Mixtape Massacre – [ REVIEW ]

When we first heard about Bright Light Media’s board game – Mixtape Massacre – we were pretty much floored. The idea of taking the slasher movie genre and turning into a tabletop game sounded incredible to us, even more so when we discovered all the kick-ass extras that make up the game. Now, I’ll put this out there right now because it’s important: We love a good board game. That being said, we mainly hover around games like Cranium or those with a pop culture theme like The Walking Dead Monopoly. We’ve never really gotten into other game types like D&D and Settlers of Catan, so Mixtape Massacre’s unique game design provided us a super fun challenge that we were happy to take on.

The layout of the game is killer. Literally. First of all, forget normal player tokens because the game uses twisted and delightful “versions” of all of the maniacs you love to fear. Pennywise, Hannibal Lecter, Pinhead and others are there for your choosing to start the game. The scene is set in the small town of Tall Oaks. You’ll see plenty of nods to the familiar settings of the genre that the game pay it’s respects to with locations named Tall Oaks motel, hospital, high school and more.

As the one of the town’s bloodthirsty menaces, you’ll traverse all around Tall Oaks’ streets, buildings and outdoor areas looking for victims to silence. Encountering the victims is just one of the fun experiences you get with the game. There are also opportunities to take out the competition in deadly “brawls” as well. To win the game, you need to beat the other baddies in town as the first with 10 Victim Souvenirs (which is sick in the best way possible) or be the last one alive.

The dedication of the Bright Light Media team to create a clever and well thought out game like Mixtape Massacre shows through every inch. From the game’s Killer Scenes, Dude cards (with bloody VHS artwork) to the Knife Player Stations (also bloody) that hold your game player token, every chance to place the players into a foreboding night in Tall Oaks is taken.

As I mentioned before, we’re noobs when it comes to this type of board game, which is the reason the first round of play was quite lengthy and had numerous stops and discussions. The game has A LOT of details, rules, sub-rules, and circumstances that require a heavy focus. That’s not to say that they are without their merit though. The creators wanted to immerse players in this world and it’s with these details that they should consider their mission accomplished. One of our players noted that it would’ve been nice to have a little “cheat sheet” of sorts on the player’s Killer Profile Board, just as a quick reference to some of the actions. Another element of discussion were the “character brawls” which are super fun when they occur, but are a little too detailed in explanation in my opinion.

Our group really enjoyed the game, the experience and look forward to playing it more. I have no doubt that those who play games like these on a regular basis will pick up the game way faster than we did. If you’re a board gamer like us on the other hand, put those fears aside and try Mixtape Massacre. It really is a game to die for (had to, sorry) and worth picking up. Due to a successful Kickstarter that led to an awesome sellout first-run, pre-orders of the game are now being accepted and will ship in May. Plus, an expansion pack is scheduled to drop on May 16th called The Black Masque!

Check out the new promo they put out that feature fun reviews from other board gamers – you might see a familiar name in there. See you in Tall Oaks…