A spiritual successor

This is an exclusively single-player game, where the player takes on the role of Swann, a girl who returns to the city where she grew up and remembers various memories and reunites with her childhood friends, for a rebirth of her group Bloom and Rage.



Exploring a world full of memories and longing

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is a game that awakens a sense of nostalgia in many players, especially those who are familiar with the previous works of Dontnod Entertainment, the same developer responsible for Life is Strange. The game transports us to a world full of emotions, mysteries, and personal dilemmas, elements that the developer has so well explored in their previous productions.

The plot is extremely interesting and gave me the sensation of playing Life is Strange for the first time, everything is so detailed and the atmosphere is so well-crafted that it is a game that easily captivates you.

We take on the role of Swann, a girl who moved to Canada in her adolescence and now returns to her hometown in the United States to meet up with her old friends, especially regarding the Bloom and Rage, her group.

The narrative is wonderfully well-crafted, the memories of the past contrasting with the experience of the present is a very strong point in building the whole story and, throughout the game, small details are revealed, providing an even deeper immersion, keeping the player's curiosity always sharp.

The pace of the story is undeniably slower than many games, but this is due to the style of the game, which brings a dense and detailed narrative that urges the player to inspect all the flyers, read all the signs, pay attention to all the dialogues.



An engaging story

The main highlight of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage undoubtedly lies in the combination of story, gameplay, and graphics. In addition to the excellence of the plot mentioned earlier, the visuals are beautiful, with detailed scenarios and a color palette that conveys the melancholic yet hopeful atmosphere, a characteristic of the game. 

Each environment seems to be meticulously designed, with a level of detail that goes beyond what is expected for a title of this nature. The scenarios blend perfectly with the narrative, making the experience even more immersive.

Obviously, the soundtrack is a show in itself, it's the kind of game where you feel like listening to the soundtrack after finishing it, just like it was with Life is Strange.

For fans of Life is Strange, the soundtrack of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage will bring a sense of familiarity, with songs that could easily have been composed for the universe of Max and Chloe. This musical connection strengthens the idea that the game is a kind of spiritual successor, maintaining a sound identity that immediately attracts players accustomed to the feelings evoked by the music in previous games.



Memories of the past and inspirations

Playing Lost Records: Bloom and Rage was an excellent experience, just like in Life is Strange, the game presents important choices that influence the development of the story and the fate of the characters. This type of narrative structure, where each decision carries weight, makes the plot even more interesting, as players do not feel like mere observers but as active participants in the construction of the story.

It is impossible not to draw parallels between Lost Records: Bloom and Rage and Life is Strange, especially when considering the emotional narrative style and the construction of deep and complex characters. My expectations were high for this review, as Dontnod Entertainment managed to establish a strong fan base with their previous games. In this sense, Lost Records: Bloom and Rage hits the mark by delivering an experience similar to what fans of Life is Strange expected, but with its own identity.

The game, overall, is easy to play in terms of mechanics, the small tutorials are more than enough and also very informative, it is truly an intuitive experience, as long as the player learns the main mechanics, such as using the camera to record specific points in the scenario and emotional situations for the protagonist, or even interacting with the scenario to get more information about the local context or story details.

The game is localized in several languages, has well-done text translation, and the voice acting is top-notch, the voices fit very well with the characters.

The game's performance is good for the demands, as it requires considerably advanced hardware for a smooth, visually beautiful experience with high frame rates. There are some frame rate drops at certain moments, but in my experience, they were isolated incidents.



A project that recaptures the feeling of Life is Strange

My personal experience with Lost Records: Bloom and Rage was excellent, I had a great sense of nostalgia and fondness for the game right from the start, and with the gameplay and the atmosphere building of the narrative, combined with the wonderful graphics and soundtrack, it is a complete experience for fans of Life is Strange, and it is definitely a game worth playing.

The control mapping is very intuitive, easy to get the hang of and fulfills its function well, the game has its charm and will certainly please players, especially those familiar with the producer's history.

The game offers a good interface, as well as good settings and customization options for controls, graphics, and audio.



For this review, the game was experienced on PC, using the Steam platform. I thank Don't Nod for providing the access key.