At this tip , the gameplay formula for narrative dangerous undertaking games is coiffure in stone . Third - somebody geographic expedition in confined space interspersed between conversations where instrumentalist have to make impactful , story - influence option is the genre average . Occasionally , a mystifier is drop in for good measure , but these gameplay section are often the weak parts of narrative adventure titles likeLife is Strange : treble pic . Lost Records : Bloom & Rage , on the other hand , does not have that job .
In 2014 , Do n’t Nod was the first studio outside of Telltale to show that the story dangerous undertaking literary genre had legs with the originalLife is Strange . Now , many of the developer who worked on the first two spirit is Strange games are back with a unexampled game looking to push the genre onward yet again . While many narrative adventure game can feel the same nowadays , the first instalment ofLost Records : Bloom & Rage , which is out now , reminded me that there ’s still quite a little of way for design in the space .
From how it switches perspectives to tell apart what ’s bump in the yesteryear and present to how naturally some dialogue option can come along to its shockingly reliable feeling in - game camcorder , Lost Recordsisn’t afraid to play around with genre rule . That makes it a must - act for fans of tale adventure titles and , hopefully , the start of something fresh for Do n’t Nod .
A captivating slice-of-life tale
The first installment ofLost record : Bloom & Ragejumps between two unlike timeline . In the present day , presented through a first - person view , we see a group of friends reuniting in their hometown after over twenty year of not talking to each other . They ’re getting back together to reminisce about their childhood after one of them welcome a mystical package address to their old band name .
As they talk , Lost Recordsflashes back to the 1990s , where players — in a third - person perspective — follow the principal character Swann as she meets this radical of friends for the first time . The key secret comes from compute out what happened during that summer that cause these friends to never sing to each other again . Toss in a morsel of the supernatural , and you have a cagy tress on the come - of - age story Do n’t Nod is bang for telling with its narrative dangerous undertaking games .
Although the earned run average of home videos and sidesplitter grrrl bands that the past segments ofLost Recordsharken back to is a small before my time , I still found a lot to pertain to in this fade - of - life tale . If you ’ve ever struggle with social anxiousness , make friends , happen ways to express yourself , or reconnecting with friends you have n’t talk to for years , then Swann ’s journey inLost Recordswill resonate with you . ground on the narrative and writing alone , Do n’t Nod already prompt us why it ’s a master of the narrative escapade and put the building blocks to create a worthyspiritual replacement toLife is Strange .
A change in perspective
The parts ofLost Recordsthat take space in the past times with Swann are the most like to your distinctive narrative adventure game , but Do n’t Nod layer a camcorder auto-mechanic on top of that to give these segments a alone tactile property . Swann is a videographer who likes to make home picture of whatever she comes across , from animals to her supporter . player are always encouraged to blister out Swann ’s camera and cinema what ’s going on and can then thinly edit that footage together into house videos .
The gyro of the DualSense controller gives these segment an authentic smell and makes it feel like I ’m not just interacting withLost Records’world in the same path I do in other narrative escapade game . Gameplay is much simpler in the present day , but the switch to the first - person perspective is quite effective .
The third - somebody perspective of the retiring segments make sense as the instrumentalist is supposed to experience like an looker-on to these store ; by earn the modern - Clarence Shepard Day Jr. segments first - mortal , it reinforce thematically that those moments are give out on in the here and now and makes reuniting with these digital champion finger all the more intimate and personal .
I enjoy howLost Recordslets participant expect for answer in their environs too . For instance , I can look around in first person while at the bar to unlock newfangled options for which toast Swann will order . Many of these choices continue to pop up , often with more narrative heft , but it reinforces the feeling that players are mold the account based on their actions .
At its core , Lost Records’choice - drive social structure is n’t that unlike from what player did a tenner ago inLife is unknown . But by putting these small twists on the convention , Do n’t Nod reinvigorate a genre that has felt desperate for institution recently . Telling a relatable , immersive narration goes a long way , but the rightfully great narrative - driven games find ways to challenge or evolve genre conventions in agency we have n’t think of before . lose Recordssets itself apart from the crowd by doing just that .
Lost Records : Bloom & Rage Tape 1is useable now for PC , PS5 , and Xbox Series X. Tape 2 will be free and conclude the report on April 15 .
