"Mr. Records" Has a Groovy Demo! (Impressions)
This demo has me singing its praises!
After coming home from Summer Game Fest earlier this year, I found myself both content and regretful about several aspects of the event. While I absolutely loved attending SGF for the first time, one thing I wish I did was try even more games! Yeah, I had plenty of appointments throughout the weekend, but there were a couple gaps of time where I could have probably fit in a few more indie games. One of those games was Mr. Records, a game I did not expect to be as popular as it was amongst my peers at SGF. Now that the demo is public, I figured this week's post would be a great time to talk about it.
Normally I talk about games that I have tried for the first time to deliver my impressions, but the truth is that I participated in a playtest for this game a while back, so instead I'll be talking about my replay of the demo now that it's live!
As the name would suggest, Mr. Records is about music. The main character, George, is able to immerse himself into the world of any song he listens to, with the bulk of the gameplay being rhythm-based platforming. The demo has 7 total levels to run through, and I am not exaggerating when I say each one is bursting with personality! From the bright colors to the cartoony style, this game was a delight to jam through. There were a couple times where I almost missed a beat because I was enamored with the visual style and looking around each level!
A side note that I really appreciate is that all the music in this game is original. In an age of AI being thrown into everything, it's refreshing to see a game like Mr. Records have original music spanning multiple genres. I'm someone that listens to video game music almost daily when working, so to listen to a soundtrack that blurs the line between video game music and traditional music is wonderful. In other words, I feel like I can play these tracks for my family and they wouldn't suspect it's from a game!
The other half of the gameplay is a soft management sim, where you run a record shop. Every time you listen to a record and complete the level, you are able to sell that song in your store. While there is a base price for just completing a level, the game incentivizes you to try completing levels on hard mode as that makes the song sell for a little more money in the store.
In the store, you gradually gain customers with their own stories and reasons for enjoying music. From an older woman secretly interested in George to a kid trying to impress a girl he likes, all the customers are entertaining to talk with. To make money in the record shop, you have to pay attention to the stories of these characters and recommend the right song for them. This will then give you the money to buy more music to jump into, and the cycle continues like a record on a record player.
Despite having played this demo twice now, Mr. Records is an absolutely delightful game worth playing. If you haven't already, I recommend jumping into the demo on Steam and checking out the tracks available. The music is fantastic, and the characters are fun to get to know so far. Now that it's confirmed to be coming to all major platforms, this will be a game worth trying for everyone! I truly can't wait to explore the rest of the songs available in the full game.
If you do end up trying the demo, let me know your favorite song! Mine is a certain spooky one that you encounter later in the demo.