It seems like every time I head to Summer Game Fest, there are a couple of indie games that make an impression on me. I had a good idea that MR. RECORDS would be one of them when I booked it. A rhythm game where you sell vinyls? Sign me up. After sitting down and playing it last Monday, it stood out as a breath of fresh air amongst the chaos of the show. This one needs to be on your wishlist, and hopefully, your playlist once the soundtrack comes out.
MR. RECORDS involves the semi-retired George, a free spirit who doesn’t want to slow down and has opened a record store. George loves music and has a talent for recommending the best tunes. As fun as a straight-up simulator may have been, MR. RECORDS will have you exploring new music and engaging with the charming worlds each track takes you to.
See, George has a wild imagination. When you listen to each record, you’re transported to a new level based on the music. All of these are vibrant, with their own themes front and center. My favorite had to be The Sausage Blues (I’m pretty sure that was it), where a bunch of ketchup and mustard, along with their containers, littered the landscape. George’s subconscious is quite the ride, to be sure.
Every song lasts a few minutes, and as I progressed, the mechanics for each one continued to become more challenging. In the opening song, I was only jumping and sliding into enemies to dispose of them; in the second, I was sliding diagonally on slimy trails. When I got to the third and fourth songs after the first day in the shop ended, the gameplay started combining and getting tougher, all set to the rhythm of the music you were listening to. I like it for the same reason I enjoyed Hi-Fi Rush; it makes sense, and there’s a joy to playing it.
Glee-Cheese Studio has a lot to offer in both difficulty and music as well. Similar to certain mobile games I’ve played (like Angry Birds), there is a star system rating your performance. If you miss a beat/prompt, it can hurt your star rating. Eventually, if you fumble enough prompts, you’ll fail. The regular difficulty isn’t too strict and should allow most to complete each song. I’m very curious as to how arduous the hard mode will be, and the completionist in me wants to get every star possible.
The music from the studio may be the most impressive part of MR. RECORDS. There are more than forty songs coming to the game, and they span a large number of genres. The team has mentioned funk, progressive rock, hip-hop, electro, world music, and 80s pop as just a few of the styles they’re hitting, and that’s honestly ridiculous. As an amateur musician, it can be tough just to write a few songs in one genre. Every single song in this game is composed by Glee-Cheese, which is a tremendous accomplishment; they deserve a lot of praise for it, especially as the music has been so good in the several tracks I’ve heard.
Starting your workday at the record store was where things slowed down quite a bit. You go downstairs from George’s loft apartment and open the shop. A few customers came in, and to a degree, telegraphed what record they were looking for via clues in their speech. Both of the initial songs were on the docket, so I had both customers settled in just a few minutes. I’m curious as to how much more challenging this will get over the course of MR. RECORDS, but this section of the game doesn’t seem nearly as intricate or demanding as, say, Moonlighter. As excited as I was for selling vinyls, this part of the game is a tad uninvolved, at least at first.
As someone who loves music, MR. RECORDS hits every note for me. The rhythm game underneath the music is fun, and interacting with customers in the store is delightful, although not as engaging. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t have a set release window yet, but you can wishlist it now on Steam. The music may have faded since my demo, but my enthusiasm to play it again won’t for quite some time.
