Music is a gateway to whole new worlds. It can be relatable, insightful, shocking, or inspiring. In Wax Heads, it’s a means to connect with an audience, and bridge the barrier between strangers.
This upcoming record store sim, which now has a demo available via Steam, brims with cosy good vibes, and a pure understanding that to be punk is to be kind. Music connects us all, and in this game, you’ll experience this first-hand as a clerk in a record store.
Wax Heads begins with a brief introduction to a mysterious punk band and their leader, who seemingly vanished from the public eye after a major band split. Only – she hasn’t vanished at all. You’re a staffer at her dedicated record store, where she continues to spread the gospel of punk to awaiting customers.
It’s your job to learn more about these customers and their desires, and determine what music can do for them. Across the game’s demo, you meet an array of strangers, young and old, and everything in between. They all have special requests and desires, and you must analyse these carefully to work out exactly what music will suit them.
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It’s a lovely process. Standing at your till, you’ll get little clues about your customer’s wishes, and must then understand these desires as you explore your record store, and pick out exactly which music they’re after. Some customers have exact needs – they want a newly-released album from a specific singer, or a record with a note on it – while others will desire something more esoteric.
The degree of interpretation required for a successful transaction varies wildly, adding in a flash of creativity to your choices. While there is a mostly “correct” choice, it’s up to you and your judgement to determine the delivery of music, like medicine.
One particularly novel transaction in the game’s demo revolves around a young girl who really, really wants to buy an album from a particularly edgy band. But reading into the album’s description, you discover it might be a bit too edgy, and she’d be better off with an earlier record from the band, to ease her into a life of punk-rock.
“Mascot Dad” is another delightful guest of the record store. He’s seemingly stuck in his costume, so his desires are interpreted through his rambunctious daughter. She provides vague hints, but leaves plenty to interpretation – so you must think carefully about how to approach the transaction. Would he like something pleasant and chill? Is he looking for the new Mimi record? Is something more abstract desired?
Wax Heads well-replicates that feeling of indecision as you hover over the JB Hi-Fi music racks, juggling your choices in your hands. With funny little snippets of dialogue accompanying this indecision, it adds in a lovely dose of humour along the way. Meanwhile, in the background, tales of mystery and punkdom unfold.
The whole game is wrapped up in a lovely, cartoonish art style that feels reminiscent of Bryan Lee O’Malley and his work on Scott Pilgrim. It’s all vivid pops of colour, expressive faces, and psychedelia-inspired scenery.
While the demo for Wax Heads is relatively short, and reveals only a slice of the cosy gameplay to come, it’s compelling as a work of art, and a love letter to music as personal identity. The full game is shaping up to a lovely, charming slice-of-life sim, and one that understands the transformative world of music well.
Wax Heads will be available to play at SXSW Sydney 2024, or you can check out an early demo on Steam.
