For being such an innovative narrative adventure plot , Lost Records : Bloom & Ragestill adheres to a release format that no longer works for the genre .
Lost Recordsis one of the best games released in 2025 so far . It tells a timeless come - of - age tale that is n’t afraid to revel in 90s nostalgia . It uses the choice - driven adventure biz data format trailblazed by Telltale and Do n’t Nod ’s former piece of work , but infuses it with clever melodic theme like splitting perspectives between the past and futurity and let player shoot the populace with agyroscopic - controlled camcorder . I extremely recommend you go and work it now that it ’s all out , but I feel awkward that I could n’t wholeheartedly recommend it until now .
Do nt ’ Nod settle to releaseLost Recordsin two parts . taping 1 launch on February 18 , while Tape 2 came out on April 15 . While Do n’t Nod hoped this approach would give players time to stop and reflect on the game , it had the polar effect . In an era where so many games are follow out and simultaneously contend for attention , the occasional discharge is n’t nearly as enticing as it was in 2014 , especially if it ’s only in part .
Not quite TV
mislay Recordsfollows a group of friends over the summertime of 1995 . They ’re a group of misfit who descend together and make an inseparable shackle , particularly when they discover a out of sight outcove and a glowing supernatural cakehole in the wilderness near their hometown . magnetic tape 1 is in the main about the friend group meeting up and forming the titular isthmus , Bloom & Rage . It culminate with the band ’s first performance and a revelation that recontextualizes some of what has been go bad on .
Tape 2 follow the chemical group as they deal with the fallout of the outcome of the first secret plan . Alongside all of this , Lost Records also follow three friends reunite in the modern day to reflect on their past and open a mysterious box leave for them . It ’s a compelling story when all is said and done , but not one I think had to be chopped into two piece . The slower stride of the narrative constitute the case-by-case halves palpate unfulfilling on their own . Narratively , many of the principal themes and mysteries do n’t coalesce until you play the whole matter .
Do n’t Nod has given its abstract thought for releasing the game in two parts . Creative Director Michel Koch toldGame Rantthat he care “ medium that values my time and does n’t essay to lock me into eternal hours of content . ” ToEurogamer , Koch elaborated that he bask weekly series on telecasting and that , after the ending of Tape 1 , it made sense for Do n’t Nod to give players space to “ stop there and chew over a bit ” so they can come back to Tape 2 “ even more put in the story because you have had some clock time to reflect on what happen . ”
poor plot are just as important as 100 + time of day resilient service experiences , and hebdomadal TV has its good luck charm . While I agree with Koch on both of those points , Tape 1 and Tape 2 ofLost Recordsaren’t structured like television episode and the whole game only takes about 8 or 9 hour to complete . Even if there are aspects of its story to reflect on , having a two - calendar month delay between two four - hour chunks of a cohesive story did n’t benefitLost Recordsat large . If the goal was to emulate tv set , thenLost Records ‘ narrative structure could ’ve been rive up into a more television episode - like complex body part .
While I enjoyed tape measure 1 ofLost Records , I might not have had the time to play Tape 2 had I not planned to write about it , because it ’s come out in a shockingly crowded month for game . I also could n’t give it a wholehearted recommendation until now because it was an incomplete experience . Because so many games vie for players ’ time and aid today , it ’s a risk to ask players to invest in the first one-half of your dangerous undertaking game and then make them hold off two months to finish the tale .
Looking at the special information we have , the Tape 2 launching on Steam hasaccrued gamy player countsthan Tape 1 ’s launch did . Would the numbers have been stronger from release had the whole biz come in out at the same time ? I care Lost Records and hope deal of the great unwashed play it , but part of me is retrospectively looking back and wondering if the occasional button model was a good fit for this raw Do n’t Nod narrative escapade .
gratefully , we no longer have to worry about that as all ofLost record book : Bloom & Rageis now usable across PC , PS5 , and Xbox Series X / S. It ’s part of the PS Plus secret plan catalog on PS5 .
