An exquisite and suspenseful adventure game filled with supernatural elements and gut punches to friendship
I’ve never played a DontNod project. I love adventure games, but the Young Adult genre isn’t something I’m all that into. I’m in my 40s! I’m old! I can’t relate to the modern young gen outside a mutual respect for Kendrick and saying “cringe” all the time! I wouldn’t know where to even connect with the genre’s gaming side, let alone even be really motivated to jump in. That being said, the developer’s Lost Records: Bloom & Rage may have upended all of my narrative beliefs, because not only did I really, really enjoy it but I found some incredible connections with the characters that I wasn’t expecting.
Bloom & Rage is split into two parts, with Tape 1 having recently released and Tape 2 dropping later this month. This first half introduces us to the characters and setting, what draws them together and ultimately pulls them apart. It takes place mostly in the 90s in Michigan, so I had an instant connection to it. A lot of details are spot on, like the tiny side of the road ice cream stands and movie rental places, and small town “Up North” suburbia where time sort of stands still. It really captures that vibe well, so much so that I felt like I was up at our own cabin in mid-Michigan.
The game revolves around four teenage girls and their shifting relationships. They meet by happenstance, and though they bring in different kinds of baggage they immediately bond. And, being a YA plot things start to spiral out of control, eventually spinning into the supernatural. The game’s adventure backbone is good at drawing us in and letting us explore at our own pace; because so much of it is about the relationships and how they affect the outcome of the story, how we react to specific situations often feels like things are speeding up or slowing down between the cast. That leads to a really good story. It’s compelling, it has a lot of drama, and the character-building is immaculate. We get to know these folks, even the ones who are just in the peripherals. Swann is the lead character, this quiet, introverted girl who opens up along the way. Our first interactions are between her and her mom, this nebulous person on the other end of a phone speaker. Our understanding of Swann is set by how we build that mother-daughter relationship, by talking, by brushing things off, by not answering specific questions and, most importantly, by listening.
We do a lot of listening in this game, before we can interact. We need to look at and “see” everything, because everything is a clue to something else, even if it feels mundane in nature. That crumpled piece of paper on the floor? Important. The sign for a band at a bar? Important. The beer choice? Importane. The game has slow moments by design to give us the time to look, discover and respond to everything, and though the minutiae are often worthwhile that tempo may be a little bit of a turnoff if we’re not expecting it.
The game has a strong art direction, too, and has a lot of nice attention to detail. Swann’s bedroom has so much decade-accurate stuff in it that it feels like it was my room. I especially loved the bar we visit early in the game. The wood panel flooring, the out of the way bathroom, the cup circles on the lacquer wood tables — this aura gives it a real “it’s been here for a while, for everyone in this town” feel. “Bloom” is in the game’s name and it sure feels like they’re using a lot of it in the visuals, especially when we come across the more dreamy or mystic aspects. It has great audio, too, and nails the utilization of its soundscape, especially since so much of the 90s were about music that asked us to push back.
There are some chonky things though. I’ve been playing it mostly on the SteamDeck, and though it’s smooth there are definitely some moments where in-game scenes look a little weird, like hair not sitting right on someone’s head or some shadows that pop in and out incorrectly. But it never chugs. The framerate seems to keep up well, and fidelity of the textures is consistent. No weird pop-in is a good thing.
We move around in a 3D space within the world, but the game has an intriguing hook of using a camcorder to collect information and record things. We’re kind of scanning everything, seeing how things come together, recording memories. Interestingly we can play them back later and even link them into memories. It’s neat. But there’s also so much of it. There are A LOT of collectibles, everywhere, and a bunch can affect how the narrative spins. So it can be overwhelming because we might miss a bird or a piece of paper that opens up a thread later. If we’re really into collecting, though, it’s not going to disappoint.
I’m really surprised by how much I ended up enjoying Lost Records: Bloom & Rage so far because I don’t fit into that YA segment. It’s easy to find myself cheering for the characters and really leaning into and wondering where the story will twist to next. It’s the first of two parts, and because the suspense that builds up in this first half hits a crescendo just before letting us know there’s more coming, it’s left me a bit on edge and ready to dive into what’s next.
This review is based on a Steam code sent to SideQuesting by the publisher. The video first appeared on The SideQuest LIVE on February 23rd, 2025.
No Comments