Mr. Records Preview
Open the Sun. Never bring me down.
After getting a sweet, sweet 15 minutes of hands-on experience with Mr. Records at Summer Game Fest, I knew this was an indie to keep my eye on. The vibrant visuals synced with the satisfying rhythms and catchy interpretations of specific musical genres are enough to make a strong impression on any gamer. But those fleeting 15 minutes left me wanting more, so I jumped at a second chance to get my hands on the demo early. Mr. Records follows the story of George, a new and later-in-life record store manager who sells and recommends music by day, and goes into his adventure and rhythm fueled mind palace while listening to tunes at night. The demo is a treat for the eyes and the ears.
Now that I could take my time playing the demo at home, I was struck by the more emotional elements, and the small and thoughtful details of George’s little corner of the world. Who among us hasn’t dreamed of our own quiet and cozy dwelling with a pet companion, above our very own record store.
Mr. Records Demo in Action
George is already living many of our dreams, but he’s just getting started, and George’s friend Paul reminds us of that by saying “Becoming a record dealer at your age is quite a change in life.” to which George responds “Are you done with the age stuff? I’m feeling fitter than ever. I’m going to kick ass, as the kids say!” The iconic and elderly George is already making a strong impression on me within the first few moments of gameplay. His confidence and zest for life is very inspiring to me.
Mr. Records follows the story of George, a new and later-in-life record store manager who sells and recommends music by day, and goes into his adventure and rhythm fueled mind palace while listening to tunes at night. The demo is a treat for the eyes and the ears.
I’ve been thinking lately about how there’s so much stigma around aging. As I age, I find my life becoming more and more rich, simply because I really do care less what others think of me and my choices. Physically and mentally, I’m taking better care of myself than I ever have before. I also have the confidence to try new things, and I think that can be the case for a lot of people as they age. It’s sort of an underrated advantage of getting older, so I’m glad George is ready to put Paul in his place.
I’m honestly curious to see what kind of role Paul plays in the story and how their relationship unfolds. Is Paul a friend or foe? Or is he the manifestation of some of our insecurities about aging and trying something new? Later on in the demo, Paul encourages George to sell a record by a newer, younger, pop artist to appeal to more youthful customers. I’m looking forward to the overall message that this narrative will reveal, and I find it especially interesting in the context of George’s life, with music playing a key role.
Mr. Records Trailer
After the tutorial and first song of the game, I’m immediately struck by how natural and fun the execution of the rhythm mechanic feels. They introduce more mechanics at such a nice pace, and with both normal mode and additional difficulty mode options for every track, many players will be able to curate their ideal experience. Visually, these colorful and flourishing backgrounds seem to come to life all around George as you’re sliding and jumping through a stunning environment. It really feels like the visual world of Mr. Records is jumping off the screen. I also think the process of recommending records to customers during the day and listening to new records at night, (going into George’s imaginative and adventurous world inside his mind) felt like a really beautiful and satisfying way to balance gameplay.
The quality of Mr. Records speaks for itself, and this slice of the game has me even more excited than I already was for its estimated Q1 2027 release.
No Small Games was provided with a preview key of the Mr. Records demo by Wired Productions
About No Small Games
No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.
Learn more about the podcast and its hosts on the About page.