Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, GeForce Now, & PC)

After nearly two months of waiting, Tape 2 of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is finally out. This player-choice, story-driven, narrative adventure game by Don’t Nod has rolled out in two parts. The first tape, released on February 18, 2025, was a massive success, as the 8/10 rating in our Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 review attests to. Tape 1’s narrative stole the spotlight the most with its deep dive into an alluring mystery about four girls’ close-knit friendship and what happened 27 years ago that broke their trust and caused them to retreat to distant parts of the Earth.

“It takes a thunderstorm to break up a close-knit friend group, so much so that (Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat) swear never to speak to one another,” reads our review. “When they’re forced to reunite 27 years later, the air is tense and filled with an ominous chill that travels down the spine. What could have happened in Velvet Cove, Michigan, in the summer of 1995?” We know the dark mystery unfolding has something to do with the paranormal: the Abyss, as is referred to in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. But also, Tape 1 ended with the most intriguing cliffhanger. 

At Long Last

We know something vicious is coming, possibly tied to something devastating about Kat’s fate. Tape 1’s ending is a definite “unknown” and judiciously prepped for the arrival of Tape 2. It’s why fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out what exactly happened in the summer of 1995 and how it affects the present day. The question is, does Don’t Nod deliver a satisfying conclusion? Will the answers they give provide closer to an already remarkable story, however mysterious? Just how impactful are Tape 1 and Tape 2’s narrative adventure, combined? 

Trying my hardest not to wander too much into spoiler territory, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 left us with more questions than answers, the biggest of all being Kat’s fate. We know she suffers from leukaemia and is possibly dead, given her absence at the bar where the Swann and her friends reunite. They don’t seem to wait for Kat to show up, instead proceeding to recall the events that broke them apart 27 years ago. Rather than the slow-burn of Tape 1’s story-driven adventure, Tape 2 wastes no time jumping right back in from where we left off. 

We continue to peel back the layers of the complex relationships Swann and her friends shared, the delicate relationships between them, and hidden secrets neatly tucked away. Visually, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 is as breathtaking as you remember. That ‘90s nostalgic vibe hits just right, exploring video cassettes and vintage items, now long gone. Much of the story leans heavily on reminiscing about memories lost but not forgotten. Most are painful to bring back to the surface. But the girls have no choice but to tread murky waters if there’s any chance of rekindling their friendship.

Puzzling Tale

Not that rekindling their friendship is the goal here. Honestly, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2’s own characters seem as clueless as the player, navigating a past they seem to have no recollection of. They are sitting at a bar, reminiscing about memories and slowly putting the pieces back together. But not without creating more blanks, more mysteries as it were. I’m afraid Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 still leaves you with more questions than answers, despite this being the conclusion to the story. There are still lots of unanswered questions about the Abyss, a paranormal hole the girls discovered in 1995, and we still don’t know how it affects people. 

We know that the girls believed that tossing something into the Abyss would grant them a wish. But only after the Abyss takes something beyond physical objects from them. Perhaps Kat wished to be healed of leukaemia so she might still be alive, but what sacrifice did she make? Perhaps Kat is the person who sent the girls the mysterious package, or Dylan, so the girls won’t forget Kat. During your playthrough, you’ll discover additional contextual clues like newspaper clippings that reveal that people have been disappearing. So, the Abyss might also probably be an anomaly that sucks people into it, never to be seen again. 

Listen, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 quite squandered the opportunity to create a truly fascinating paranormal story here. If anything, the paranormal side feels neglected in favor of developing deeper human connections and relationships. Perhaps it’s the high bar set by Life is Strange, also developed by Don’t Nod. 

The Answers We Seek

Though some questions eventually get answered sometime down the line, and also depending on the pathway your choices and decisions lead you down, I am still left with more lingering questions than I’d like to have after completing what should have been the last chapter of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Hence, the chatter you might have heard about there possibly being a sequel in the works. 

Sequel or not, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 leads you down to one of four main endings, with certain variations, depending on your choices. Unfortunately, Tape 2 wraps up with an unsatisfying conclusion. After the intense build-up, the tear-jerking moments and hints at a darker force working against the girls, so much anticipation, squandered a little too fast, a little too soon.

Comparing Tape 1 to Tape 2

Tape 2 is significantly shorter than the first rodeo. And perhaps it’s for good reason, seeing as Tape 1 spent quite a lot of time setting the stage and getting to know each character. 

“We wanted Tape 1 to let the player find their own space within the group of friends, getting a feeling of a summer where you meet friends, but also giving hints of weird things,” says Michel Koch, Creative Director at Don’t Nod’s Montreal studio. “They’re finding the clearing. They’re finding the abyss. It’s a very natural story of four girls having a fun summer together before Swann moves away.”

In that regard, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 thrives. We really resonate with the girls, bonding with who they are and their feelings toward one another. We make choices that feel intentional, sometimes risky in how they may affect the friendship. The Abyss is also quite intriguing in its obvious influence on the girls’ break-up, never to speak to one another again. And, of course, Kat’s possible demise toward the end of Tape 1.

So much setting of the stage takes place in Tape 1, so much so that it feels like a slow burn toward something truly special. And hence why the wait for Tape 2 felt excruciating, despite only being two months off. And now, Tape 2 is here, with the answers we seek. But those answers, I’m afraid, may be unsatisfactory, and others may only ignite more questions.

Gameplay

I haven’t touched on the gameplay yet because it’s still quite honestly perfect. Don’t Nod wisely stuck to its guns with the ‘90s nostalgic aesthetic, thought-provoking dialogue prompts, and well-written story. In fact, on the writing front, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 remains a juicy as ever. And I’d expect nothing less given it’s a narrative adventure. 

My only gripe is that the puzzles are fewer and less complex. Sure, you’ll solve puzzles implemented through making conflicting dialogue choices, with repercussions sometimes enacted instantly. However, compared to Tape 1, the second tape could have definitely taken the ingenuity of the puzzles a notch higher. 

That and the camcorder are the two main ways Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 engages the player. The camcorder might have even been a game changer in the narrative adventure gaming genre. It so seamlessly integrates collect-a-thon gameplay with significance to the story, ensuring that every precious item you come across further enriches your narrative experience. Unfortunately, Swann loses the camcorder by the second half of the story, and well, the other few moments it springs back up again are too insignificant to make any real impact. 

Verdict

Keeping all of these in mind, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2 is by no means a bad or even terrible game. Quite the opposite, in fact. Following the exemplary Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1, the second tape’s success was inevitable. Still, Don’t Nod may have played it too safe. There are lots of missed opportunities in the puzzles, camcorder, and paranormal front that could have elevated the gameplay to the next level. The conclusion is also not satisfactory enough, with still lingering questions about the Abyss. 

Perhaps the unanswered questions are paving the way to a sequel, yet to be officially confirmed. Perhaps it was a miscalculation of Don’t Nod’s part to still cultivate an interest in their next project. Who knows? For now, two things are certain. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is an absolute must-play. And concluding its intriguing story is the just-released Lost Records: Bloom & Rage Tape 2.