Wax Heads is a heartfelt treat for the eyes, ears, and soul, so don’t miss it during Steam Next Fest

I’ve had Wax Heads on my radar since it first appeared in 2024’s Wholesome Direct, and now that I’ve played its new demo, I’m certain that you need to check it out. Part point-and-click puzzler, part narrative adventure where your choices matter, I can already tell that Patattie Games’ debut release is going to be a hit.

In Wax Heads, you play as the new hire at a cozy punk record shop, Repeater Records, that also acts as a hub for the community. However, this isn’t just a simple shop sim, as your customers rarely know what they’re looking for. Using clues from conversations, social media posts, and clothing choices, you need to find the ideal record for each customer, and their reactions influence the story.

Now, I love a choice game, so the idea that recommending the wrong record can change the direction of the story, and even the fate of Repeater Records itself, is very appealing. However, not everyone happily accepts their mistakes, so Wax Heads lets you freely choose between two game modes: No Refunds, where your decisions are final, and Customer is Always Right, which lets you take another stab at recommending a record. This freedom of choice is just one of the many wonderful accessibility features present in the demo alone, which is a great sign for the full game.

As you might expect for a music-themed game, the soundtrack goes hard. Wax Heads’ original soundtrack immediately immerses you in the setting and, combined with the 50+ hand-drawn record sleeves and tons of zines, plushies, and posters to examine, delivers on the feeling of spending hours inside a record store without realizing the passage of time. Devs Rothio Tome and Murray Somerwolff don’t just cosplay punk culture with their game either – the duo’s passion for social justice and community organizing bleeds through every Free Palestine sticker, pronoun badge, and guerrilla gardening kit in the store.

Not only is Wax Heads a treat for the eyes and ears, but the writing is witty and realistic, making every customer interaction feel genuine and adding stakes to the game’s overarching plot. Several customers and co-workers at Repeater Records made me do a double-take, as they resemble people I’ve encountered in real life in the DIY music and community organizing scenes.

Overall, I adored this demo, and I can’t wait to get my hands on the full game. Wax Heads is dripping with style and heart, two things that always sell me on a game. You can try out the new demo for yourself as part of Steam Next Fest very soon.

Plus, we can share that Wax Heads is coming to Nintendo Switch as well as PC via Steam. The Switch version is due to release at the same time as the PC version and supports touchscreen controls in handheld mode, which is ideal for Wax Heads’ point-and-click style gameplay.

While you wait for the Wax Heads release date, check out our list of the best cozy games to fill the void. We’ve also listed all the upcoming Switch games and upcoming mobile games that you need to know about for the year ahead.