Ready for a cozy-punk slice-of-life narrative sim about managing a struggling record store? Look no further than Wax Heads, an upcoming interactive fiction, 2D puzzle game from two-person team Patattie Games. I was able to play the demo for Wax Heads as part of the Wholesome Games Celebration on Steam, and as a 90s Seattle grunge baby I am obsessed with everything this title has to offer. 

Gameplay

The demo starts with your first day on the job at your local record store Repeater Records. But your job isn’t just to stand there and work the registers. See, Repeater Records caters to an eclectic batch of customers. Each with their own unique tastes but knowing what you want doesn’t always mean they know how to find it. So, it’s your job to help. 

From helping young and impressionable minds find the best entry Anarcho-punk record to helping band members get their hands on a copy of their own record, there is a lot more to working in a record store than just ringing up records. Listen closely to what the customer wants and use your superior record store knowledge to make the right selection. 

There is a little more to the gameplay than just talking to customers and examining the records in store. Your phone has a couple of different apps for you to gain some extra knowledge on what a customer might be looking for. You’ll also find mini games sprinkled throughout your day to day, such as helping your coworker Hank put together a flyer for his local band’s shows. 

Compelling Interactive Narrative

While most of your time in Wax Heads is spent running Repeater Records, there is a greater narrative at play here. A story of dreams, betrayal, and the struggles of running a record store in the modern era. Meet Morgan and Willow, two sisters that had once been on their way to musical stardom with their band Becoming Violet. Everything was going smoothly ’till Willow and another band member turned Willow’s producer split to chase solo-act fame.  

Turns out your new boss is the very same Morgan from Becoming Violet, and her sister is back in town and looking to purchase Repeater Records right from under her. Scandalous! And you only have 20 days to turn it around. It’s a compelling story about community and the underdog spirit. I mean who doesn’t want to help save their local record store?  

Graphics that would make Scott Pilgrim jealous

I was blown away by the hand-drawn, stylized graphics in Wax Heads. They reminded me of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s early 2000s Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. There was something nostalgic about the color palette that made it feel like a place I had been before. But each room goes deeper than art style. The walls of Repeater Records are covered in posters, stickers, and various knickknacks. The kind of general clutter you would expect in a record store, with some of the objects being interactive and adding a bit of point and click charm to each room. 

Official OST out when?

I loved the soundtrack included in the demo. From the dreamy indie pop background track to the optional songs available in the Suffering Jukebox app there is a lot of be in love with. It’s hard to pick a favorite track from the ones available, but there are a few that I want to add to my regular rotation.

 I hope we see more songs added to the Suffering Jukebox, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Wax Heads plus soundtrack bundle come release. 

Final Thoughts

If you can’t tell by now, I really enjoyed this demo. From the charming settings and quirky characters to approachable puzzles and wholesome underdog narrative, Wax Heads brings a lot to the table. I’m giving this demo a 5 out of 5 stars as the early look already delivers everything I could have wanted from a title like this.

Wax Heads is coming sometime next year to PC for Windows, Linux, and macOS through the Steam store. You can follow Patattie Games on Twitter or Steam for more information and future development updates.