Lots Of Bloom, Not Much Rage
HIGH Likeable characters.
LOW The slow pace.
WTF Animal animations are hard!
From the same studio that created Life is Strange comes Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, a 3D story-focused adventure. Bloom and Rage follows a girl named Swann in her last summer in the small Pacific Northwest town of Velvet Cove in 1995. Making friends with three other girls, she records her adventures using a trusty camcorder.
Recording moments is the central mechanic in Bloom and Rage. The player is asked to capture “memoirs”, which are presented as a selection of gameplay clips. This works by bringing up the camera, switching to first person, and recording what is highlighted in the environment. These clips will be automatically edited into “memoirs” and can be viewed in the menu.
For instance, at the beginning of the story, Swann wants to record objects around her room because she’s anticipating moving to Vancouver at the end of the summer. To complete the objective I recorded her cat, stick bug, desk, TV, and books.
It’s also possible to edit these memoirs by recording more clips and swapping them out or changing their order. However, I never felt incentivized to engage with this mechanic. There was only one instance where the other characters viewed the work, and when they did, it had no effect on the plot.
The remainder of the gameplay is exploring limited environments, interacting with characters, and finding items around the world to progress. Unfortunately, filming — even as the primary game mechanic — seemed to have little impact on the narrative and began to feel like busywork.
While Bloom and Rage is pretty to look at, it doesn’t hold up to Don’t Nod’s most recent Life is Strange, especially the fantastic motion capture that game had. While the environments here generally look good, there are unpolished textures, lots of graphical pop-in, some janky animations and more. It feels unpolished in a way that is slightly detrimental considering that the experience relies so much on exploring and interacting with the environment.
As to what type of story Bloom and Rage wants to tell, I don’t entirely know yet. That’s because almost all of Part 1 “Bloom” is setup. I had hoped that because this title was being released in two parts (rather than in several chapters like Life is Strange) it would establish and resolve more in the first section. However, Bloom and Rage part 1 is mainly focused on the bonding moments with Swann’s new circle.
Initially, Swann is an awkward, nerdy girl who doesn’t have many friends. However, this changes after she’s saved from bullying by the other main characters, Nora, Autumn, and Kat, who welcome her into their group. Nora and Autumn have a garage punk band, “Bloom and Rage”, and they all decide to make a music video together.
The story does do something interesting by cutting between 1995 (Swann as a teen) and 2022, when Swann is an adult, returning to Velvet Cove and reuniting with her friends. This “adult” section takes place at the local bar and is played in first person. Autumn is the first of the girls to arrive, and much of Part 1 is spent reminiscing with her.
During these grownup sections, I learned that the entire friend group has strange gaps in their memories, and the characters had promised to never talk to each other again. In addition, a mysterious package was sent to Autumn, which is part of why she called for the reunion in the first place. The package is addressed to “Bloom and Rage” and the characters decide to open it only when everyone from the group has arrived. These sections were engaging because there was some payoff to branching choices I had made earlier.
I enjoyed that the choices would sometimes be referenced later in the story, but as the things went on, I realized few of these choices mattered to the overall story. Their influence mattered only to a few small scenes or instances of dialogue.
In a larger sense, the story seemed mostly focused on taking its time and showing cute moments of the girls bonding or exploring — perhaps fitting, for an installment entitled “Bloom.” The content here is mostly nostalgia mixed with slice-of-life drama, the characters are likeable, and I didn’t mind spending time with them. However, there was little payoff to any of the drama, with one exception as Part 1 ends on a cliffhanger. Because of this, emotional stakes often felt rather low, which made some interactions feel weightless or overly long.
Apart from the circle ‘blooming’, there were breadcrumbs of a supernatural, or horror-like twist, but these were rare. Any suspense was undercut by hints that these moments could be interpreted as more of a metaphor for real-life drama, and less as something actually supernatural.
Having a slow burn or a setup that takes time to build isn’t inherently bad, but there was something frustrating about feeling baited about a spooky mystery for seven hours that ultimately may or may not matter in Part 2. If Bloom and Rage was leaned less into the supernatural and presented more like a teen drama, I wouldn’t have found this as bothersome. Of course, all of this could play out satisfyingly when the conclusion comes out in April. However, at this point I have my doubts.
While Bloom and Rage was an enjoyable romp through someone’s nostalgia, the frustrating pace of both the drama and the central mystery did not endear me to it. As is, I don’t feel as if I can recommend it the game until I see how things resolve in Part 2.
Rating: 5 out of 10
Disclosures: This game is developed and published by DontNod and published by DontNod. It is currently available on XBX/S, PS5 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PS5. Approximately 7 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There are no multiplayer modes.
Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated M and contains Blood and Gore, Nudity, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs and Alcohol, Violence. Underage girls smoke weed, and drink some beers. In addition, there is adult alcohol consumption. Talk of sexual situations such as kissing. There is light blood with cutting of hands and nose bleeds. Swear words like sh*t and f**k are said throughout. Antagonists use gay slurs and use fat shaming language.
Colorblind Modes: There are no colorblind modes.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game offers subtitles. The subtitles can be altered and/ or resized. All dialogue has written text, and even visual cues on screen show an indicator of who is talking. Sound effects are given visual indicators and no gameplay is compromised with lack of sound. This game is fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls.
- Yes, Your Grace 2: Snowfall Review - June 1, 2025
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Tape 1 Review - May 15, 2025
- Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Tape 2 Review - May 15, 2025