Among the booths showcasing big-budget games at Summer Game Fest’s Play Days event, a host of indie developers showed off their passion-fueled projects as a part of the Day of the Devs. One of the highlights from the show, Mr. Records from Glee-Cheese Studio, called this quaint area of the event home. We got a chance to try the demo of this oddly charming, trippy rhythm game featuring a balding man with a strangely defined backside.
In Mr. Records, you play as George, an older man with a love for vinyl records and a dream of running his own record shop. The demo begins on the eve of his store, Mr. Records ‘ grand opening. Gameplay is split into two main parts – a rhythm game not too dissimilar from Square Enix’s Theatrhythm series or the criminally underrated Elite Beat Agents, and a shop management-esque simulator. The latter being where most of the demo’s content focused.
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George has a unique talent that allows him to, upon hearing just a few notes from a song, create a world in his mind and then run through it to the beat of the record. As he runs along, you slide and jump through to the song’s ending bars. Original songs all performed by members of the Glee-Cheese crew, too. Getting through without any hiccups earns you a perfect score and unlocks a harder version of the same song, which, having played through a few, really ratcheted up the challenge even for just a demo.
Mr. Records demonstrates clear and enjoyable promise.
More important than unlocking a bigger challenge, the big perk of completing a song is that the record becomes available for sale in George’s shop, which is the other half of what Mr. Records looks to offer. During the day, while working in the shop, customers come in and ask for record recommendations, with cryptic hints that let you, as George, pick through the racks and find the best choice. Admittedly, in the demo, these hints are more like giant billboards with an arrow pointing at the correct choice and less something you need to decipher. That said, the idea is intriguing.
Picking the correct record rewards players with personal details about that customer as the game progresses, and you develop a better rapport. It’s reminiscent of the Coffee Talk series, but it remains to be seen if Mr. Records reaches that level of depth and personal connection.
The potential is there, though. In just a few interactions, it’s easy to root for a teenager trying to impress his crush while raising an eyebrow at a potential elderly love interest for our boy George.
The hand-drawn style and trippy visuals from Glee-Cheese Studio is an instant sell.
While the songs and stories are solid additions, the visuals are what really stand out. The hand-drawn style is similar to 2024’s The Plucky Squire, and there are levels that make you question if you’ve dropped acid.
Watching George jump around as geysers of mustard and ketchup shot skyward in the foreground, while giant hot dogs danced in the background during the Sausage song, left me enamored and confused, and, all in all, entertained. Every aspect of Mr. Records features this style of artwork, from the vinyl covers to George’s disheveled apartment and dusty storefront, resulting in a charm and quality all its own.
Mr. Records is still in active development for PC with no release date just yet, but developer Glee-Cheese Studio promises a narrative about music, memory, and life. Despite the short demo, they are well on their way to doing just that. It’s fun to see and try out the big new games from massive studios at events like Play Days, but finding something that you don’t expect and especially one that manages to surprise you, is an extra kind of special. Mr. Records feels like that special. However, it may just be that those dancing hot dogs talking.
Mr. Records does not currently have a release window.
