBeat: How did you discover a story to inform in that point window? There aren’t that many video games which can be simply 4 or 5 hours. Perhaps Journey?
Galvatron: To me that’s one of many greats of all time. I feel it’s about beginning with music. Since you’re taking a look at it extra of a musical sense, pacing it in additional of a musical sense, you may have these stretches. You’ll be able to have this time of idleness, which is difficult to get proper, however I feel now we have gotten it proper in Mixtape. We might draw the narrative beats from the mixtape. We might swap them round. Generally we’d have this little bit of the sport right here. Then we’d strive altering the mixtape. All of these emotional beats, getting that in the precise order and paced nicely. The story was at all times continuously shifting. It could be like for those who had been making a mixtape.
GamesBeat: How did you choose the music? Have been you in a position to get a license for every part you needed?
Galvatron: It’s all simply music I like. I obtained each tune I requested for. There have been some that I simply didn’t hassle asking for, although. I didn’t hassle asking for Pink Floyd. I wasn’t going to get “Want You Have been Right here.”
GamesBeat: However your style in music was what it match to. You weren’t on the lookout for the preferred stuff.
Galvatron: No. You don’t compromise on what your musical style is. Generally we might look and resolve that we wanted a unique tune for a sure emotional beat, however more often than not it was simply the best hits of my playlist.
GamesBeat: Did you consider making an attempt any new songs, unique songs?
Galvatron: We thought of it, however I beloved that the character, Stacy Rockford, the protagonist, is so caught up within the music. She talks concerning the music, when it was recorded, and it’s virtually–she’s like a VH1 presenter generally. I needed to have that historical past there for it to be real, to have that real musical love and connection by means of utilizing actual songs. Not at all times, however generally it may be off-putting to have made-up acts.
GamesBeat: Is there something specifically that Annapurna helped you with this time round?
Galvatron: There’s at all times joys in being with Annapurna, the alternatives they provide you. Look, that’s my recreation up there. That’s loopy. Going to Summer season Video games Fest and Day of the Devs. They at all times give me notes. There’s outdated and new Annapurna, and clearly they’ve unbelievable groups. I’ve mentioned this about Annapurna earlier than, however it’s like this little library of individuals you may try. You want a technical particular person to come back enable you, otherwise you want somebody who is aware of financing to come back enable you. You probably have an issue with character artwork there’s another person you may discuss to. They’ve been implausible for us. They’re the one folks we’ve made video games with.
GamesBeat: What was the pitch like for this one? Earlier than you had something to point out, what had been you in a position to talk to persuade anyone?
Galvatron: We had some good esteem there after Suave Escape. Suave Escape had completed nicely. We rapidly put collectively what we name a horizontal slice, which was the entire recreation with me doing all the voices. Generally it could simply say what was going to occur. Generally it could simply be essentially the most fundamental skateboarding downhill, simply to get the vibe proper. It was an fascinating pitch, the horizontal slice. It was like an animatic storyboard, virtually.
GamesBeat: It’s so uncommon that I simply surprise how somebody would get it.
Galvatron: Earlier than they play it?
GamesBeat: “That is what we intend to do.” “Wait a minute, I don’t get it. There’s by no means been a recreation like this.”
Galvatron: Effectively, thanks. Please write that.
GamesBeat: What made you decide on the skateboarding scene as the start of the sport?
Galvatron: I’ll inform you a reference at first. The reference at first, after they’re strolling towards the digicam, strolling sideways and stuff, that opening cinematic? That’s positively a tough reference to the top credit of Buckaroo Banzai, the Peter Weller film from the ‘80s. That’s my first reference.
I just do love having a little bit window of time in video games to introduce the participant to the world in a really informal manner, to allow them to expertise it. There are some video games that do that basically nicely. The one which involves thoughts is Arkham Asylum. You simply have this gradual stroll at first as they’re taking the Joker in and also you meet all of the completely different characters. I like a little bit introduction like that. I simply needed folks to take heed to Devo and cruise into the world, get that vibe.
GamesBeat: I’m sufficiently old to have found what CDs had been for the primary time. I made mixtapes. That resonated with me. That these songs are you.
Galvatron: Additionally, whenever you’re 17, how a lot you outline your self and different folks by the music they like. It appears so necessary on the time.
GamesBeat: Do you are feeling like video games and music is your specialty now? The music recreation area, or music-related.
Galvatron: We’ve made two video games they usually’re each fairly musical video games, I’ll offer you that. I toured lots once I was younger man, toured the world. I hated it. Hated touring. I preferred the music side. The factor concerning the music I preferred essentially the most is being within the studio. That’s what making a recreation is like. I like being locked away round all of the analog gear. Now it’s digital. However that’s the expertise I like. I assume there’s a homebody to many artists and to many recreation builders. I positively match that class.
GamesBeat: How huge did your group develop to over this undertaking?
Galvatron: It was 12 folks.
GamesBeat: That’s a query everybody has right this moment. How will you make a recreation with a small variety of folks? We’re getting a bunch of video games arising which can be astoundingly made by small teams.
Galvatron: It feels very very similar to when music studios got here out of those $200,000 desks, to out of the blue all being on your private home pc. You get new genres popping up, new artists popping up because the medium is democratized. You’ll see that increasingly more with video games. You’ll see that extra with AI. You’ll see new concepts popping out. You’ll see a greater diversity of tales that preserve rising, which is why it’s such an thrilling area to be in.
GamesBeat: Did AI enable you in any manner with this?
Galvatron: No. By no means say by no means, however I really feel like–we work with loads of conventional artists. I don’t really feel nice about AI. However I’m no professional.
GamesBeat: What do you are feeling has been completely different about launching this undertaking versus your final one?
Galvatron: The sport itself is much more marketable than Suave Escape. Suave Escape was this bizarre side-scroller. Perhaps some individuals are turned off by that originally. We’ve had much more engagement on Mixtape. It’s turn out to be much more common, and extra rapidly, than Suave Escape.
GamesBeat: I solely obtained to see 20 minutes right here. What else do you suppose goes to attraction to folks about the remainder of the sport? With out completely spoiling something.
Galvatron: What I get pleasure from in video games lots is selection. I feel there’s some nice selection within the recreation – the music, the moments, the mini-games. There’s a very good stage the place you toilet-paper a home. I feel individuals are going to love that stage.
GamesBeat: Are you involved a couple of type of Ferris Bueller impact, the place they get extra completed in 24 hours than anyone may usually do in a 12 months?
Galvatron: Completely! It’s extra dreamy than Ferris Bueller. Ferris Bueller presents itself as caught in actuality, whereas I feel that is extra of a music video. You’ll be able to bend the foundations of time and area a little bit. Hopefully we don’t Ferris Bueller it fairly past that.
