DON’T NOD is one of those developers that always push the envelope as far as storytelling goes. How can we push the genre? How can we tell stories in new and exciting ways? These are questions the developers often try to answer. With Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Tape 1, they’ve revisited the heart of Life is Strange and harnessed the simplicity and honesty of what made them stand out from the crowd. Split into two parts, ‘Bloom’ (or Tape 1) is a stunning start to a story that hooks you from the get go.
While there is a supernatural element to Bloom and Rage Tape 1, everything revolves around growing up and finding yourself. I may not have personal experience of being a young girl trying to find my place in this world. However, I have two teenage daughters that fill me in in almost every aspect of their daily lives. I see the struggles they go through with their friends. I see how they are trying to find their voice, themselves, and their place in the world. DON’T NOD has delved into that struggle, and it’s so special.
Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Tape 1 alternates between two timelines, following four girls in 1995 as well as 27 years into the future. Back in the mid-90s, Swann, an avid filmmaker is packing up her life before moving to Canada with her parents. Before she does, she starts to build a friendship with three other social outcasts who all find joy in each other’s company. Each character has a unique personality. Forever filled with hopeful optimism and joy, finding solace in each quirk and trait that makes them stand out from the crowd.
It’s easy to warm to these girls. Sometimes that youthful enthusiasm and quirkiness can be annoying in the wrong hands. DON’T NOD has instead given us four different characters all with charming mannerisms and personalities. All can be warmed to quickly, helping to set up a story filled with a foreboding dread that something, at some point, is going to go wrong. In the present day, the girls meet up in a diner after receiving a mysterious box. Of course, we know something happened in that summer in 95, but we don’t know what.
The story cuts back and fourth between the 90s and today, with future characters talking off camera as we see the four girls at band practice, filming a music video in the woods, and living their lives, all the while waiting for the moment their lives change forever. The dialogue always feels natural, acted beautifully by the cast. The familiar choice mechanics play out and allow Swann, the character you play as, to build her relationship with Autumn, Nora, and Kat. This can be done with the littlest decision, all forming strong bonds and special moments.
It makes you care about every single choice you make. These girls are sweet and wholesome. You worry for them. You fear for what lies in wait. While I won’t ruin anything here, the tension and nerves culminate in ways that refuse to fall into any particular trope. What makes Lost records: Bloom and Rage Tape 1 feel more personable is the use of Swann’s camcorder. She loves movies and she loves life. This allows you to capture the world around you; it allows you to create snapshots of a life you feel you’re living.
One particular moment that I adored was the band practice. It is Swann’s first attempt at befriending the girls and making a big impression. The thing is, these are girls that all seem to share that feeling of being lost. Swann begins to settle quickly in their presence. You really start to feel the warmth among this group of girls. They’ll ask you to get involved as if you’ve known them forever. I’ve seen how my eldest has struggled with her friend group, and I pray she finds those as welcoming and as sweet as those in this game.
I cannot wait for part 2. Swann is a joy to play as, with friendships so delicately planned and orchestrated within the confines of the story, taking you down some exciting roads as it plays towards the finale. Being able to record clips and rewatch in your own time makes it feel more personal to you as the player, and the choices all help to build friendships as you try and find yourself. Lost Records: Bloom and Rage Part 1 is a wonderful beginning and a perfect return to form to the developers who gave us Life and Strange.
