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Patattie Games finally released their narrative-driven adventure, Wax Heads, a cosy sim about finding the right music record. It sounds simple, right? You're working in a record shop, customers are coming in, you're rummaging through the shelves, and then all of a sudden you find yourself decoding clues, flipping records over, and squinting at tracklists like you're Sherlock Holmes.
The game offers you a loop that is extremely compelling and hits a sweet spot, right between chill and quietly addictive.
However, as you delve deeper into the gameplay, you'll see that there are things hiding under the surface, heavy and traumatic things. While you're trying to find the perfect vinyl for your quirky customer, you will also encounter things that humans deal with on the daily basis; trauma, unresolved issues, and a past that you can't run from.
Wax Heads brings a distinctive art style, a cast filled with comical but believable characters, and a soundtrack that turns the game into a jamming session. We've spoken to the masterminds behind Wax Heads, Creative Director Murray Somerwolff and Creative Technical Director Rocío "Rothio" Tomé, on how this unusual game came to life, and how this simple record store turned into a space for connection, storytelling, and music.
The spark behind the record store idea
There is a plethora of simulation games out there nowadays, you can be basically whatever you want, whether it's exciting or just boring. Hell, you can even play a 9 to 5 job simulation if you feel like it (because nothing hits better than playing a 9 to 5 job simulation after your 9 to 5 job).
However, owning and operating a record store, that's not something you see every day, and especially not something with that much focus on details. You're not just looking through track shelves, you're learning facts about the bands, and about the people that surround you.
Somerwolff explains why they went with a record store: "I really love music, I’ve played in bands, gone to countless gigs and have bought way too many records, so even before we had the record shop idea, I’ve been kinda obsessed with how to find a way to express music culturally, as opposed to mechanically (i.e guitar hero), in a video game."
He goes on to mention the moment it all connected: "The actual spark was oddly when I was playing Wilmot’s Warehouse, I was looking at all the beautiful little squares and had a thought of, “wouldn’t this be really cool if they were all record covers and this was a record store?” And it was like a eureka moment, a record store is the perfect space to set a game that is about the culture of music. Thanks to inspiring games like Strange Horticulture and Coffee Talk, the idea had a framework where it just started to grow from there."
Perfection vs deadlines
While Wax Head is both endearing, cosy, and also has a strong identity, Patattie Games - just like any other developer - admits there are things they'd revisit and do differently, especially when everyone's favourite friend comes knocking: perfectionism.
For the Creative Technical Director, Tomé, the tension between refining the game and releasing it was a constant during development, particularly when working on the sound design, which is extremely important in a music-heavy game. "As a programmer and a deeply technical and perfectionist person, I’d totally redo half of the systems I programmed if I have the chance, but there’s a moment you have to stop yourself and think what you have done is “good enough” and stop refining it. However, If I had to change anything, I’d love to have the chance to add more and better sfx to the game, but it was challenging to design the sound of a game where the music is the main protagonist and has that heavy weight on it."
Everyone deals with the "good enough" and "it could be better" thoughts while working on something you're passionate about. If anything, it adds to the notion that Wax Heads is made with a lot of love, personality and care.
Wrong answer? No biggie
Rather than having a harsh punishment in place, Patattie Games went with a more forgiving approach to it's core loop, allowing the players to experiment and have fun without pressure.
As Tomé explains it, the team tested both directions before deciding: "When we decided to introduce the new game mode, we prototyped both options: errors being actually punished or just letting it retry without any further consequences. When trying both options, we came to the conclusion that the first one fit better with what we wanted to make the player feel, a more laid back but perfectionist game mode. I think we sometimes have this idea that all game actions need to be either rewarded or punished, that is something inherent of videogames, but sometimes it only feels like an unnecessary layer of complexity."
It's definitely a design choice that fits the game, and with the cosy, relaxed feel of Wax Heads, a punishment system that derails the gameplay would be extremely out of character. After all, it's a game about music and mood, not stress and tension.
Credits? More like a record collection
Not only is Wax Heads extremely enjoyable and fun, Patattie Games made sure you enjoy the credits as well. They double as a quiet celebration of the hard-working team behind it, with the staff giving you a glimpse into their music taste. Safe to say, I tremendously enjoyed that little sneak-peek.
"Nice, I’m glad you think so! Haha it was supposed to be more elaborate, I was going to hand paint all the albums that everyone picked, but then I realised that was going to be like 32 albums so we had to pivot…", Somerwolff explains, "But yeah I think for both me and Rothio, it was really important to celebrate the efforts of all the devs who worked on this game, and because the game is all about celebrating our connections to music, it felt like a really fun idea for everyone to make some recommendations!"
This little addition fits the spirit of the game perfectly, turning the credits - something that we all skip through and groan if we can't - into a moment of musical discovery, bringing the player closer to the people that made the game.
No humans, no music
One of the more striking - and quiet frankly disturbing - pieces of the game is James' AI-generated "Play Now" store, a little glimpse into a lifeless, cold version of the AI themed record shop, which is as big of a contrast as it can be to Repeater Records.
When asked if that was an accident, Somerwolff explained that it was a very purposeful gameplay decision.
"Not at all, I think that’s totally accurate! What’s weird is, when we started on this game, AI wasn’t quite as E V E R Y W H E R E as it is now, so James’ “Play Now” store was originally more a commentary on things like Spotify and the maximalism of tech (like how you can just grab any song clip on Tiktok devoid of any context). I feel like Spotify has made music feel disposable, you lose the human connection to why someone has made a piece of music. (Not to mention the fact that it’s just stealing from the efforts of talented people in the first place.)"
Wax Heads is a game about music and art, and throughout the entire time with it, I couldn't help but notice how much it appreciates genuine, human talent, and the magic that happens when people expand on that talent. "I see no magic, no love or joy in the promise of AI, so yeah I’m super happy you got that sterile, lifeless impression from that set piece in the game." Somerwolff continues, "Luckily for us, there are so many wonderful people in the world taking chances and finding ways to express their thoughts and feelings, that’s where the real magic is and that’s what we should be championing."
