What happened in 1995? The mystery begins to unravel on February 18
(Updated with the new release date for Tape 2)
It’s been nearly a decade since Don’t Nod introduced us to Max Caulfield, Chloe Price, and the world of Arcadia Bay, Oregon, but their latest release will bring us to Velvet Cove, Michigan.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage comes to us from Don’t Nod’s Montreal studio, which opened in 2020. The studio boasts several members of the original Life is Strange 1 and 2 team, including Luc Baghadoust (Executive Producer) and Michel Koch (Creative Director).
Rewind back to the 90s and live the defining summer of four high school girls as they forge bonds through their growing friendship, their punk band, and an unexplained event that will forever change their lives. What really happened that summer?
First announced in 2023 with a teaser image of a girl’s bedroom, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage was initially planned for release in Fall 2024 but was pushed back when Deck Nine announced that Life is Strange Double Exposure would be released in October.
Nora, Autumn, Kat, and Swann are four estranged friends, meeting for the first time in 27 years to tackle the secret between them from the summer of 1995 that led them to promise never to speak to each other again.
Four girls may be central to the story, but you’ll only play as one – Swann, who we’ve seen in the trailers as having her trusty camcorder by her side to capture life in Velvet Cove.
The team didn’t want to make Life is Strange again. Instead, they’ve taken the opportunity to innovate and evolve the dialogue options in Bloom & Rage, making situations seem more realistic for players.
In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, producer Cathy Vincelli noted that “conversations can sometimes be chaotic when you’re with a bunch of friends talking to each other” and “there are also moments where it’s slower and paced out. We wanted to maintain that balance of having those natural, chaotic moments when everyone’s excited and talking, then other moments where you can pause or not say anything.”
The game will be released in two “tapes,” one on February 18th and the other on April 15th. Why the break? The team hopes the month-long wait between releases will allow players to soak in the story, share theories, and speculate on what’s coming in the second tape.
(Check out the game on Steam // Xbox // PlayStation!)