- Publisher: DONTNOD Entertainment
- Release Date: Feb 18, 2025
- Also On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
- Unscored
-
Mar 3, 2025The first part of a duology that promises to be unforgettable, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Tape 1 lays the foundations for an even more intriguing sequel, Tape 2. By the end of this first part, you'll be left with just one question: what really happened that summer? What really happened that summer in 1995? And above all, what happens next?
-
Feb 20, 2025Lost Records: Bloom & Rage stands out in its genre for its shockingly real portrayal of its characters and the world they live in, delivering an experience that can be too close to home; the defining realism that makes the game something of a masterpiece.
-
Feb 18, 2025Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Tape 1 is a stunning return to form, offering a great story and a bunch of wholesome, special characters. The choices feel more personal to you, and the camcorder mechanic adds more depth to Swann, allowing you to feel more in control of your own destiny than before.
-
Feb 18, 2025Don’t Nod has once again managed to deliver a captivating story, subtly and realistically portraying the struggles and highlights of teenage life. The switch between the two timelines adds dynamic gameplay, where your choices truly impact both the present and the past. While there are occasional awkward moments in the game, the atmosphere and experiences create a beautiful game that truly tugs at your emotions. I’m curious to see what the second part has in store for us and whether it can surpass the first.
-
Feb 18, 2025Part One is the perfect beginning to a story that will stay with you for a long time to come, all set against an evocative soundtrack.
-
Feb 18, 2025The first part of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is a wonderfully sincere portrait of teenage girlhood. Don’t Nod has returned to, and evolved, a tried and true formula, and the result is a supernatural teen coming-of-age story that’ll spirit your heart away.
-
Feb 18, 2025Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 might only be the first half of the story, yet even as I rolled credits, tears streaming down my cheeks, I felt satisfied and deeply curious about the chaos its cliffhanger ending had wrought. I’m keen to dig in and unlock the missing pieces of Swann and Co.'s past, one aberrated camcorder clip at a time.
-
Feb 18, 2025Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is an exciting start to Don’t Nod’s return to narrative adventures. Its excellent story, linked to the good use of the 90s theme, is enough to be captivating in this first episode. However, the game suffers from significant performance issues.
-
Feb 18, 2025Impeccable vibes, a solid narrative, and strong characters make the trip to Velvet Cove more than worth it. Tape 1 of Lost Records: Bloom and Rage effortlessly transports you back to a simpler time, while telling a grounded and melancholy tale of what happens when the perfect summer, isn’t. While it’s occasionally let down by an uneven technical state, the strength of the story still stands tall. I’m more than excited to continue the story of Swann and her friends in Tape 2.
-
Mar 14, 2025Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 1 is a beautiful story with characters who are easy to care for. It’s a promising start to an adventure that already feels unique, yet unfortunately isn’t willing to challenge the emotions of its players.
-
Feb 20, 2025There's been better narrative games, but none so achingly familiar as Lost Record's quartet of young punks.
-
Feb 18, 2025In conclusion, I truly enjoyed playing through the Bloom section of the game. I have played the Life Is Strange games and I might prefer this, but perhaps that’s my 90’s nostalgia speaking! I will replay the game before the second half to get better relationship statuses as it turns out I wasn’t doing as well as I thought with my friendships (and possible relationships). If you are interested in story-driven games, some 90’s nostalgia, and paranormal magic vibes, then I do recommend you check out Lost Records.
-
Feb 18, 2025Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a very powerful story - and the ending really took me by surprise. You had the feeling that "something was up" - just not that! It's a powerful story about people, about insecurity, about love, about hate, about being a teenager in the 90s and it's especially a poignant story about friendship and some human qualities that would make the world a much better place if more of us had them. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a game that sticks in your head for a while after you've finished playing it. Not many games can do that.
-
Feb 18, 2025In the background, the mystery at the heart of the game is subtly introduced and there’s much to anticipate from the second part. Mostly though, it’s the characters and their brittle relationships that stick with you. Three days after finishing the game I’m still thinking about them, worrying about them, inhabiting that old shack with them. Unless you simply refuse to indulge in emotional young adult drama, you will be right there, too.
-
Feb 18, 2025This is a deep immersion into the life of its central character, loving in its sense of detail and specificity.
-
Feb 18, 2025Bloom & Rage pulled me deep into the mysteries of Velvet Cove and hasn’t let go, even after finishing. Despite some technical hiccups, the friendships of Swann, Kat, Nora, and Autumn steal the show. The pacing could be tighter, and the moments between time jumps longer, but I can’t wait to see what fate awaits them in the next chapter this April.
-
Mar 22, 2025Set across two timelines—1995 and 2022—Lost Records: Bloom and Rage follows a group of friends as they navigate one unforgettable summer and the unresolved secrets that come back to haunt them decades later. With a unique recording mechanic, emotionally driven dialogue choices, and a nostalgic and sometimes eerie atmosphere, the game immerses players in a deeply personal story about memory, friendship, and the consequences of the past.
-
Feb 18, 2025When Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is strong, it's strong. But without the Tape 2 Rage, I'm unfortunately left with too much gap to close, not enough life lived, and not enough of a tactile interactive experience to immerse me in Swann's life and Velvet Cove.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
-
Feb 18, 2025Lost Records is bland, derivative, lacks momentum, does not reward player agency, and it twice made me cringe so hard I had to look away from the screen. I wish it was half as long as it is. I wish it had learned to let go of the ideas that have lost their power, like Sarah does in Labyrinth. I wish it had learned you can tell your coming-of-age story about a teenage girl with energy and originality... like Labyrinth. I am, despite all of that, looking forward to finding out whether any of it pays off when the second and final part releases on April 15th.
Awards & Rankings
There are no user reviews yet.