This Mixtape Comes With 30 PC Games On A Cassette-Shaped Flash Drive

If you enjoy finding and playing hidden gems, Super Rare Games' Mixtape series should be on your radar. Super Rare Games Mixtape Vol. 2 comes with 30 indie games, all of which have been loaded onto a nifty cassette-shaped USB stick. It will be available to order on February 24, but quantities are limited to 2,000. Volume 1 sold out in five hours when it released last summer, so Volume 2 will probably sell out pretty darn quick.

Even if you follow the indie game scene, it's unlikely that you've heard of many (or any) of the games found on Super Rare Mixtape. That's kind of the point, though. Just like when you received a mixtape with music on it well before the existence of Spotify, you're in for a myriad of surprises.

I plugged in the cassette-tape drive to my PC the other day and was greeted by an easy-to-use custom launcher and a list of games that I honestly wasn't familiar with, which was quite exciting. Many of the games on the Mixtape are bite-sized experiences that are great for pick-up-and-play sessions. Play one game for 10 or 15 minutes, and then jump to another.

While I haven't tried all of the games yet, I've already found a handful of really neat titles. For instance, Franchise Wars pays homage to isometric turn-based strategy games such as Advance Wars for the GBA. While strategy games can sometimes suck up dozens of hours of your time, Franchise Wars can be completed in a couple of hours, but it has enough depth to encourage subsequent runs. Meanwhile, Tailspin is one of the most charming and well-designed action-platformers I've played in a while, and Satryn is an absolutely chaotic twin-stick shooter that I've been trying to master.

In addition to offering an eclectic library of games across a wide variety of genres, Super Rare Games Mixtape Vol. 2 is a cool collectible. It comes in a nice box that's about the size of a Nintendo Switch game case. Behind the cassette tape--which is kept snug and secure via a piece of foam--there's a full-color manual with a page dedicated to each game. The USB drive also has some concept art and developer diaries, so you can find out what went into making the games.

Super Rare Games Mixtape Vol. 2 will be available to order this Friday for roughly $39.