Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Review

I first played Life is Strange in 2016 on a whim. It wasn’t a title that I’d typically spend too much time with, but I was curious about it. I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did, and I ended up playing many more games in the genre. That’s why, when I discovered Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, I had to see what it was all about. I’m just disappointed that I only found out about it through PlayStation Plus.

Story

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is divided into two chapters, aptly titled “Bloom” and “Rage.” You’ll play as a teenager named Swann. She’s a quirky, introverted girl who seems most at peace when doing her own thing. That is, until she meets Autumn and Nora at the ice cream stand Autumn works at. Kat also joins the fray during the first conflict in the game, rounding out the friend quartet. This sets off the events of an unforgettable summer with some slight supernatural elements for the four girls. It turns out to be a significant one for Swann in particular, who is moving to Canada shortly.

One of the most interesting aspects of Lost Records is how the story is set across two timelines in 1995 and 2022. There are plenty of objects and places that will remind you of the 90s everywhere. At the start of the game, Swann is searching for a VHS tape to bring back to the video store. Her room is also filled with things like a magic eye book, a Tamagotchi, and pin art. 2022 feels eerily realistic as well, with hand sanitizer and masks available at the entrance of a bar. The criticism that I have of 2022 is that the bar is the only location you’ll be visiting outside of the very beginning, when you’re in Swann’s car.

The entire story revolves around a mysterious package sent to Autumn in 2022. It was addressed to Bloom & Rage (the band the girls created) and said, “Do you remember 1995?”. The girls made a pact never to discuss what happened in 1995 and are afraid of what the contents of this package may reveal. This pushes us towards the memories of the girls that they tried to bury as they attempt to figure out who sent the package.

Characters

Autumn

There are not many characters in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. It’s Swann and friends with a handful of other characters scattered in. Autumn seems to be the most level-headed one in the group. She comes across as the leader of the group in a way and is often against some of the more outlandish things they plan to do. She’s someone who seems to keep everything inside, like nothing fazes her. We eventually find out that things affect her a lot more than she lets on.

Swann

Swann is such an interesting character because I can relate to her personality the most. She’s quite introverted and enjoys spending time with bugs, playing with her cat, and taking videos with her camera. She marches to the beat of her own drum, and I can respect that. She’s very insecure and will often shy away from conflict (which is how the friend group got together in the first place). I don’t think she was an incredibly compelling protagonist, but I think that was by design.

Nora

Nora is the wild child of the group and is always up for anything. She’s often seen smoking or drinking, but also feels quite misunderstood at times. She can also be insecure at times. This is particularly evident in some of the later cutscenes in the game. Nora was one of my favorite characters due to the many layers of her personality. She cares deeply about everyone, despite what it may seem like on the outside.

Kat

Kat is one of the most complex characters, and one that you won’t fully understand until you reach the end of the game. That makes her somewhat difficult to talk about without spoiling things. She’s the youngest in the group and gives off a kid sister vibe. Kat is a rebellious girl who hates her sister and her sister’s boyfriend. She’s chaotic and wants to burn the world down, yet she remains vulnerable and yearns for friendship.

Supporting Characters

There are a handful of supporting characters, such as Kat’s sister, Dylan. She plays an antagonist for most of the story, but you won’t realize why until the second tape. Dylan’s boyfriend Corey is another one of the antagonists and easily one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve ever come across. It might have been because of some of my choices, but he was insufferable. The bartender Gus came across as creepy as well. I don’t know what it was, but his delivery and character model were off-putting.

Gameplay

The gameplay in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage follows a similar approach to that of some previous Don’t Nod games. You’ll still be making lots of dialogue choices to determine how the story plays out. This was well-implemented, and I felt that the choices made quite a difference in how various aspects of the story unfolded. Each choice affects Swann’s relationship with the other girls and whether they become best buds or something more. This will also affect who shows up at the end of the game.

One of the unique elements of Lost Records’ gameplay is the use of a camcorder. Swann can take videos of various things in most of the scenes that she’s in to create memoirs complete with a vintage screen effect. Some of these memoirs are mandatory, but there are plenty that are just there for filler as well. Some of these include taking videos of birds or a stuffed moth in various environments. There are tons to go through, but it barely added anything to the game, and I doubt many people went around to collect them all. I loved the idea of it, but I wish it had had a greater impact on the story.

There are many contextual memories to be found in the areas you can explore as well. These will trigger voiceovers of different moments from the past to tie the game together. I liked how much this fleshed out certain portions of the story. There are plenty of items to pick up that Swann will give you some backstory on as well. A lot of those are interactive as well, which is a nice touch.

Presentation

The game features a distinctive art style that looks terrific. The environments serve their purpose, with some of the natural areas being standouts due to their brilliant lighting. The part where the game truly shines is in its facial expressions. I could sense the emotion on everyone’s faces during some of the story’s intense or emotional moments. There were even times when you could understand how Swann was feeling without her even saying a word. I could feel the second-hand embarrassment when things didn’t quite land the way she thought they would.

The audio was decent, but I had an issue with dialogue choices that didn’t feel natural at times, depending on the choices made. There were a few times when I had some awkward silence until someone chimed in. Although it wasn’t prevalent, it was worth noting. I did think the voice acting was top-notch. The delivery was excellent, regardless of the type of emotion being conveyed. I felt like the actors did a great job differing their delivery based on 1995 and 2022.

Story Pacing

I might be in the minority here, but I enjoyed the first tape more than the second. I felt that the first tape allowed everything to breathe and introduced the characters gradually, culminating in the climax at the end. The second tape felt like it rushed through everything without adequately explaining the supernatural elements, making it less enjoyable. We learn a lot more about Kat in this tape, which held my interest, but before I knew it, we were at the end. The cliffhanger after the credits was the saving grace, giving me hope that more will be revealed in a sequel.

Final Thoughts

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage was a good experience, but not a perfect one. The narrative was a little bit rushed at times, and certain portions weren’t explored as deeply as I would have liked. I enjoyed the depth of the characters and the intricate bond that they all shared. I’m looking forward to a sequel, and I hope we can see more of what happened with these characters between 1995 and 2022.