Lost Records: Bloom and Rage — The Tape 2 Review

Reading Time: 8 minutes.

I reviewed the first half of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage a few weeks ago. You should definitely check out that review first, as this mostly just expands on it.

Since then, the second half came out, and I got to play that too. It’s tough to talk about this game without spoiling anything, but I feel like it’s necessary, so I’m going to do that. This is a spoiler-free review of the game. But if you’re worried about the screenshots, comments on mood or pacing, or anything else spoiling you, I’ll start the review with its ending: buy Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, it’s a game you won’t regret playing. You can see the score in the table of contents: 10/10. If that’s all you came for, there you go.

I played Lost Records Tape 1 dozens of times before I reviewed it. Tape 2, so far, about five times now. I spent over 300 hours in the game between PS5 and Steam Deck. Most of the reviewers will have spent perhaps a dozen or two hours in it, and they’re still recommending it with near-perfect scores. I’ve explored so many possibilities in it, and what I’ve come away from this game is remarkable. I keep finding new things. 300 hours in, and I find new pathways and options! It’s a technical achievement, to be sure, but it’s also one of the best examples of storytelling we have in gaming, perhaps across all types of media.

Bloom & Rage Tape 2 picks up shortly after the end of Tape 1. The revelations made at the end of Tape 1 set the pace for Tape 2. That’s quite the mood and pacing shift. That, I expected. In fact, it was the thing I was most worried about for Tape 2. Tape 1’s pacing was like a summer solstice day, as long as a day could be. The pacing was slow, but so perfect to get to know the characters, the story, and even get a taste of the mystery hidden at the core of this universe. Tape 2 feels rushed in comparison, but not so much that there aren’t still enjoyable moments left.

Rather than feeling like the “action” is condensed in a short 30 minute reveal and ending, it’s stretched out over the majority of the tape. The result is an interesting ride that certainly doesn’t feel like other games in this genre. This is certainly the start of something bigger, all while telling this story in a satisfying way, even if it does feel like it’s only half of a larger story.

Riot Grrrls and Their Bond

One of my biggest criticisms of this game applies exclusively to the second half. The bond the girls formed over that summer was the most important story to tell. What happened the summer of ’95? What did the girls do, what did they see, and what lead to them making a promise never to see each other again? And now, why are they receiving a package 27 years later forcing them to come together?

At the heart of this story is their bond. And yet, Tape 2 has few bonding moments. In Tape 1, Nora can mention meeting Swann’s cat. We never see this. It’s like the opposite of a Chekhov’s gun! A cat meeting was mentioned in Act 1 and we never saw it happen in Act 2!

The montage we get in Tape 1 is supposed to show us almost all of these girls’ July, but clearly there are days in between we never see. They’re sometimes mentioned and we can also see some items on Swann’s calendar that we never experience, but we never get to see or feel them. It feels like it’s rife with opportunities to add content, either in a sequel or through DLC. You’ll get the whole story, but by the end, I felt like I was missing some of the interactions I expected from the second act in Tape 2 leading into the chaos of the third act’s final scenes. If Tape 1 felt like it covered most of the days in July. August, that is, Tape 2, feels like it couldn’t fill a single week with events. And while those events are impactful, I long for those times in between them. At one point , a character drives the plot forward by saying something, “Remember what happened at the end of summer?” You feel the time fly past you, like a childhood not worth remembering. But isn’t remembering that summer the entire point? Isn’t this what drew us, the audience, in? We tossed it aside so quickly I couldn’t even take the time to mourn its passing. A little too much like life in that sense.

It in no way ruins the game, but it certainly made me feel like I missed out on what it could have been. I suppose a good story is one you can never get enough of, and I could play through this story for another 100 hours. In fact, I likely will. But if this game gets a 10/10 at the end of the scoring, and—in my book—it does, it’s because Tape 1 was a 11/10, and Tape 2 pulled its score down. The pacing was certainly a major disappointment, even if it’s not a deal-breaker.

The Mystery and the Magic

Don’t Nod loves their mysteries. They never hold your hand and point at things, saying, “Look, a clue!” Instead, you’ll find little clues hidden throughout the game that hint at what is the magic and mystery behind the abyss, that summer, the power in those woods, and those who can do the girls harm. I won’t go into details about what we can theorize here, only a reminder that Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is not supposed to be the only Lost Records game. It may not even be the only game discussing this abyss, or even these girls. Don’t Nod left the door open for a direct sequel. In fact, I’d argue it’s necessary, but that’s up for debate in the community. The story of the girls and their summer is at the heart of the game, and that story is told wonderfully. The abyss and that magic feels more like an important background character that we’ll only learn more about over time. A tease. The mystery of ’95 may be done by the time the credits roll, but there’s still far more to discover.

While that mystery doesn’t get solved in this game, you’ll be left with enough clues to put together a lot of details about the abyss. If you played the ARG, you’ll have a few more details as well.

I believe that’s how this larger mystery is going to play out. Every game might reveal a little more about the woods, what the girls found, and the mysteries of that power.

For now, it’s important to know that there is a timeless and unknowable power the girls stumble across, and how you decide they should use it. Far more important than that, is a story about their bond. That’s the core of this story.

There’s a real danger in those woods, and it’s not just what the girls find, but what they miss.

Gameplay and Performance

Gameplay largely didn’t change over Tape 1. There were a few bugs at launch that have since been patched. Don’t Nod even added animations and other dialog options since Tape 2 came out, which means if you played the game at launch, it may be different now. On the performance side, however, I’ve noticed a remarkable improvement on the Steam Deck. While the game would occasionally have framerate dips that would make the game come to a near standstill, it now runs relatively smoothly around 30fps, which is fast enough for a game like this. Tape 1 had the same improvements, and the game runs far better now.

I do wish the game leaned more on the memoirs. I felt like the collection could have paid off as more than just an item for us to check off to get platinum. I wanted these little movies to mean more. There are certainly a few times when you’re reminded that Swann’s movies do actually exist in this world, but they’re too few and far between for how much work we put into curating and making those memoirs. They could have been useful tools, but the opportunities rarely presented themselves.

Besides that, I also felt like the game took it too easy on us as far as puzzles were concerned. Tape 2 does actually provide a few areas where you have to think situations through, but mostly it’s your dialog choices guiding this story. My advice is to pay attention to everything, take your time, and get to know all the characters in this game. But your choices won’t be blockers, they’ll just change the story in dramatic ways you may not anticipate. Unfortunately, that does mean it’s light on puzzles or potential game blockers. I had hoped we’d have to get clever with our memoirs and camcorder, similar to Alex’s experience with her radio in Oxenfree, but that sadly was not the case. This did feel like a missed opportunity, but hopefully something they’d be willing to bring back in the future.

As for the graphics, even on those low settings to run the game on my Steam Deck, it looks gorgeous. I do recommend getting this game for the PS5 if you don’t have a beefy gaming PC, just because it looks amazing at its highest graphics settings. But if you’re stuck with something like a Steam Deck, it’s still a beautiful game. With the latest updates, I was not disappointed to play on my handheld.

Overall: 10/10

Witchcraft, Riot Grrrls, Mystery, Horror, Excitement, and Love. What’s Not to Love?

Life is Strange was a bit life-changing for me. It came at a difficult time in my life and showed me characters that felt like me. Chloe Price’s rebellious anger, Max’s introspection, and, of course, the fact that they’re both queer women. I felt seen in a video game for the first time. The years passed and that didn’t change. I even liked Life is Strange: Double Exposure, despite it taking away so much of what I loved about that first game. However, nothing hit me the same way Life is Strange 1 did. No movie, TV show, book, anime, game, nothing. I tried to get that fix in plenty of excellent places. Life is Strange sequels, Oxenfree, Night in the Woods, Gone Home, The Last of Us, Firewatch, Horizon: Zero Dawn, and so many others. Nothing had the depth of connection, the intensity that I felt quite like that first Life is Strange. Nothing felt like it was a missing piece of my heart.

Until now.

A decade later, a game has come along that made me remember what Life is Strange meant to me so long ago, and it did so by—in many ways—surpassing it. That familiar feeling of being seen, in multiple walks of my life, both the paths I traveled down and those I could have. In experiencing a perfect summer, in having my possibilities limited by people who think they know better, in love and loss, and the pain that time itself can bring. This game felt like piecing together a puzzle of my own life only to find the puzzle was a mirror, and we’re all reflected in it. I know it’s not a game made just for me. So many people are going to see themselves in this. So many are going to feel a deep connection here. I’m in awe of what Don’t Nod accomplished with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. They did such an amazing job of not only showing the innocence of youth, but lamenting its loss and remaining hopeful for the future in adulthood.

The first tape alone had me thinking Lost Records: Bloom & Rage has the potential to top Life is Strange. Don’t Nod may have finally found a way to make a game that was better than the game that, in many ways, redefined the genre. Life is Strange made me expect more of games, and while many have been great, none felt like Life is Strange. But Tape 2 had to stick the landing to achieve that praise. It would have to avoid the typical traps of games like this, such as rushing to the ending or leaning on hopeless tragedy to tie the plot together with sadness. It did. Lost Records stuck the landing.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage found a way to complete the story without destroying the plot with a rushed ending. The pacing was feverish, but never so much that it ruined it. And the ending? Endings? I found them satisfying and worth every minute I spent in the game. It’s an emotional ride you won’t want to miss.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 ended in a way that was very different than Tape 1. But like Tape 1, it just left me with one overwhelming feeling: where’s the next tape? Because, while this game brilliantly wraps up the story of what happened to these girls in 1995, it still left plenty of ways to keep the story going, and I hope to god they do. They’re going to need to see sales and community engagement for that to happen though. A franchise can’t be built on dreams alone.

Abyss, I have a wish.

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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is available for PS5, PC/Steam Deck, and Xbox. It’s just $40, which, frankly, feels like a steal for the first tape alone, let alone both of them. If you’re like me and felt like the developers should have taken more of your money, you can do what I did: order the vinyl. You can get a great feel for the characters from the playlists inspired by them here, where you can also find the official soundtrack if you want to give it a listen.

Go, buy it now, play it, and join us in waiting for this game to become a franchise. There might be copper in the mines of the Upper Peninsula, but Don’t Nod struck gold with these girls, this story, and this game.