Nearly two months after the release of Tape 1, Don’t Nod successfully invites its players back to Velvet Cove to finish Swann, Autumn, Nora, and Kat’s story. The ending of the first part left me reeling and after playing Tape 2, I was further confused with bigger questions that led to mixed feelings about the overall ending of Lost Records.
Where Tape 1 excelled at setting up two timelines, the nostalgic summer of ‘95 with Swann and the girls forming a strong bond of friendship and the gloomy 2022 with an awkward reunion because of a mysterious package, Tape 2 is all about deepening relationships, overcoming grief, and acceptance.
Spoilers for Bloom & Rage Tape 1 ahead!
The tonal shift throughout the second part is not lost on me. After finding out Kat is sick with leukemia, Swann tries to pick up the pieces when their friend group slowly falls apart while also trying to save her last summer in Velvet Cove. For any 16-year-old to face the reality of her friend dying can be a big burden to bear, and this is seen when she interacts with Autumn and Nora. From helping Autumn to get over a panic attack to supporting Nora overcoming her grief, there is no doubt that both in the past and present, Swann is the glue that binds this group together. And since the game is from her perspective, the writing feels all the more relatable and depressing.
The gameplay in Tape 2 feels a lot shorter and to the point. Unlike the first part of the game, there isn’t much exploring though, recording memoirs through Swann’s camcorder is still part of certain objectives. Apart from one very complex puzzle in the start, there was a section with a little bit of stealth gameplay where Swann and Nora sneak into Kat’s house to meet her. The whole sequence ended way too quickly which made me wish the game had some mini-games or more puzzles to keep me engaged.
However, true to its genre, every choice and interaction in Tape 2 of Lost Records feels significant. Unlike Don’t Nod’s previous choice-based game Life is Strange, the decisions taken in Lost Records do a lot more heavy-lifting in determining certain aspects of the story including Swann’s deeper relationship with the girls, especially Autumn and Nora in the present day. I was lucky enough to get the best ending but choosing the wrong dialogue option more than once can lead to a sadder and heartbreaking consequence for Swann.
Despite enjoying the game, my only major gripe is the way Lost Records: Bloom & Rage lacked a conclusion that also dampened my satisfaction. With Tape 1 introducing a supernatural entity called The Abyss and having the main story revolve around it, we barely get to learn more about it in Tape 2 and are left in the dark even after the credits roll. So what is The Abyss and how are the girls connected to it? Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing is certain, The Abyss plays a pivotal role within the lives of Swann, Autumn, Nora, and Kat as the players are left hanging with a vague context indicating that this story is far from over. It makes one think if we will ever get the answers to what is actually going on given if there’s even a sequel in the near future. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good sequel tease but after spending 16 hours with these characters, in my mind, the current plot at least deserves some sort of closure. Especially given the unprecedented times within the gaming industry where mass layoffs or studio shutdowns happen leading to projects either getting delayed indefinitely or straight up, cancelled.
With its grounded characters and world, there is much to love about Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. It’s a game where I easily got invested and even played each part in one sitting. But there is so much happening with the story that tape 2 barely scrambles to cover all of it leaving the player with more questions than answers. There’s a lot of potential and promise in making this as Don’t Nod’s next big series but only time will tell if it’ll actually happen.
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