In 2023, Don’t Nod revealed Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, a game that everyone thought for sure was a Life is Strange title. From the opening trailer, those are the vibes that we picked up, and now that the game is out in the open (or at least, half of it is), I’m happy to say that, yes, this could be Life is Strange 3.
That’s not a bad thing – Don’t Nod created the Life is Strange label back in 2015, and I’ve been a huge fan ever since. However, the studio departed from the franchise in 2018, but if there’s one thing I can say to headline this Bloom & Rage review, it’s that this game will have Life is Strange fans feeling right at home.
Here’s a video version of this review:
Finding What’s Lost
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is your typical teenager coming-of-age story with a twist. It unravels over two epochs, one set in 1995 and the other in 2022. It’s strange, though – the 2022 sequences are shot from a first-person perspective, but the portion of the game set in the 1990s is strictly third-person.
Maybe it’s an artistic choice, or perhaps I’ve missed some subtle message there.
Enter Swann, an awkward 16-year-old with a love for filming the world around her through the lens of a camcorder. She’s set on documenting her summer, and it just so happens that her mission kicks off after meeting three girls who bring her out of her shell.
Over the next six to eight weeks, Swann brightens – and yes, blooms – around these girls – Nora, Kat, and Autumn. They embark on classic 1990s adventures together, take hikes, start a band, and fall head over heels into an intense mystery after pledging a blood oath to one another in a weird and wonderful forest.
You know, typical teenage things, right?
The first episode of Bloom & Rage, handily titled ‘Bloom’, takes around 6 to 8 hours to complete, depending on how fast you play. It might be a little longer if you want to record all the ‘memoirs’ with your camcorder, though. That’s mostly the point of the game – you have a camcorder and you use it to capture key moments and ‘collectables’ around you.
Life is Stranger Things
The 1990s vibes in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage are flawless. I can vouch for that, being a 90’s kid myself. Everything from the stylisation to the music, and from the fashion to the nostalgic filter laid over much of the game just smacks of that decade. It’s an innocent enough game at heart, but what’s great is that it quickly becomes dark and quite chilling.
I even had a play with a replication of a Tamagotchi – how’s that for 1990s?
I can’t fault the story. One of the issues folks had with Life is Strange is that it was just ripping at the seams with teenage angst and cringe-worthy acting, but Lost Records: Bloom & Rage grew on me very quickly. I connected nicely with the characters, who represent themes and feelings that I experienced growing up, and nothing is forced down your throat.
The soundtrack and some of the artistic choices, like some neon light splashes, synthy music and such later in the game, give Lost Records a real Stranger Things vibe. It’s a combination between that show and Life is Strange, which suits me down to the ground.
Visually, this is one of the most impressive games I’ve played in a good few months. The palette is nice, and some of the character model effects – such as the eyes and facial animations – are great. The smaller details are there, which just wasn’t a thing in Life is Strange, owing to the game’s art style.
And let’s not forget that the point of the game is for you to find nice angles and experience the world around you through a camera lens, so it’s inherently cinematic from the get-go.
Is Bloom & Rage Worth It?
Bloom & Rage costs around $39.99 for two ‘tapes’, the first of which is available now. Each tape will be around 6 – 10 hours of gameplay, depending on how fast you gun through the content available, plus there’s a lot of replay value. For instance, you can pick up missed collectables and make different choices in the many conversation options available.
That’s $39.99 for almost 20 hours of enjoyable, emotional gameplay, which is not bad at all. I’d happily pay that, even if I am biased as a diehard Life is Strange fan.
Performance-wise, I had no issues, and I cannot fault the game from a technical standpoint. The key mechanics are innovative enough and interesting, and all the small details have been considered. The voice acting is great, and the visuals are bursting with a sense of ethereal nostalgia. I couldn’t get enough of the first tape and finished it in two sessions, let’s put it that way.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage teleported me back to a time when freedom meant everything and there was nothing to be concerned about other than what my friends and I would do the next day. I feel like many gamers will connect to this title on a spiritual level, and I cannot wait to soak up the next episode.
I can happily recommend picking up Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – it’s one of the best narrative-driven games I’ve played in a long time.
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