Lost Records: Bloom & Rage

Xbox AchievementsRichard Walker

80/100

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage marks developer Don't Nod returning to its Life is Strange pinnacle, delivering a coherent and compelling yarn that expertly flits between an evocative 1995 and a friend's reunion in 2022. Bring on the sequel.

GamereactorPalle Havshøi-Jensen

8/10

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a game that sticks in your head for a while after you've finished playing it. Not many games can do that, and if you've played the first episode, do yourself a favour and play Tape 2 as well, because it's just as good as the first and completes the beautiful story of the four friends Nora, Autumn, Kat, and not least Swann.

Digital TrendsGiovanni Colantonio

When you grow up in a small town, punk rock isn’t just music: It’s a lifeline. Fuzzed out guitars blaring out of garages become the soundtrack of rebellion. It’s the music that the cops tell you to turn down, that your parents can’t stand, that your politicians try to demonize. It is loud. It is antagonistic. And in Lost Records: Bloom and Rage, it is freedom.

Impulse GamerGareth Newnham

Lost Records: Tape 1 Bloom is a laser-focused nostalgia trip for those of us of a certain vintage, successfully recreating the long summers of the mid-90s

Capsule ComputersTravis Bruno

7.5/10

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage captures its dual eras perfectly while delivering an emotional story with new elements, even if bugs and poor writing decisions drag it down in the second half.

ShackNewsOzzie Mejia

7/10

Don't Nod Montreal has been in the business of coming-of-age tales for more than a decade. With Life is Strange in the rear view mirror, the team has moved on to a new story focused around four friends who came together one magical summer and the trauma that tore them apart. It looked like the picture was becoming clearer with the end of Tape 1 (Bloom), which released back in February. Unfortunately, the story's conclusion in Tape 2 (Rage) doesn't capitalize on the potential set up by the February cliffhanger, instead getting bogged down by unwanted tropes and some nonsensical plot twists.

Worth PlayingCody Medellin

6.5/10

Bloom & Rage is the first game in the Lost Records universe and is a brand-new story-driven journey through time from the creative minds behind Life is Strange.

Adventure Game HotspotJack Allin

65/100

Don’t Nod spins a thoughtful yarn about friendship and trauma, but Lost Records can’t find the right tonal balance to guarantee a hit.

The OuterHavenJordan Andow

I've been playing Lost Records Bloom & Rage, the latest narrative-driven adventure game from Don't Nod. The question I had going in was, can Lost Records Bloom & Rage stand out amongst an increasingly crowded genre? And more importantly, is it worth your time? Game Name: Lost Records Bloom &…

GameLusterJess Clayton-Berry

5/10

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is a visually gorgeous slog of a game that lacks a plot until over halfway through and characters that no amount of cute hangouts could make me like.

VGChartzLee Mehr

3.5/10

With so few positives across both tapes, Bloom & Rage easily ranks as one of DON'T NOD's worst albums.Reviewer’s Note: Various story critiques demand I get into SPOILERS to make my point.  Read on at your own risk.Reunions [...]

GameTyrant Nataley Litt

Unscored

Have you ever played a game that spoke to you so much that you were sure you had lived it yourself? Well, as a queer woman, that’s how Lost Records: Bloom & Rage made me feel. A title that pridefully waves its identity at every turn, Bloom & Rage is the exact title that I neede