Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Preview - Capturing nostalgia

I may have been born in the twilight years of the 90s but nostalgia is something I have experienced all of my life.

I am forever living inside the past in my head, and even if that is a detrimental way to live, it is how I find the most comfort. I crave the safety and magic of childhood and even the struggles I faced growing up. I miss it when life still seemed magical and all of that and more is captured (quite literally) in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.

Developed by Don’t Nod, who is perhaps best known for creating Life is Strange, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is an upcoming narrative adventure game which takes players back to the summer of ‘95.

We follow the story of the now 43-year-old Swann who looks back at her teenage summer in Velvet Cove.

It was a summer she spent with friends Nora, Autumn and Kat and it was a summer filled with the warmth and comfort of childhood.

However, things are not as they first appear as we soon discover that the gang promised to keep a secret all those years ago and as a result, promised to never see each other again.

We begin Lost Records: Bloom & Rage as the now adult Swann and Autumn seemingly break that vow by meeting 27-years later and it is through the events of the game that we will discover the secret they all swore to protect.

Don't Nod

I was lucky enough to receive a first look preview of this narrative title which gave me access to several divided parts. This allowed me to get a feel of the game without having any of its story spoiled. However, that did mean that its cliffhanger was a tough one to bear.

The scenes give us a look at Swann packing up to leave her childhood bedroom, spend time with the girls at Nora’s hangout and eventually head to the woods to shoot a music video for the budding musicians.

Through this, I was already able to get an understanding of the girls from the awkward Swann to the straight-talking but sad Kat and from the rebellious Nora to the ever-friendly Autumn.

They are typical teenagers that I could imagine growing up in the 90s.

Much like Life is Strange and other narrative adventures, gameplay consists of exploring the environment, interacting with items and of course, striking up conversations with the other characters.

It is these conversations that become integral to the story, especially as choices of dialogue can dramatically affect the story. Not only that but you can be interrupted or ignored which makes it feel even more realistic.

Some dialogue is unlocked by exploring the environment and choosing certain options will seemingly increase your relationship with others or unlock other branches of conversation.

As a result, I was able to experience what it was like to be a teenager during this time.

I found weed stashed away in a VHS case, I gazed upon Swann’s various X-Files memorabilia, sorted through her cluttered desk littered with floppy disks and discovered her various Pez dispensers.

Teenagers have never felt more realistic as they did in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage and made me reminisce about my teenagedom. From battling with acne, having awkward conversations and stealing alcohol.

Don't Nod

What was perhaps the most nostalgic, and incidentally a key part of the gameplay, was Swann’s camcorder which she uses to see the world through.

Swann is able to record certain scenes, such as Nora and Autumn rocking out or the girls acting out kissing scenes in the woods, or she is able to go rogue and earn collectibles by recording 25 birds for example.

Clips can then be stitched together and watched back and the grainy footage with echoing sound takes me back to my childhood where my grandparents would record my every move.

The entirety of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage feels like living in a memory even if I didn’t experience everything Swann and the gang did. I still felt a part of it even for the small amount of time I experienced the preview for.

Much like Swann, I became a constant presence, filming these girls as they experienced their last summer together, doing cartwheels in the woods and talking about boys.

However, as much as Lost Records: Bloom & Rage first appears as a series of idyllic reminiscing, there is an underlying mystery that forever sits at the back of your mind as you watch the girls explore their youths.

From the scenes switching between 1995 and previous day, you are forever left wondering what the secret was that broke the gang apart. This is especially felt when modern day Swann and Autumn sit at a local diner with a mysterious capsule waiting on the table between them.

One of Bloom & Rage’s main selling points will be its cinematography and graphics.

The reason I felt so much nostalgia during my preview was due to many things but it was its warm lighting and colours that took me back to a time where the world was a little brighter.

I found myself walking slowly through the woods, watching the sunlight dappling on the ground before me or breaking through the trees like a flood. I watched the water glistening across the lake as a deer bent down to drink and the scene was complete with the sound of insects chirping, unseen but belonging.

Overall, Don’t Nod’s latest title is set to stand toe-to-toe with the greats and may even overtake Life is Strange in popularity. Either way, it is definitely one to keep on your radar going into the new year.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is set to release in two parts on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 on 18 February and 18 March, 2025.