A cosy-punk slice-of-life narrative sim about managing 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 – all to restore the groove!
But that makes giving an opinion on Wax Heads a bit difficult, because clearly, it had effective messaging overall. It got through to me on some level. I think its approach to retail is really creative. It’s full of likeable characters. It’s just the narrative is trite and idealistic to the point of being saccharine. And that was enough to turn me off...
My brief career as a record store assistant turned out to be an incredibly pleasant surprise. From the cast of characters with all their quirks and flaws, to the well-written story, the wonderfully captured atmosphere, and the surprisingly challenging task of figuring out which vinyl record would suit which customer best, Wax Heads gets a lot of things...
Wax Heads is a gorgeous, short, beautiful game built around a simple and cozy gameplay loop. It captures the spirit of your local record shop and uses its cast of colorful characters to tell a confined, low-stakes story that will stay with you regardless. It’s a perfect game for those looking for a small, comfortable narrative experience, and the price...
Wax Heads is a memorable and emotionally satisfying experience. The pace slows down sometimes, and the game's systems don't always have real-world effects, but the atmosphere, characters, music, and authenticity always make the experience better. Repeater Records feels less like a made-up place and more like a real place you spent time in by the end...
Wax Heads offers a short experience, which can be completed in around 5 hours of gameplay, but it ends up feeling a bit longer than that. A slow narrative that never really gets going, combined with gameplay that revolves around a great idea but is executed in such a simplistic way, is what makes it difficult to recommend this game to anyone.