Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

[b]"Lost Records: Bloom and Rage" left me with mixed feelings. Having played many of DON'T NOD’s previous games, I knew to expect limited interactivity and a story driven mostly through dialogue. But the lack of new ideas is starting to make this formula feel tired. Recording clips with your camera becomes a chore between cutscenes, and the few puzzles are childish. Most importantly, the writing — once one of DON'T NOD’s strongest qualities — is mediocre at best here. The characters feel stereotypical, the dialogue often comes across as cringe, several story elements make little sense, and the game leans heavily on forced, overdramatic moments. The pacing is also problematic, with many boring, stretched-out scenes and constant flashbacks that break continuity and fail to build any real crescendo. Technically, the game is mostly solid: beautiful visuals, good voice acting, great music, smooth animations, and a large number of choices that genuinely affect major events. But there are only two reasons I barely give it a positive review. First, it’s a good example of magical realism, blending imaginary and real events to create an eerie atmosphere. Second, it offers thoughtful commentary on social and political issues that many developers ignore. Manometer: 5/10[/b] The good - Beautiful visuals with strong graphics and exceptional atmospheric lighting. It’s not photorealistic, but it has its own distinct style and identity. - Smooth, realistic animations. Despite some stiffness, facial expressions successfully convey emotions and psychological states. - Good voice acting performances. Each voice fits the character and their personality well. - Despite pacing issues, the direction is decent, offering interesting framing, camera movement, and several gorgeous shots. - Great music with many original tracks that perfectly match the teenage vibe and enhance the atmosphere of each scene. Music is used wisely and doesn’t constantly play in the background. - Although the story has problems, it cleverly comments on social and political issues such as coming of age, sexism, toxic relationships, harassment, girlhood empowerment, and breaking social stereotypes. The game is pointed in its approach without becoming didactic. - A strong example of magical realism, blending fantasy and reality so effectively that you’re never sure what’s metaphorical and what’s literal. It creates an eerie atmosphere and maintains a good balance where fantasy never overwhelms reality. - Although you're never sure what will be the outcome of every choice, they feel logical and impactful. You never feel like you’re selecting answers randomly. - Many key story moments change depending on your choices, adding interest and a bit of replayability. It’s also nice that the game lets you review your choices at the end and compare them with players worldwide. - Although the camera-recording idea is underused and becomes tiring, watching your clips afterward is fun and gives a sense of directing your own little movie. - The second part of the game has much better pacing, fewer flashbacks, and more meaningful to the story scenes. The bad - Very bad pacing. I understand the intention to make you bond with the characters, but the first half is full of meaningless, stretched-out conversations that feel like filler. The constant back-and-forth in time makes the story feel fragmented and disconnected, failing to build continuity, tension, or crescendo. The mystery surrounding the protagonists fades quickly, and among all the small events and indifferent conversations, you even forget about the box and what it hides. I played the game in four sessions and never felt the urge to continue because I wanted to know what happens next. - The camera-recording mechanic has potential but is used unimaginatively. You must record a specific number of clips each time for the story to progress, turning it into a chore and reminding you that this is a game with objectives. Side recording tasks add nothing and worsen the pacing. The mechanic doesn’t integrate organically with the story — you record five clips, and then a cutscene takes over. - The story is problematic and often illogical. It’s supposed to portray a group of girls with strong bonds, yet the protagonists have known each other for only a few days. During every melodramatic scene I kept thinking, “You met her yesterday — why do you care so much?” Scenes like the concert and the entire final act feel over the top, unjustified by the events leading up to them. Many dramatic moments feel forced, full of big words and oaths of eternal friendship, as if the creators wanted to dictate your emotions instead of being subtle. - Characters are very stereotypical: the funny one, the shy one, the mature one, the weirdo. I don’t know who boomer wrote them, but I constantly felt that 16-year-olds don’t act like this. Their actions and conversations, especially in the first half, feel more like those of six-year-olds. The sentimental dialogue often feels forced and cringe, making me think that real people don’t speak like that. - I have played many of their games, but DON'T NOD’s formula is starting to feel obsolete. I knew what to expect in terms of interactivity, but this approach lacks new ideas. Gameplay is extremely limited, and even the camera mechanic is just filler since the story progresses only through dialogue. The few puzzles are extremely straightforward, and the single stealth sequence is clunky and simplistic. Most scenes boil down to characters telling you “bring me that” or “bring me this.” This game feels even less interactive than "Life is Strange", and if you’ve played their previous titles, this recipe offers almost nothing new and becomes tiring. - Tons of elements and texture pop-in, especially on characters’ clothing.

It’s like if Yellowjackets and Life is Strange had a baby. It’s so freaking good. And Kat... I love you😭

Entre con mucho hype al juego pero definitivamente Don'tNod esta lejos de conseguir el impacto del primer Life is Strange en sus historias. Siento que las dos cintas no cuentan realmente nada, es dificil empatizar con los personajes y dista mucho de lo conseguido antes

This game is emotional, beautiful and engaging! Loved this game so much, The story was rich and endearing! I Very much recommend this game with my whole being!!

Holy. Crap. (it wouldn't let me say the s word)

QUE JOGO PERFEITOOO. O enredo acompanha quatro melhores amigas que vivenciam um verão inesquecível e misterioso em 1995, na cidadezinha chamada Velvet Cove. Anos depois, um reencontro inesperado as obriga a revisitar um evento traumático e sobrenatural que prometeram esquecer, a trama alterna entre passado e presente enquanto os segredos e memórias vão se revelando. A ambientação dele é simplesmente perfeita (você realmente se sente naquele cenário de 1995), além disso, é muito divertido e imersivo poder gravar os momentos com a câmera. O ar de mistério dele é muuuito bom, a vibe em si me lembrou muito de obras como IT e stranger things, não pelo terror, mas pela dinâmica de amizade que as personagens desenvolvem, que é oque realmente se destaca nesse jogo (e o romance que pode se desenvolver posteriormente com alguma delas tbm é muito fofoo ^^). É impossível não se apaixonar pelas protagonistas, cada uma tem uma personalidade marcante e interessante, me apeguei muito! A trilha sonora também é um dos pontos fortíssimos, as músicas são incríveis e combinam perfeitamente com a atmosfera linda que esse jogo traz. E a história é muito comovente, e bota muito nisso, me emocionei horrores kkkkk Sem dúvida se tornou um dos meus jogos de escolha favoritos, se você é fã de life is strange e jogos de história joguee, é mto lindo https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3755110562 https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3754551730

Precisei de um dia para escrever a análise pois chorei igual a primeira vez de lis. A minha história com 'life is strange' começou quando eu tinha 13 anos e a história mexeu( e mexe) comigo até hoje. Eu não sabia nada sobre esse jogo, jogar ele sem nenhum spoiler realmente foi uma experiência. Eu me joguei de cabeça na história da Kat, e ela foi a minha alma gêmea. Talvez se eu não tivesse ido pelo caminho dela não teria doido tanto. Esse jogo trás completamente a essência do primeiro jogo de lis e deixa um vazio igual. Se tornou um dos meus favoritos com certeza, preciso de mais jogos assim. Fica de recomendação para todos os fãs de lis e que ele tenha mais reconhecimento , pois ele merece. PS: Gostaria de uma terceira fita hoje. Spoiler: Sobre meu final, não foi o melhor do jogo, mas eu entendi completamente e na minha narrativa fez muito sentido a Nora ir embora. Não mudaria nada nas minhas escolhas e acredito que a Nora só não estava pronta e respeitamos isso - Até porque...foi ela que matou o Corey na minha história, então o peso foi maior para ela. Ela assumiu que eu fui o seu primeiro amor - e que a Kat foi o meu. A Autumn eu tive uma conexão absurda e eu consigo entender perfeitamente o sentimento dela em 95. Ela ficou comigo até o final. Que jogo lindo.

ВСЕ АХУЕННА

Eu, que sou apaixonada e já joguei toda a franquia de LiS umas 10 mil vezes, achei Lost Records muito, mas muuuuito massivo, parado, com uma jogabilidade super travada, não tive interesse nenhum em continuar pois cheguei num ponto que não aguentava mais.

我很少玩这种像电影一样的游戏，才刚开始玩，有点晕，然后有点慢还不能快进只能慢慢听他们把每一句话说完。几个主角长得并不好看，但是没到玩不下去的程度。剧情等玩完再回来评价吧。价格小贵，不急的话可以再等等。