The episodic format has been more than successful for Life is Strange. In 2015, the exciting episode endings left us wanting only one thing: to devour the next piece of Don’t Nod’s story. The Montreal branch of the studio is inspired by this structure with Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. Tape 1, called Bloom (the first part of the game), was not without its flaws, and ended on an intriguing cliffhanger.
Tape 2, called Rage, promises a much faster pace and events that will shake up the group of friends formed by Swann, Autumn, Nora, and Kat. Unfortunately, this second part of Don’t Nod’s narrative adventure cools us off in the middle of summer 1995.
Warning, this review includes some spoilers for Bloom, the first part of Lost Records.
A band that’s not doing so well anymore
Rage picks up quickly after the end of Bloom. Swann and her friends are shaken by Kat’s health, while in the present, the adults remember the events of that dramatic summer of 95. The story progresses much more quickly in this Tape 2, both in the present and in the past. The game finally sets a darker atmosphere. Unfortunately, the story is far from shining with its coherence and structure.
Indeed, Lost Records still fails to set real stakes in Rage. At first, it's hard to understand where the game wants to take us since it simply strings together scenes in which we see the group's remorse and that Swann, Autumn, and Nora miss Kat.
Then, the few more tense passages in the middle and end of the adventure fall a bit out of place, without any common thread. Above all, they rely on very little other than the group's desire to get back at Corey, who is certainly toxic, but on whom the game clearly doesn't dwell enough to involve us more emotionally.
Moreover, the scenes of tension can be counted on the fingers of one hand in this second part given that it reaches its conclusion very quickly. This would not be a pitfall if the suspense were palpable and the situations truly exciting, which is not the case here.
Furthermore, the staging of the "action" phases clashes greatly with the dialogue sequences, as the whole lacks dynamism. The characters seem to have a certain heaviness in their movements and some phases really drag on.
A wandering narrative
The inconsistencies also come from the decisions made by the group in 1995… and which you cannot influence. The game, however, clearly emphasizes the girls' willingness to compromise at the beginning of Rage in order to protect Kat.
Surprisingly, after a long discussion (which takes up a good hour) about their regrets for having put their friend in danger, the teenagers immediately engage in reprehensible acts that put their physical safety at risk. At no point can you decide not to participate in what any good citizen would consider a misdeed.
Being placed in morally and ethically questionable situations without being able to act is particularly frustrating. Especially since the title then asks us to make minor choices during these same sequences, like a real snub.
It's a shame, because the endearing characters that Don't Nod had managed to portray in Bloom, especially Swann, thus become much more difficult to understand. Where have the teenager's remorse and desire for repentance gone from one scene to the next? Yes, the human personality is complex and that of a girl her age even more so. Does that justify so many contradictions? This is why judging a narrative title is so perilous: everyone will form their own opinion based on their own sensibilities.
Friends… or more than that?
Add to that the fact that crucial questions remain unanswered (the famous “TGCM” is definitely part of it) and the ingredients for a final act that is far more frustrating than exciting are there. So yes, keeping an element of mystery can work in a work, but here, Nothing is explained or even suggested to give the player some clues and make them think. Thus, Don’t Nod’s decision to deliver an open ending thanks to a final cliffhanger doesn’t really move them.
At least the evolution of the relationships between the teenagers is enjoyable to follow. The discussions between Swann, Autumn, and Nora in the bar help shape the relationships they have. Are they still as connected? Can they still understand each other despite that dramatic summer of 1995? Your choices during the dialogues determine all of this.
In the present tense, there are fewer twists and turns than in Bloom, given that the discussions revolve primarily around their friendship, Kat, and that famous package. The length of these sequences can still end up annoying given that it is essentially the events of the summer of 1995 that interest us.
In the past, your decisions also greatly influence the relationships between the teenagers. Kat, Autumn and Nora can remain simple friends for Swann, become real friends and it is obviously possible to form a romantic relationship with one of them by making the right decisions. You must demonstrate real subtlety to succeed in detecting the right choices to make in order to touch the lucky one right in the heart.
It can sometimes be surprising to realize that one of your interventions does not particularly please your interlocutor. Fortunately, the game manages to make us understand why the choice was not the right one simply thanks to a fair and coherent writing... which we would have liked to find throughout.
Lost Records tries its hand at more playful phases without much success
The more playful phases do not eclipse the script's wanderings of Rage either. The few puzzles or infiltration phases included by Don't Nod turn out to be very classic. Swann can still use his camcorder to immortalize certain moments, but the urge to take out the camera is rarely felt.
The game still forces us to do so during a few sequences (less than in Bloom, however), which tends to break the rhythm. At least, the recordings captured during the adventure are skillfully used in Rage, without it creating any real excitement either.
This always intoxicating atmosphere and a quality soundtrack (special mention to the final piece by Ruth Radelet) still come to soothe our pain. Certainly not enough to prevent fans of thrillers like Life is Strange or dramas like Life is Strange 2 from reading the title of Don’t Nod Montreal with a bit of bitterness.
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