Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Tape 1 Review

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage intends to set a standard amongst other narrative-driven adventures, especially with how much of a profound emotional impact these games have compared to other genres. Developed and published by Don't Nod Montréal, the game is a two-part journey with Tape 1 now available to the public and Tape 2, which is set to be out on the 15th of April 2025. 

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage marks a return to the studio's storytelling roots; in the first take, you are drawn into a world where every dialogue and choice feels weighted and consequential, creating a sort of attraction and keeping you on edge even though the plot is narrative-driven, sort of the reason why the Life is Strange franchise became so popular. Let's see how the game manages to keep its promises and manages to stand the test of time.

The game opens in 2022, following the POV of Swan Holway. She returns to her hometown of Velvet Cove, Michigan, a mysterious place; her reason? Confront them and unveil the secrets of her hometown after 27 years of trying to move on. 

Although the opening sequence is set in the present, a lot of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage takes place back in time during the summer of '95. There, you get to know your character and her newfound friends, as well as the events that led to them being torn apart. 

The story does a great job of seemingly shifting between various timelines, with Swan often commenting on her past actions in real-time. There's this narrative technique that is used throughout Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, where she reflects on her past self from a distance. This somehow adds a constant layer of mystery to the plot, even to some of the mundane moments.

The game's namesake, Bloom & Rage, is the punk band the four girls aspire to form, using their pain to express pain, awkwardness, and just being their confused young selves, whether it's wandering through the woods to film a music video with her friends or attending band practice in Swan's punk-out friend's basement. 

Every moment of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is infused with intrigue without giving away too much. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage has this unique slice-of-life authenticity with a supernatural mystery going for it. The plot stays unpredictable throughout Tape 1, and even after completing it, I am still not entirely sure where it is headed.

Swan isn't the most social person, especially when confronted with strangers, but her enthusiasm for critters and her casual observations when alone are endearing. Autumn's straightforward, down-to-earth nature contrasts nicely with Swan's shyness, while Cat's foul-mouthed, rebellious personality feels relatable. 

I wasn't particularly fond of Nora; her character felt somewhat clichéd, with her punk rock interests, family troubles, and rebellious streak feeling like tropes that have been overused. That said, she's not boring, which is something. Much of your time in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is spent walking around, filming things, and interacting with the cast or the environment.

For a lot of the runtime, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 focuses on Swan's world and her relationships with her friends before slowly bringing in magical elements and even cosmic horror. This character-building part of the plot is somewhat of a 'slow-burn', and it's why I think that a lot of people might find the pacing slow and get bored of the game.

It was only in the final hour out of the six that the deeper mystery behind Swan's return to her hometown began to truly unearth itself. But even then, the game is full of ambiguities, surely done on purpose so that people have something to wait for with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2.

I don't see the slow pacing of the game to be as concerning, though; it makes the game feel organic and real, and you get to slowly watch Swan's character develop from a shy, lonely teenager to her growing into her more confident self. The game essence oozes the small-town coming-of-age vibe reminiscent of a lot of popular TV shows but still doing so with its own twist. 

While there are some minor issues, like the awkward lip-syncing or the character speaking unnaturally slow, that can make the pacing feel less immersive, I still wasn't bored, which says a lot about how the narrative of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is tightly constructed and compelling.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage offers a familiar experience to Life is Strange or similar titles gameplay-wise. Many dialogue sequences give you choices accompanied by a heart or a broken heart, which depict whether that specific choice strengthens or weakens Swan's bonds or an animated sprouting plant, which indicates that it might affect the plot later down the story. 

I find this to be a better way of signaling narrative forks whilst also being subtle; games like The Walking Dead show prompts of characters to remembering what you say to them, which kind of always reminds you that you are playing a choice-based game, ruining the immersion.

When you are not conversing with people, you are able to explore the environment and record memoirs using your camcorder. Swan is a film enthusiast who enjoys making home movies, whether it is about her friends, herself, her cat, or various other things happening around town. The memoirs you film serve as an in-game collectible. 

A lot of the objectives in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage involve just capturing the details of a particular scenario and then playing them back again with Swan's narration to relive the memories; this mechanic makes you want to record as much as you can, and it keeps you engaged adding a layer of depth in the game beyond just walking around and interacting with random stuff.

While this mechanic does add a sense of depth within Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, it isn't something that hasn't been seen before in this genre. It's cool seeing the narrative technique of these narrative-adventure games develop over time with all the familiar themes being present, such as Lost Records: Bloom & Rage's story of growing up and being comfortable in one's own shoes. It is nice, but I feel like it is overdone.

Some scenes don't really pan out the way they should, mostly because of the dialog. Indeed, young adult novels often show situations that are so awkward that even this game is not an exception; some of the lines are odd even when the voice actors deliver them perfectly well. Certain sequences don't always flow smoothly. 

When the girls band together to hunt down Autumn's keys, Swan can help by filming and chatting with Nora, but when the keys are found high up inside a dilapidated structure, you end up having to look for something to throw and knock them down.

Talking to Nora later, though, Swan will ask whether she's found the keys despite the fact that the exact location has already been established. Now, this could be construed as Swan misremembering, but it feels more like an editing mistake shot out of order and breaks the immersion.

That said, the variety of tensions in the game seems to fit very well with it, given the somewhat darker themes throughout. While a little odd from time to time, however, the characters still manage to feel alive and relatable.

I was fond of the visual richness of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage's setting, from the shiny plastic crinkles of the VHS cases to the eye for details behind a lot of descriptions in Swan's books. The game felt like it genuinely belonged back in the '90s. 

It takes a lot of compassion and intention from a studio to make it seem like you, as the player, genuinely belong in the setting. This extends to the texture work of the environment and the hand-crafted character designs as well, creating an environment that seems idyllic and haunting at the same time.

The soundtrack did not stand out to me at first, but Lost Records: Bloom & Rage does have a few solid selections; I was particularly impressed with the great voice acting the game had to offer, which I always considered important with narrative-based games.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is not exactly like Life is Strange, and while some familiar themes and events might cause a little déjà vu, I feel like many flee from comparison from the topics covered in narrative structure, and character-building. 

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is commendable for its world-setting and character introductions, which work well in getting players to feel for them despite dialogue that can be sub-par. I wouldn't say you need to rush to play it, especially without having Tape 2 to serve as context and closure for the whole narrative. 

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage could be a worthy diversion for those who want to sink into a new narrative adventure with high production values and can overlook some technical issues. It doesn't come close to matching Life is Strange, whether good or bad, but there is definitely something worth experiencing here.