Lost Records: Bloom & Rage — Everything We Know

The folks behind the Life is Strange series have come together to tease their latest story-driven adventure—a 1990s-themed episodic tale that will look to grace players with a deeply immersive and thought-provoking experience. Aptly titled Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, the upcoming IP will reportedly be the first in a brand-new series, which means, if the forthcoming season does manage to swivel a few heads (it’s a product of Don’t Nod, so it likely will), then there’ll be a slew of additional chapters to follow in the foreseeable future.

Future set aside for a minute, we do have a fair amount to share on the upcoming tale, and it’s mainly thanks to The Game Awards, which went on to tease its first trailer and a batch of juicy details. Interested in staying up to speed with the IP? If so, then be sure to read on for all the latest developments. Here’s everything you need to know about Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.

What Is Lost Records: Bloom & Rage?

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is an upcoming story-driven “journey through time” adventure game by Don’t Nod. In a similar vein as the studio’s previous works, the newest chapter will cast its focus on a group of friends—teens who will reunite after nearly three decades of being apart. According to the blurb, their forthcoming reunion will revolve around the acceptance of a distant memory—an event that each of the four friends “promised to never speak again.” As for what this memory is, or how it directly affected the group, however, is still something of a mystery.

From the looks of the footage that was shown during The Game Awards, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage will feature a lot of the same gameplay elements as Life is Strange: game-changing choices, QTEs, and linear progression over a series of memories. So, if you have poured a significant amount of hours into Life is Strange or Tell Me Why, for that matter, then you’ll no doubt have a vague idea of what the next chapter in the studio’s anthology will entail.

Story

Going by the elevator pitch that was revealed during The Game Awards, Lost Records will follow four friends — Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat, on their collective journey of self-discovery during the mid-1990s. The game will split its time between the past and present, with the former being set around a certain event that the friends vowed to keep a secret, and the latter being set around their reunion, as well as their inevitable dive into said secret.

“In Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, the magical summer of 1995 is one of self-discovery and forging unbreakable bonds for high school friends Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat,” the description reads. “27 years of no contact later, fate reunites them to confront the long-buried secret that made them promise to never speak again.”

Gameplay

According to Don’t Nod, Lost Records “shares a lot of DNA” with the studio’s earlier works—a statement that mainly refers to Life is Strange, Twin Mirror, and Tell Me Why. So, while we can’t comment on the game’s actual gameplay format, we can say that it’ll likely feature interwoven story arcs, as well as a whole bunch of choice-based dialogue and exploration, similar to what we’ve seen in the aforementioned projects.

Of course, Don’t Nod isn’t one for producing action-packed role-playing games, but more story-driven episodic tales that take players through life-changing journeys. And so, while we don’t know what sorts of adventures we’ll be going on, we do know that Don’t Nod has an undying habit of crafting heartfelt stories with long-lasting messages. It just so happens that the next game in the pipeline will transport us back to the roots of 90s. And we’re totally fine with that.

Development

Here's a little glimpse of what #DontNodMontreal is brewing!
Does it bring back childhood memories?
We are looking for talents to join the team in Montréal on this new narrative game!
Find all our job openings here: https://t.co/IJi6njvHiJ pic.twitter.com/IFBAkGPGFW

— DON'T NOD (@DONTNOD_Ent) January 27, 2023

News of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage first began to surface back in January of 2023, at which point Don’t Nod made the announcement that it was working on a “new narrative game”—a post that was accompanied by a slew of screenshots circling a 90s-era setting. Fast-forward eleven months, and lo and behold, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage made its debut at the annual Game Awards showcase.

“We obviously wanted to continue creating narrative adventure games with a strong focus on characters that resonate with people,” Don’t Nod executive producer Luc Baghadoust wrote in Xbox Wire. “Bloom & Rage shares a lot of DNA with our previous games, but also innovates in some areas too. Making a universe and having the stories within it interconnect with each other is something we’ve been dreaming of. The possibilities are endless and the stories we can tell within this universe are huge. Don’t Nod Montréal is hard at work making sure we bring these ideas and games to life!”

Trailer

Don’t Nod revealed the first trailer of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage earlier this week, at The Game Awards. Caught your attention? You can catch a glimpse of the upcoming game in all its glory in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Don’t Nod has given Lost Records: Bloom & Rage a late 2024 release window, as well as mentioned that it’ll be heading to Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam. As for when in 2024 it will launch is still unknown, though it seems the safest bet would be somewhere between September and December. Again, we’re mostly speculating at this point, so try not to take our word for it.

Looking to stay in the loop whilst Don’t Nod iron out the creases in its newest IP? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over on their official social handle for all the latest updates here. If anything changes ahead of its 2024 debut, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage when it arrives on consoles and PC? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.