Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

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Great game, really had 90's vibes. Characters fleshed out and well written your choices matter and affect how the character interact and how the story plays out between all of them.

Like the Thumbs Up says, Recommended. Especially for anyone who loves Dontnod's games, [i]Life is Strange[/i] in particular. For some people, "Yes" or "No" is enough. For others who want to know why? Read on. [b][u]The Story[/u][/b] November, 2022. A young woman returns to her hometown of Velvet Falls, Michigan and walks into a bar to reunite with some old friends. It sounds like an everyday scenario, except that this group of friends had once made a binding promise to never see each other again. The only thing that could make them break this oath is a mysterious package, one that conjures memories from the Summer of 1995, twenty-seven years ago. Suddenly the everyday scenario has morphed into something out of a psychological thriller, as Swann Holloway and her friends reflect on their childhood memories from that summer, while also pondering the mystery of what brought them back together. This is the narrative which frames [i]Lost Records: Bloom & Rage,[/i] and it is anything but boring. On the surface, the world of the game feels like a beautiful ode to "1990s Summer Vacation," with VHS tapes and a local video store dominating the opening hours. No spoilers, but supernatural elements that similarly feel like they're plucked straight out of [i]The Craft[/i] and Stephen King's [i]Carrie[/i] eventually add a much-welcomed weight as the story begins to take on a more defining shape. Even then, [i]Bloom & Rage[/i] defies easy categorization, simultaneously acting as a tale of lost childhood, a compelling mystery, and a disturbing horror story. Such varying genres are always a challenge to juggle, but like many of Dontnod's previous titles, [i]Bloom & Rage[/i] does it well. [b][u]The Gameplay[/u][/b] The gameplay mechanics are what you'd expect from the company that made [i]Life is Strange.[/i] There are times when the game feels like a walking simulator, but exploration and storytelling are the point, and it's well worth taking the time to appreciate the world of Velvet Cove. Much like later titles in the series, such as Deck Nine's [i]True Colors, Bloom & Rage[/i] also gives the player some original elements to work with that are both fun and unique. Players who have already met Max Caulfield are no strangers to cameras...except that in this game, Swann Holloway wields a camcorder. Rather than simply taking static Polaroids, players now get to record live footage and splice the recordings together to make short videos. Needless to say, the level of freedom this affords is nearly unlimited, in a way that has honestly never been seen before in a Dontnod game. As for the Choices, those who have followed the [i]Life is Strange[/i] series since the first game will be able to chart the evolution of its most defining mechanic. Much like the later games [i]Life is Strange 2[/i] and [i]True Colors, Bloom & Rage[/i] incorporates so many different Choice options--both in dialogue and character actions--that multiple endings, Romances, and plot developments are indeed possible. Yet [i]Bloom & Rage[/i] takes this capability even further than its predecessors with the amount of possible "Decision Points," ensuring that no two players will ever have the same experience. At the end of the day, if you love Dontnod's games, or if you just want a truly compelling story about four girls, their amazing summer, and what they found with each other, I highly recommend [i]Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.[/i]