One of my most anticipated games right now is definitely Mr. Records. The idea of a game that is half rhythm platformer and record store simulator is so genius that I just had to get my hands on it. Its initial announcement and early previews only furthered my excitement to such a degree that I jumped at the chance to play an early demo of the game during Gamescom 2026. Needless to say, my excitement for Mr. Records has only grown despite the short demo.
The premise of Mr. Records is simple: you play as an old man managing a record shop. In the daytime, he sells records to people based on their very specific requests, earning money based on how well he accommodates them. At night, he uses that money to buy more records, which he then plays in the privacy of his room as he lets his imagination run wild. Here, the game becomes a 2D rhythm platformer, where you have to time your jumps and inputs to the music that plays.
I loved the gameplay loop of Mr. Records, even if I only had a little bit of time to appreciate it. The way the daytime segments influence the nighttime levels, and vice versa, is really interesting and will likely make for a game that is infinitely replayable. That replayability is only furthered by the collectibles you can acquire and the challenges that each level offers. My enjoyment of the loop was only furthered by the charming visual style. It reminds me a lot of old flash animations, with characters that are easily recognizable and fun to look at.
In terms of the actual moment-to-moment gameplay, the daytime segments are just as simple as the premise. Essentially, customers will wander around the record shop looking for a specific record in your possession. Unfortunately, their hints about the record they’re looking for are pretty vague, leaving you to sleuth out the object of their desire. The demo I played had requests that were fairly easy to figure out, such as someone looking for a cover with a lot of green on it. That said, I suspect that later segments will ramp up the challenge with customers that have far more esoteric requests.
Speaking of the challenge, most of it stems from the platforming levels. These are reminiscent of the music levels from Rayman Legends, where you have to time your jump and movements to the beat. There is also a small dot on screen to indicate when you should take a specific action. For instance, there are these slide platforms that you have to slide down with the press of a joystick. Much like a Rhythm Heaven game, each level introduces a new core mechanic. I have a feeling that later levels will find a way to combine all of these mechanics into one massive trial.
These levels are extremely creative from both a visual and gameplay perspective. I saw one that even involves ghosts, which makes me really curious to see what other tricks the developers have up their sleeves. More importantly, the music of Mr. Records is fittingly fantastic. The soundtrack is all original, and is not based on licensed themes from iconic artists, giving the game its own unique and distinct sound. The game already has quite a few earworms, which were so fun to listen to that it almost distracted me from the actual platforming.
From the very first moment I saw Mr. Records, I had a feeling it was going to turn out to be something special. After playing a little bit for myself, I feel even more strongly about that sentiment. The gameplay loop is creative and fun, which can be said for the visuals, mechanics, and soundtrack. Glee-Cheese are clearly going out of its way to make sure that this is the ultimate rhythm platformer, and if the demo I played is any indication, that goal is very much within reach.
I cannot wait to play more when Mr. Records eventually releases for Nintendo Switch 2 and PC via Steam, GOG, and Epic Games Store.
