by Danreb VictorioWhen games are centered on their music, it becomes easier to tell whether you’ll resonate with the experience. Recent hits like Mixtape and Wax Heads did an outstanding job scratching specific itches, and Mr. Records looks to be cut from the same cloth with a diverse soundtrack and simplistic, but more than functional, gameplay.
In Mr. Records, you take on the role of an older-looking man who runs a record store on the bottom floor of the building he lives in. He loves music, especially older songs, and whenever he plays a record, he envisions a different world with its own trials and tribulations in every song. In this demo, and we’re assuming the entire game, you play through levels that are the amalgamation of his imagination for every song he listens to, in addition to making recommendations for his patrons in the music store downstairs.
As far as each level in the game goes, at its core, the game is a rhythmic infinite runner. The protagonist will always be running, but it’ll be all up to you to jump, kick, slide, and all sorts of other things in rhythm as he makes his way to the end of the level at the conclusion of each song. At the end, you’ll be given a star rating, unlock a harder take on that level, and go about your day.
You can play more music, or if it’s at the start of the day, you’ll have to manage the record store. It’s pretty simple. People will come in, they’ll talk about what they want, and at times it’ll be more difficult than knowing what each album cover looks like or what music they like. There was one situation where a patron asked for a record with black-and-white art, only for me to give him the only one I knew about and still be wrong, so you’ll definitely have to be attentive to the details. If you make the incorrect recommendation, the customer will leave early, and you will make no money. At least in the demo, money is used to purchase more music, which means more levels to play.
The levels are wonderfully paced. The first song, as an example, is designed for you to get an understanding of the timing as you’ll just be jumping over gaps and attacking enemies when necessary. During the first few levels, you’ll actually see the point at which you’re supposed to press a button, and it’ll get more complicated along the way. I already mentioned sliding, which the protagonist will do whenever there’s a slope, but sooner or later, the game will definitely throw some different twists at you, while keeping the gameplay the same. Sometimes enemies will be in mid-air or right when you land, so you have to time your button presses that way. In later levels, the screen itself will start to twist, but you have to keep in mind that since you aren’t in control of any directional movement, you just need to focus on the buttons to press… which is easier said than done when you’re just head-bobbing your way through the indie funk, rap, pop, and other songs that play to your adventures.
It goes without saying this is a game you’ll need to play with headphones on.
Thanks to the marketing team giving us our own demo to play, I’ve been able to play at my leisure, and I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve played the game on Steam Deck. It’s shaping up to be a game that I can enjoy anytime, anywhere. Whether it’s after work or whether I’m on a flight, Mr. Records looks to be old reliable. The game is set to release in early 2027. Only a PC release is confirmed for now, but we totally expect a console release somewhere along the horizon.
Mr. Records
