Wax Heads is a cozy-punk narrative sim about working in a struggling record store. Chat to quirky customers with unique tastes, explore a handcrafted record collection, fall in love with bands (and their drama!), or just slack off with your colleagues – whatever gets everyone’s groove back!
Developed by: Patattie Games
Played on: Steam
Length: 13 hours
A review key was provided by Curve Games.
Music is a form of communication. It connects people, and it can also save and empower people. Every now and then, I’m sure we’ve given recommendations for artists and songs, sharing what we know or like. But people running record stores take that to another level. Wax Heads is just the game to show you how a record store keeper helps others find their music!
Developed by Patattie Games, and published by Curve Games, Wax Heads explores the day-to-day life of a record store keeper. You’re the newbie at Repeater Records, a cool yet humble record store somewhere in the UK, evident as they charge in ‘£’. At the store, you meet people from many walks of life, be they customer or colleague. The most interesting one, personally, is Morgan.
Morgan is the owner of Repeater Records and the former lead-singer of a former 80’s post-punk band. Before you begin, you get a snippet of her past and learn a little of the breaking up of her band. Where you come in is several years after. However, the drama never dies in music, and somehow you’re caught in it too now that you work here! This drama is the main story of the game. However, along the way, there’ll be beats which focuses on the other characters as well.
Rockin’ Art & Sick Tunes
From the get-go, the game greets you with really awesome art. It honestly looks like Scott Pilgrim might have been the artists’ favourite comic. Every scene, character or album cover you look at is distinct. There’s so much detail in the background you’ll be missing out if you don’t pay attention. The characters also have so much personality, and it’s amazing how much thought the artist put into them through their clothes and style. Even their tattoos reflect their personality. I’m telling you, the detail in the art is stellar!
On another note, a game about running a record store would, of course, have its own jukebox. Wax Heads features a great selection of original music. The music, the albums, and the bands are creations of Gina Loughlin, the game’s composer. One person creating all the songs with varying styles. While the bands themselves don’t exist, the music does, and you can check them out on Gina’s website!
Playing Music & The Game
Gameplay is really simple — just point and click. Okay, that’s not all. As a record store keeper, you have to help your customers find the albums they want. When you open up for the day, customers come in to ask you for help. They do so, in their many quirky ways, by giving descriptions of the albums they want. Some can be vague, others require you to really pay attention.
Once they describe their album, you have to go around the store reading each album description and select the one that matches said description. Sometimes, it’s staring you straight in the face with “NEW” or “SALE” on them. I recommend doing a quick read on each album before opening up to save time.
There’s also your trusty phone to help you select the right albums. Through your phone, you can access apps like ‘Phonogram’ or ‘Walking the Cow’ to keep up to date with music news. This really tests your attention and your info-gathering skills to make the right selection. Once you’ve made the selection, simply key in the entry, and proceed to check-out.
There’s even a measure of free reign as a shopkeep. I definitely intentionally sold the “wrong” albums to certain insufferable customers because they gave me the ick! Aside that, the game also has some other mini-games like poster making, and you can even purchase songs for the jukebox or decor to spoof up the store.
Sending A Message Through Music & Gaming
Wax Heads is loud and proud in presenting its sociopolitical stance, especially against the use of generative AI, neighbourhood gentrification, big corpo, and how it affects everyone’s lives. Scattered throughout the game are imagery which are pro-collective action and mutual aid, and it’s very telling in the album descriptions as well.
In the game, no one is discriminated against regardless of race and sexual orientation, and the store even has a ban list to kick out customers who are harassing others and being a nuisance. At the end of the day, everyone is just vibing and being nice to each other. Maybe being kind is the real punk rock (got to insert that Superman quote somewhere).
Verdict: A Rockin’ Good Time
Wax Heads is not just another store-operating simulator that makes you drone on day-to-day. The game has so much variety, charm, and character in it. The characters aren’t just faceless NPCs and bring so much quirkiness and life to the game. The music and art are gorgeous and have so much personality, and it’s personally my favourite aspect of the game. All in all, Wax Heads is certainly a must try for those who want to find an escape and solace through gaming and music in this tumultuous world of ours.
