Don’t Nod has a knack for telling stories built around choices, relationships, and personal struggles. From Life is Strange to Tell Me Why, their games have a way of pulling you into a world where your decisions shape everything. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage sticks to that formula but finds its own voice, telling a coming-of-age story about memory, friendship, and the things we leave behind.
Unlike some of Don’t Nod’s past games, this one takes its time. There are no big twists or high-stakes consequences—just a story about relationships, how they grow, and how time changes the way we remember them. It’s a slower experience, built around conversations and small moments, letting you step into the lives of four teenagers before the real world caught up with them.
It’s easy to compare Lost Records to Life is Strange, but it feels different. The structure is unique, the tone is more reflective, and the mystery unfolds in a quieter, more personal way. With only the first half of the story available, the big question is whether it’s strong enough to keep you waiting for the rest.
Revisiting the Past, One Memory at a Time
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage splits its narrative between two timelines: the summer of 1995 and the present day in 2022. Swann Holloway, once a quiet teenager capturing life through her camcorder, returns to her hometown after decades away. A package sent to her old friend Autumn forces the two to confront a past they promised to leave behind. As they recall their last summer together, memories unfold, revealing the friendships they formed, the moments that defined them, and the secret that still lingers between them.
A Story Told Across Two Timelines
The game’s structure gives you control over Swann in both time periods, shifting between youthful moments of exploration and the weight of adulthood’s distance. This approach works well in creating contrast—conversations between Swann and Autumn in the present carry an unspoken tension, while the past feels carefree, yet tinted with an underlying unease. However, the pacing leans slow, especially early on. While it builds familiarity with the characters, the central mystery doesn’t offer much to latch onto until later in the story. Some moments feel more like slices of life than pieces of a larger puzzle, which may leave you wanting more narrative momentum.
Strong Character Writing and Relationships
Despite this, the character writing is strong. Swann, Autumn, Nora, and Kat each have distinct personalities that feel natural, and their evolving group dynamic is engaging. Dialogue choices shape small interactions, reinforcing how fragile friendships can be at that age. The game touches on nostalgia in a way that feels personal—objects scattered throughout 1995, like VHS tapes and diary pages, don’t serve as puzzles but as lived-in details that make Velvet Cove feel real. While supernatural elements are hinted at, they remain in the background, leaving more questions than answers by the time the first part ends.
A Personal Reflection on Memory and Nostalgia
Personally, the story resonated in unexpected ways. The friendships, the sense of time slipping away, and the small, seemingly insignificant moments that become defining memories—it all felt familiar. While the narrative doesn’t fully reveal its hand in Tape 1, the setup leaves just enough curiosity to see where it goes next.
Framing the Story Through Choices and Memories
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage takes a minimalist approach to gameplay, placing emphasis on dialogue choices, environmental exploration, and Swann’s camcorder. Rather than offering complex mechanics, the game relies on small, personal interactions to immerse you in its world. Conversations shape relationships, the town’s spaces hold quiet details, and the camcorder provides a unique way to interact with both. However, while these elements add to the storytelling, they also come with limitations.
Dialogue and Exploration
Dialogue choices are the most significant form of interaction, allowing you to steer Swann’s responses in key moments. These choices don’t drastically alter the story, but they help define how she connects with Autumn, Nora, and Kat. Some decisions feel weighty, like choosing sides in small arguments, while others lean more into Swann’s personality, reinforcing her social awkwardness.
Exploration offers moments to take in Velvet Cove, but interactions with objects are limited. Some items trigger memories, providing insight into Swann’s past, while others serve as nostalgic set dressing. Walking through familiar places—the movie rental store, the overlook, the garage where the girls rehearse—adds to the atmosphere, but there’s little mechanical depth. Outside of finding memory-linked objects, exploration doesn’t hold much purpose beyond reinforcing the setting.
The Camcorder as a Storytelling Tool
Swann’s camcorder is the most distinct feature, acting as both a storytelling tool and a piece of interactive nostalgia. You can film locations, people, and animals, later stitching clips together to create short memoirs. In one moment, I found myself capturing the girls as they joked around by the lake, adjusting the framing to make sure I caught their expressions. Later, I filmed a quiet moment in Swann’s bedroom, replaying the footage to see it through the grainy lens of time. These moments add a layer of personal investment, but the mechanic itself is light. Outside of certain required recordings, the camera feels more like a collectible tracker than a meaningful tool.
A Slower, More Reflective Experience
The game’s slower pace means these mechanics take time to unfold. Dialogue choices do most of the narrative work, exploration is light, and the camcorder—while a great concept—lacks deeper integration into gameplay. While the experience remains engaging, those expecting more traditional adventure game mechanics may find the interactivity limited.
A Vivid Look at the Past and Present
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage uses its visuals and sound to highlight the contrast between its two timelines. The 1995 sections feel lived-in, filled with small details that make Velvet Cove feel real. From movie rental stores to messy bedrooms, every space looks like a snapshot of teenage life. The 2022 segments feel different—quieter, more distant, and a little emptier, reflecting how much has changed. There aren’t many locations, but what’s here looks convincing, and the character models do a solid job of capturing emotions.
Lighting plays a big part in setting the mood. Sunlight shines through trees during summer afternoons, neon signs flicker outside the bar, and the camcorder adds a grainy look to old recordings. These touches help memories feel less polished, more like moments frozen in time. The art direction does a lot of the heavy lifting, even if the game isn’t pushing graphical limits.
Animations are mostly smooth, though facial expressions and lip-syncing can be a little stiff. Dialogue sometimes has small pauses between lines, which makes certain conversations feel slightly off. It’s not a huge issue, but it stands out.
The soundtrack leans into its ’90s setting, with plenty of alternative rock and indie-style tracks that match the game’s tone. Background music stays low-key, allowing key moments to stand out, while licensed songs add weight to certain scenes. Voice acting is another highlight—performances feel natural, though some characters sound older than they should.
Technically, the game runs well, but minor issues exist. In present-day sections, textures can take a few seconds to load, especially on clothing. It’s nothing major, but it can break immersion.
Despite its flaws, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage creates a world that feels real, with all elements working together to capture a sense of memory and nostalgia.
A Story Still Unfolding
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 delivers a strong start, capturing the emotional weight of friendships, the passage of time, and the nostalgia of a summer that meant everything. The dual-timeline structure works well, creating a contrast between the past and present, though the pacing can feel slow, especially early on. The characters are the heart of the experience, and while the mystery lingers in the background, it’s their bonds that leave the strongest impression.
Gameplay remains light, relying on dialogue choices, exploration, and Swann’s camcorder to tell the story. While the camcorder mechanic adds a personal touch, it doesn’t feel fully realized beyond a collectible system. Exploration, while atmospheric, doesn’t offer much interactivity, leaving conversations as the main source of engagement.
Visually, the game effectively captures both eras, with warm lighting and nostalgic details in 1995 and a more muted, reflective tone in 2022. Strong voice performances help bring the cast to life. Minor technical issues, like texture pop-in and occasional dialogue pacing problems, don’t ruin the experience but are noticeable.
As the first half of a two-part story, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage doesn’t provide full answers, leaving much to be resolved in Tape 2 in April. While the slow pacing and limited interactivity may not appeal to everyone, the game’s emotional depth and character-driven storytelling make it an experience worth seeing through. If the second half delivers on its setup, it could become one of Don’t Nod’s most memorable works.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1
Summary
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage delivers a nostalgic, character-driven story with strong writing and a dual-timeline structure. Its slow pacing and light gameplay may not appeal to everyone, but its emotional depth and well-developed relationships stand out. Minor technical issues exist, but the visuals and soundtrack effectively capture both eras. As the first half of a two-part story, it leaves many questions unanswered but remains worth following.
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