- Primary Subject: Narrative Adventure & Walking Simulator Genre
- Key Update: The article defends narrative-focused "walking simulators," arguing that light interactivity and cinematic storytelling deepen player immersion rather than compromising game design.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: October 28, 2026
- Quick Answer: Walking simulators and interactive narrative games enhance immersion by utilizing gameplay mechanics to deepen story connection, proving cinematic experiences belong in modern video gaming.
Recently I’ve gotten around to playing Annapurna Interactive’s latest walking simulator: Mixtape. A game that uses the power of music to convey emotional moments in a story about growing pains, something of an homage to 80s and 90s like The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off Bueller's Day Off.
To me, hearing a coming-of-age story developed by Annapurna Interactive was enough to convince me to buy on day one, but I was in the minority. People hated on Mixtape as soon as it came out, calling it cheesy and nothing but a walking simulator; some even claimed it was a video game scam.
After finishing the game, I can say that it is anything but a scam, and this is just the effect of the internet echo chamber. Because in truth, some games are just meant to be interactive movies, and that’s completely fine.
For the longest time, I believe that the video game industry has toed the line between video games and movies. First we had Super Mario, then Legend of Zelda, and then The Last of Us - with decades in-between, of course.
In any case, every title that I mentioned has since gone on to be media franchises that either turn into a movie or TV shows (of varying degrees of success). It just goes to show that as we get further into game development, the line that separates video games from movies is getting more and more blurred in the sand. While that might be scary for some, I believe it is a firm step in the right direction.
A movie is probably the biggest and easiest way to reach a large audience, offering spectacle that you can enjoy almost anywhere these days because of your phone. We all know how big of a second and third wind the new Cyberpunk Edgerunners anime seasons gave Cyberpunk 2077. Contrast this with video games, which are still a bit of a niche medium. It can be hard for a good video game to break into the mainstream, but when they do, they are inexplicably fun. So now, what happens if we bring the two together? You may disagree with me on this as much as you want, but it’s obvious that blending games and movies is the future.
Going back to Annapurna Interactive and the genre of walking simulators, I think the genre gets a bad rap because of the name. On Steam and any other gaming forum, “walking simulators” are video games that put more emphasis on story and cinematics rather than gameplay, but I feel that the genre has gotten more blurred since more video games have been released. While there are a multitude of “walking simulators” that literally just make you walk through the story, there are also other games that have been roped into the genre that make use of more than just walking.
Instead, they’re interactive moments that, although they don’t really change the story in any significant way, use gameplay to enhance cinematic experiences.
Taking Mixtape, for example, there was one chapter in the game where it was trying to convey the feeling of being free in the outdoors with the world as your oyster. To emphasize this feeling of freedom, the developers transformed the section from a quiet trek in the woods to an interactive scene where you fly through the forest with the wind beneath your wings and the company of your friends. Admittedly, this wasn’t a groundbreaking innovation in the world of video games, but it achieved what it set out to do: to enhance the story experience by blending gameplay and story.
As more games get released, I hope that gamers and developers open their eyes to what a narrative-focused game could be. Interaction is the key to immersion and enjoyment, and the more interactive a narrative-focused game is, the more enjoyment a player could get from the experience. Mixtape is no different from beloved games like Dispatch and Detroit: Become Human; the only difference is the subject matter. Because well-written games don’t always have to be a walking simulator.
Conversely, I also want developers and publishers alike to realise that there are movies that have more to gain by being more like video games than the other way around. Recently, as showcased by the Wolverine game flopping, it seems that video games are being made with the final goal of eventually landing a movie or TV series deal. In my head, I think that movies could achieve so much more depth if made with the interactivity of video games in mind. It may not be perfect, but if the industry moves forward with this “games first” mindset, we could be looking at a video game renaissance.
Either that, or I’m just tired of seeing walking simulator slander from people who haven’t even played it.
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