Wax Heads is a charming, punk-rock take on the shop-sim genre

My friend who used to work in a bookstore had a recurring nightmare: customers who would walk in and ask for a book they couldn't name, providing only unhelpful breadcrumbs like, "I think it had a red cover?" Initially, the idea of turning that exact frustration into a game—only with music instead of books—sounded like a chore. As someone who approaches shopping with an iron-clad, itemized list, I don't usually go looking for ways to make the process more difficult. But after spending time with Wax Heads, I’m glad I gave it a chance.

Think of it as Strange Horticulture, but swap the potted plants for a gritty, punk-infused record store. You are running Repeater Records, a struggling hub for the local music scene. The game captures that specific, familiar atmosphere—somewhere between Empire Records and High Fidelity—with a sharp Scott Pilgrim-inspired art style that really ties the aesthetic together.

Managing the Repeater Records Scene

Running the shop is about much more than just pointing at a shelf. To figure out what a customer actually wants, you have to navigate the store, keep up with the daily music press, and check Phonogram, an in-game social media platform. Sometimes, the clues are right in front of you—you might need to pay close attention to what a regular is wearing to narrow down their taste.

The writing helps ground the experience, too. The game features well-observed, invented album blurbs that feel authentic to subculture mythology. There is even a saga about a metal band rumored to have killed their original lead singer that hits exactly the right note of local music scene gossip. You can even queue up tracks on the shop's jukebox, with each song serving as a perfect recreation of a niche subgenre.

It’s a game that makes you wish these fictional bands were actually real, if only so you could listen to more of their work. Whether you are helping a forgetful customer or trying to recommend something new based on their specific preferences, Repeater Records feels like a living, breathing place.

If you want to see if you have the patience to run a record store, Wax Heads is available now on Steam, and there is a demo you can play to get a feel for the shop before committing.