Wax Heads is one of those games that you just know instantly is going to be cool. From the bold, sticker-inspired visuals to a soundtrack that brings together indie, punk, grunge and more, it sucked me in and made me wish I was cool enough to hang out in this record store all day.
The record store in question, Repeater Records, is an environment that feels incredibly real despite the hyper stylised visuals. From underperforming records with big “discount” stickers on them to the thoughtfully arranged shelves that take you through a band’s entire timeline, it’s clearly a store that’s run by passionate people.
You join the game as a newly recruited employee, and you’re soon introduced to the boss. She’s the former lead of Becoming Violet, a super popular band that had hit albums, tours and even a movie. Unfortunately some widely-publicised internal struggles led to the band breaking up, and she eventually opened up Repeater Records, servicing the vinyl-loving local denizens, hooking them up with the records they both want and need.
That’s how you spend your time working: ensuring you’re selling the right records to the right people. The screen is split into two sections: the left focuses on the counter and till, while the right displays your current view of the shop. You can navigate around the shop with the d-pad, choosing to look at a particular section in more detail so you can look at specific records. Clicking on a record then allows you to read the jacket, check for inserts or take a look at the vinyl itself. It’s a lovely system that grounds you in the store and makes the process of selling feel much more tactile than it could have been.
Customers come in with particular requests that you’ll need to service. Your first encounter introduces you to a character who describes themselves as the biggest Mimi superfan (Mimi being an in-game pop singer), and she’s after the new album so you’ll need to look around the shop, find the right album and then ring it up through the till. Putting it through the till is a simple process, not much more than a few clicks, but you get the opportunity to add emojis to the receipt to personalise the experience for the buyer. Once you’ve handed over their new record they’ll react and you’ll get an idea if you did well or not.
It’s a simple premise but quickly got trickier. Some requests are quite abstract, and I’d often try to think outside of the box which worked occasionally but often left the customer feeling confused. Some customers will come in asking for something from a specific band, so you’ll just need to locate the right record, whereas others might come in with a vague idea of a record jacket they’ve seen previously and you’ll need to decipher their description to find the right one.
The narrative backdrop to all this is a classic tale of David vs. Goliath with you and your motley crew of record peddlers trying to fight back against the “man” trying to buy your shop. I was quite surprised the game was set in England, it wasn’t 100% clear at first but towards the end of the demo you go to a gig in The Apple Bed, a local pub to watch one of your co-workers play a gig. It’s all complimented by a really fun visual style where the characters look like stickers that have been slapped onto backdrops of the store. The developer describes the style as “cosypunk” which I think is very apt, as it’s undeniably warm and lovely but with a little bit of edge you don’t get from most cosy games.
As Wax Heads is set in a record store it only makes sense that the soundtrack is central to the experience too. I already know it’s going on my YouTube Music playlist the moment it’s available, and the tracks I’ve heard so far reflect the wide range of genres that Repeater Records stock. From the minute the main menu loads up you’re hit with grunge-infused, slightly sad indie guitars, and I knew it was a game for me. I’m looking forward to playing the full game and digging into the full library of tracks.
The Wax Heads demo left me wanting to learn more. More about the reclusive proprietor of Repeater Records, more about my diverse group of co-workers, and more about the sad series of events that have led towards a hostile takeover of the shop. Being able to experience this while enjoying the challenge of matching customers to records and listening to cool music has firmly put Wax Heads on my radar.
Wax Heads is coming to PC via Steam.
