It’s no secret that I’m a sucker for a good rhythm game, so when MR. RECORDS was announced at Summer Game Fest earlier this year, it immediately shot up the list of my most anticipated games. After playing through a preview build of the new demo (multiple times I might add), I’m even more convinced that its joyful combination of rhythm-based platforming, funny writing and infectiously catchy music will hook me when it eventually releases.
Mr. Records
MR. RECORDS puts you into the dancing shoes of George: an elderly man who chases his dream of opening his own record store and can experience the dreams and memories of his customers through the conversations he has with them and the music he recommends them. By day, you’ll get to know members of the community as they visit your store, recommend records based on their stories and needs, and make money by selling them the right ones. By night, you’ll get to live out those conversations through vibrant and surreal musical platforming levels accompanied by an entirely original (and incredibly diverse) soundtrack.
Those platforming levels are the real star of the show: each one was delightful to play and there’s a shocking amount of diversity in the genres represented. Whether it’s modern pop or psychedelic rock; classic blues or progressive rock—the demo represented an eclectic and fun mix of musical genres. What makes each level even more memorable is the wacky art design and irreverent sense of humor that permeates throughout the game. Each song is clearly spoofing a famous artist or a famous genre, but the completely-original soundtrack is as funny as it is catchy and fun to play. It reminds me of the many wacky musical numbers from Bob’s Burgers’ that I’ve gotten stuck in my head over the years.
Playing through each song is a delight, too. Stages in MR. RECORDS play like an endless runner and you control George as he jumps, attacks, slides and navigates through each one to the beat. While the early tracks are simple and don’t demand much dexterity, later songs require more complex combos and layer on more rhythm-based challenges to complete—with the promise of more variety in the full release. Unlocking new songs always brought a smile to my face, and reinforced those feelings with genuinely satisfying rhythm gameplay.
Unlocking new songs requires money, and you’ll also help George manage his budding record business to pay the bills. During the day, you’ll run the shop and help customers find records that match what they’re looking for. Customers give you mostly obvious clues, so I never really felt challenged during these sequences. As someone who enjoyed Discounty‘s shop management gameplay, I was initiatlly let down by the relative simplicity of running George’s record store. You’re not stocking or ringing customers up; only finding the record they’re looking for and handing it to them. The real highlight of this part of MR. RECORDS‘ loop, however, is the writing and the characters you’ll interact with.
I only got to meet two shoppers during the playtest, but I was immediately charmed by them after recommending them a few records. While you’re talking, you’ll get details of their personal lives and feel the small (but consequential) results of your recommendations as they subsequently return to the shop. It’s incredibly charming, earnest, and seems like it has the potential for some really moving and tender moments. These shop sequences, simple as they may be mechanically, also feed into the rhythm gameplay nicely—money you earn from the shop can be spent to unlock new tracks to stock and play—plus provide an emotional hook you don’t usually find in rhythm games.
Ultimately, I came away from my time with the demo even more excited for MR. RECORDS‘ full release. The wacky art style and unique rhythm gameplay combine to make each level feel like its own unique fever dream, and the writing and music are good (and funny) enough to warrant playing songs multiple times. While I didn’t have as much fun actually running George’s record shop in the demo, the charming and earnest writing seems poised to deliver some heartfelt moments in between the delightful musical numbers.
MR. RECORDS is set to release on PC and Nintendo Switch 2, but doesn’t have an official release date yet.
