Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Tape 2

When I first booted up Tape 1 of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, Dontnod Montreal’s latest entry into Dontnod’s already stellar catalog, my expectations were a little high. These types of narrative experiences, essentially Choose Your Own Adventure movies, hit really well for me. I had always planned on it touching me, reaching into my soul and reminding me that for the duration of this story, my mood and general well-being would be in their hands. In Tape 1, I felt comforted by the fact that...

With the story complete, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is dazzling. Teen rage, girl power, sapphic love – it's all explored with care and consideration. It's rough around the edges in parts, but Don't Nod has created a wonderful supernatural coming-of-age story that ends with teen defiance and queer rage.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 drops you straight into the story with next to no recap on what has happened before. It has been months since the first part, so you may have forgotten major parts of the storyline. It would have been great to get a cutscene of the band's past adventures, like each Life is Strange episode did back in the day. Once you get further into the plot, however, you'll begin to remember major elements of the narrative. This is obviously not going to be an issue for those who play both parts simultaneously from now on.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the latest narrative adventure game from Don’t Nod. I reviewed the opening half of this journey, Bloom, a couple of months back; this is a review for the second part, Rage. For the uninitiated, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage most closely resembles Don’t Nod’s previous work on Life is Strange, a character-driven narrative game where player decisions shape the story.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2: Rage delivers a ton of power in its exploration of fear, death, and friendship. It doesn’t always bring its elements together smoothly, but when it does, it delivers a summer that you will never forget.

Lost Records: Bloom and Rage - Tape 2 is a solid continuation of Tape 1, offering emotional depth and an atmosphere that pulls you in. However, pacing issues and the underwhelming supernatural elements hold it back from being truly great.

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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, from Life is Strange developer, Don't Nod, returns for its second and final episodic entry, Tape 2: Rage.

lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 completes a tale earnestly told, but falls back on some stale twists and turns in its final moments.

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2 refines the gameplay while delivering a story conclusion that may divide players. The story gives satisfying resolutions to many of the complex, multilayered narrative threads, but some of the more ambitious supernatural elements fail to deliver a full payoff. The addition of new gameplay mechanics, particularly the puzzles that shift between past and present, adds welcome depth to the experience. Ultimately, the story comes together in a way that feels emotionally fitting, but it leaves several key questions unanswered. As it stands, the game feels incomple...

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage - Tape 2 continues the nostalgic '90s aesthetic as you follow the events after the first tape's rock show. Let's go!

Stronger emotional stakes and faster-paced drama promise an explosive climax that ultimately pulls its biggest punch.