Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a graphic adventure game, produced by Don't Nod Montréal for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series. It tells the story of four friends – Swann, Nora, Autumn and Kat, who reunite 27 years after a mysterious event, when they were teenagers in the quiet Velvet Cove, Michigan.
Gameplay
Bloom & Rage takes place in the fictional town of Velvet Cove, Michigan, where four friends reunite after 27 years: Nora, Autumn, Kat, and the protagonist Swann.
The player primarily uses dialogue to understand the reason for the meeting and as "part of recreating the story with choices and consequences", according to creative director Michel Koch. The player's decisions for Swann lead to building relationships or alienating her from other characters, as explained in the gameplay reveal trailer.
Despite the four central characters, only Swann will be playable. According to Koch, the decision was made so that different perspectives would not cause players to feel disconnected "from what's happening on screen."
Development history
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the first game from Don't Nod Montréal, as the studio was named after it moved from its home country of France. Many of the Lost Records team members are the same as those from the first two games in the Life is Strange series, which, after LIS 2, was transferred to Deck Nine's development team, at the decision of Square Enix).
Production began in 2020, shortly after the company established itself in Canada. The game had an initial teaser, with a fourth that harked back to the 90s; the official announcement took place at the Game Awards 2023, with a release date scheduled for late 2024. In August 2024, however, the game was delayed to avoid competition with Life is Strange: Double Exposure, which was scheduled for October. Soon after, new release dates for the initial chapters, Tape 1 and Tape 2, were confirmed: February and March 2025.
American writers were hired to avoid flaws in the script (since the production team is mostly French), including Desiree Cifre and Nina Freeman – considered capable of better portraying the local culture and ensuring the authenticity of the characters in the two timelines in which the plot takes place.
According to producer Koch, the game was produced as a "foundation for a possibly larger universe", implying that the intention was to start a franchise; creative producer Luc Baghadoust confirmed that they should make more games under the title Lost Records, with Bloom & Rage being the first.
Plot
In 1995, in the town of Velvet Cove, Michigan, four high school friends form a bond of friendship around their band: Swann, Nora, Autumn and Kat. A mysterious event forces them to keep a pact, but in 2022, one of them receives a package, bringing memories of a discovery they have tried to keep secret since then.
Images
X-ray
- Development
- Don't Nod
- Direction
- Michel Koch
- Production
- Luc Baghadoust
- Players
- 1 (single-player)
- Genre
- Graphic adventure
- Characters
- Swann, Autumm, Kat, Nora
