If you love slashers, 1980s pop culture nostalgia, and board games, Mixtape Massacre (available here) is for you. The series began with a Kickstarter campaign that collected over $26,000 back in 2015 to fund the first board game. Five years later, after another successful campaign, Mixtape Massacre: Escape from Tall Oaks was confirmed. In the near future, as in sometime in early 2022, the latest installment of the game, the Director’s Cut, will be shipped out to Kickstarter supporters. We love to see successful indie efforts. This article will focus on Escape from Tall Oaks.
Introduction to Mixtape Massacre
With a minimum estimated playtime of 45 minutes, the game isn’t too long, and it is pretty easy to pick up. The rules are straightforward enough, though the rulebook can be a bit intimidating at 13 large, information-packed pages. Essentially, you and one to five others play as teenagers trying to survive the onslaught of three killers. Each teenager has their own special ability, such as Derrick with his extra Defense point on every roll. You move across the board with two standard six-sided dice, but the outcomes of your turns are decided by three action dice. The goal, at first, is to collect Scene Markers/Rescue Tokens, which will allow you to try to complete Tasks once you have five of them. Watch out for attacks on your health and the level of the noise meter, though! When the noise meter is full, the active player must face off with the killer. If you are lucky enough to complete all your objectives, you have a chance of escaping. But only one teenager can get out of Tall Oaks. All, however, can die. It’s difficult to lay out all the aspects of the game in one paragraph, but that’s the gist of it. As with most board games, forgetting a rule here or there won’t destroy the experience.
Gameplay Mechanics and Objectives
The gameplay itself is smooth. It is particularly interesting that, for most of the game, everyone works together to keep the noise down, rescue survivors, and kill the slashers. But once the escape route appears . . . all that camaraderie is out the window. There’s also an option to get into “Scuffles” when two players land on the same space, though, which results in the losing player losing health and giving one Rescue Token to the winner. If you’re feeling nasty and competitive, this is a good way to burn some in-game bridges.
Nostalgic ‘80s Aesthetic
As expected in a game inspired by ‘80s slasher flicks, there are plenty of nods to the genre and its tropes. Each Killer Scenes, Dude card reveals the event that happens in your character’s location. They are usually either calls to attempt rescues or cards that immediately summon the killer. Some great rescue scenes include “Time to Chop the Salad!” featuring killer plants, “Put that Damn Thing Away!” with a Ouija Board, and “Why Are You Running towards the Woods?” which is pretty self-explanatory. One of my favorites is a reference to Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) on one card that shows a clawed hand reaching out of a bathtub.
The aesthetic of Mixtape Massacre: Escape from Tall Oaks is delightful. The backs of the various cards show relics from the ‘80s. There are VHS tapes with the bright green HORROR sticker on them, cassette tapes, and marble notebooks. The Final Scenes, Dude cards have a video rental sticker on them as well. Instead of “Be Kind and Rewind,” they read, “Rewind or Die!” The Scene Markers/Rescue Tokens are also great, with images of Rubik’s Cubes, red-and-blue 3D glasses, red plastic cups, and roller skates. Of course, there’s a splatter of blood across most items too.
Final Thoughts
There are currently two base games of Mixtape Massacre, and the boards can be combined to make a larger map. Additionally, there are four expansion packs, and, as stated in the first paragraph, the preorder for the Director’s Cut will be coming to Kickstarter supporters soon. There are enough twists to keep the replay factor high, and playing with different groups of people is always amusing. Horror junkies and scaredy cats alike can enjoy Mixtape Massacre. I thoroughly enjoy the game, and I’m looking forward to playing the expansions as they come. Have you played Mixtape Massacre or its sequel? Did you back the Director’s Cut? Let me know your thoughts in the comments.