Don’t Nod has ventured into the RPG space in recent years and left the Life is Strange franchise in its rearview mirror, but even now, the interactive narrative-driven adventure genre is what the studio is most strongly associated with. Soon, it will be returning to its roots with Life is Strange spiritual successor Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, a game that seems to be looking to capture everything that defines a Don’t Nod experience first and foremost. For fans of the studio’s work, there’s certainly reason to be excited.
Ahead of the game’s approaching release, here, we’re going to talk about why, as we take a look at the key details that you should know about Lost Records: Bloom and Rage.
SETTING
You could never overstate the value and importance of the setting of Don’t Nod’s Life is Strange titles, and it seems like Lost Records is going for something similar. The game is set in a fictional town in Michigan named Velvet Cove. Described by the developer as a “seemingly sleepy little town” surrounded by “dense woodlands and serene lakes”, Velvet Cove is apparently “a place where beauty meets the bizarre”, which sounds very on-brand for Don’t Nod.
STORY
Coming-of-age stories, mystery, and buckets of interpersonal drama are the things you expect first and foremost in a Don’t Nod story, and yes, that’s what Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is promising as well. Its story will focus on a group of friends who swear never to speak to each other again after a mysterious and fateful event. Now, they are reunited 27 years later, forced to come face-to-face with that secret.
DUAL TIMELINES
Lost Records’ story is going to be told across two different timelines, interestingly enough. With one half of the story set in 1995 and the other half 27 years later, players will not only gradually uncover the secrets of the past over the course of the story, but also shape the present-day story alongside it. True to form for Don’t Nod, your actions and choices will also shape the story, with multiple endings and different outcomes possible for both timelines.
CHARACTERS
Don’t Nod’s talent for crafting compelling, relatable characters is known to anyone who’s played one of the studio’s games, which means expectations from Lost Records will be high. What do we know about the game’s cast though? According to the studio, the aforementioned group of friends that the story will be focused on will be four strong- Swann, Nora, Kat, and Autumn. That said, not each character is going to be equally prominent…
ONLY ONE PLAYABLE CHARACTER
The four aforementioned characters are going to be central to Lost Records’ story, but only one of them – Swann – will take on the role of playable protagonist. Speaking to GamesRadar about why the other three aren’t playable, creative director Michel Koch said the decision was made to avoid a feeling of disconnect from on-screen events. “I play a character in one scene, but then in the next scene I see this character talking to me, and I’m not choosing the words?” he explained.
DIALOGUE SYSTEM
One of the bigger improvements that Don’t Nod is promising in Lost Records over its previous adventure game is the dialogue system. For those who have played the Oxenfree games, this might be familiar, because apparently, dialogue interactions in Lost Records: Bloom and Rage will be much more dynamic and contextual. Players will be able to move in and out of conversations, interrupt characters at moments of their choosing, and even interact with things in their surroundings to open up new dialogue options. Speaking in an interview with CG Magazine, Koch said, “What we’re trying to do with Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is to make the dialogue system slightly more interactive and naturalistic in a way that you will be able to have much more urgency about when to talk when not to talk, how to use some of the things that are around your surroundings to bring new dialogue topics to the discussions.”
CAMCORDER
Another important part of Lost Record’s gameplay loop is going to be the camcorder- in half of the game, at least. In the past section, set in 1995, Swann will be equipped with a camcorder that she will be able to whip out at (almost) any time. The camcorder will be used for both puzzles and storytelling purposes, of course, but with the ability to record at almost anytime, anywhere, zooming in and out of things to your heart’s content, it looks like players will also be given the freedom to goof around in creative ways. After recording videos, in fact, you’ll also be able to edit them in various ways.
RELEASING IN TWO PARTS
Don’t Nod is no stranger to episodic releases, and though Lost Records isn’t quite adopting the old Life is Strange formula, it’s not releasing as one contiguous release either. The game is coming in two parts, or two “tapes”, as Don’t Nod as dubbed them, with Tape 1 called “Bloom” and Tape 2 titled “Rage”. Tape 1 will release on February 18, while Tape 2, which was previously set for March, was recently delayed to April 18.
LENGTH
Don’t Not has also confirmed that Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is going to be about 10-12 hours in length. That’s across both tapes, though it’s unclear whether that runtime will be roughly evenly divided across the two parts. The game is, of course, also promising some replay value with its multiple endings and choice and consequence mechanics, for those who want to get more out of it.
PHOTO MODE
Another details that the developer has confirmed for the upcoming adventure title is that it is going to have a Photo Mode available at launch. Further details on the features the mode will come with haven’t been revealed, though with the camcorder serving as a crucial gameplay feature, you’d expect the Photo Mode to be pretty full-featured.
BEGINNING OF A NEW SERIES
Moving on from Life is Strange was a big decision for Don’t Nod, but it looks like the studio now wants to own its own adventure series. In fact, it has confirmed that it’s viewing Lost Records: Bloom and Rage as the beginning of a series. Of course, that doesn’t say anything about what potential sequels or follow-ups could look like, but Don’t Nod has made its intentions to release further instalments in the universe pretty clear.
ACCESSIBILITY FEATURES
Over on the game’s official FAQ page, Don’t Nod has also revealed brief details on Lost Record’s suite of accessibility features. The game will feature options for motion sickness, gyro controls while using the camcorder, crosshair options, customizable controls, and more.
PC REQUIREMENTS
As you’d expect, Lost Records’ system requirements on PC aren’t particularly demanding- at least on the lowest settings. Minimum settings (which will run the game at 720 and 30 FPS) stipulate either an i7-2700K or an FX-8350, along with either a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (4 GB), a Radeon RX 560 (4 GB), or an Arc A380 (6 GB), and 8 GB of RAM. Meanwhile, to run the game at 1080p and 60 FPS on recommended settings, you’ll need either an i5-11400 or a Ryzen 5 5600X, along with either a GeForce RTX 3080 (10 GB) or an RX 6800XT (16 GB), and 16 GB of RAM.
Finally, to run the game at 4K and 60 FPS, you’ll need either an i5-12600K or a Ryzen 5 7600X, as well as a GeForce RTX 4090 (24 GB). On all settings, players will also need an SSD.
PC FEATURES
For those intending to play Lost Records: Bloom and Rage on PC, Don’t Nod has confirmed that the game will feature support for DLSS and FSR right out the gate. That said, ultrawide resolutions won’t be supported. The game will run on ultrawide monitors, but with black bars on the sides, according to the developer.
PRICE
When Lost Records launches for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, it will be sold for $39.99. That’s the price for both tapes put together, with no individual purchases being offered for each. When tape 2 releases in April, it’ll arrive in the form of a free update for all owners.
