Quick Verdict
It’s fitting that the second tape of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is titled Rage, because that’s basically how I felt when the credits rolled. After the slow burn of Tape 1, I was expecting a more fulfilling resolution for all of the characters. Instead, I got a frustratingly vague ending that left most of the game’s mysteries unresolved and felt more like sequel bait than a conclusion. It’s not uncommon for narrative-driven games to stumble in the final stretch, but Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2 doesn’t just stumble, it barely moves.
The biggest letdown in Tape 2 – Rage is the lack of payoff for the friendships Tape 1 – Bloom spent so much time building. Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat felt like real people with complicated, evolving dynamics. Instead of giving those relationships the closure they deserved, Tape 2 – Rage rushes through its remaining beats with scattered storytelling and half-formed ideas. The final picture just doesn’t make much sense, even after assembling the remaining puzzle pieces.
Bloom & Fizzle
Going into Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2, I was optimistic. I loved Life is Strange, and while Tape 1 didn’t end with the most compelling cliffhanger, I was still eager to learn more about the characters and uncover the truth behind the game’s lingering mysteries. The groundwork had been laid: a group of friends with believable dynamics, a small town with secrets, and a past event teased just enough to keep me invested. I was ready to see how it all came together, especially given Don’t Nod’s previous successes in the genre.
To its credit, Tape 2 – Rage does attempt to introduce a bit more gameplay this time around. There’s a basic puzzle minigame that involves packing up a box, and a short stealth segment that actually has story repercussions if you fail. They’re simple additions that help break up the walking-and-talking formula, but unfortunately, they don’t do much to elevate the overall experience. Realistically, most people playing Lost Records: Bloom & Rage aren’t looking for clever gameplay mechanics—they’re here for an emotional story and compelling characters.
Badly Mixed Tape
With a runtime of around four hours, Tape 2 – Rage is a bit shorter than Tape 1 – Bloom, which took me about six hours to complete. Tape 2 – Rage feels rushed, with awkward pacing and drawn-out dialogue that makes the voice acting come across as unnatural. It really seems like it was pushed out the door, with noticeable subtitle errors adding to that impression. There’s also a sharp contrast in tone, which was to be expected given the end of Tape 1 – Bloom, but it was still jarring. Some of the moments clearly meant to be soft and emotional either fall flat or land awkwardly. While Tape 1 – Bloom didn’t have the strongest writing, much of it still felt believable. The narrative felt grounded and the characters felt real. Tape 2 – Rage really leans on the player to suspend their disbelief in hopes of a meaningful payoff.
I mentioned in my Tape 1 – Bloom review that I found the camcorder mechanic to be a very creative one, especially with how it transitions the camcorder footage to the real world and vice-versa. While the camcorder is still present in Tape 2 – Rage, it mostly takes a backseat. There are still a few required sections that use it, but it doesn’t feel as engaging or meaningful as it did in the first half. That shift is understandable though, because Tape 2 does succeed in making the player feel the consequences of their actions. These narrative-driven games are often the brunt of “choices don’t matter” jokes, but in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2, who remains with you at the end is actually impacted by your decisions.
Be Kind, Rewind
When the story finally reaches its climax, things completely fall apart. What’s meant to be the emotional and narrative payoff of the entire experience ends up being a confusing mess. The sequence itself is interesting in theory, offering multiple possible scenarios based on your choices—but in practice, they all funnel into mostly the same outcome. It doesn’t feel earned, and more frustratingly, it just doesn’t make much sense. For a game that spent so much time building tension around a central mystery, the final moments feel like a narrative shrug.
Even more frustrating is how this all conflicts with what the game itself promises. The official description invites players to “navigate between the dual timelines of 1995 and 2022 and shape both narratives, with each offering a piece of the larger puzzle: the life-changing secrets they uncovered as teens and who – or what – has brought them back together.” It closes by saying they must “piece together what was real, what really happened back then, and what lies festering under the surface of Velvet Cove.” Unfortunately, one of those three never actually gets addressed. Despite all the time spent building toward that revelation, the game backs away from fully exploring it, leaving the story feeling incomplete.
Missing the Beat
As I reached the unexpectedly sudden end of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2, I couldn’t help but compare it to the TV series Lost—and not just because they share a word in their titles. Both introduce plenty of intriguing mysteries to keep you engaged, but ultimately choose not to answer most of them. Instead, they shift focus to the characters and the friendships formed along the way. Unfortunately, that approach just isn’t satisfying, especially in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage, where it genuinely feels like the game needs a third tape to fully wrap things up.
It all ends abruptly, and instead of delivering a beautiful, emotional conclusion, the ending leaves the player confused and wholly unsatisfied. To be fair, the game tries to land that kind of ending, but by the time it arrived, I was already too frustrated for it to have any real impact. And to make matters worse, it ends on yet another cliffhanger. After all the buildup, unanswered questions, and fragmented storytelling, it’s hard not to walk away feeling like something important was missing. Maybe what was missing all along was the budget for Don’t Nod to tell a complete story.
We know the studio is capable of it. Life is Strange was an excellent game that earned enough goodwill to become a full-blown franchise, even after Don’t Nod handed off future installments. But on its own, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage doesn’t do enough to earn that same investment. If the plan was to build a larger universe around a shared thematic mystery, this first entry doesn’t make a strong enough case for players to return. Right now, Lost Records: Bloom & Rage feels less like the start of something special and more like a missed opportunity.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2 has a scheduled release date of April 15, 2025, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This review is based on a copy of the game provided as part of the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog on PlayStation 5 Pro. While FullCleared does have affiliate partnerships, they do not influence our editorial content. We may, however, earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage – Tape 2 Review Gallery (possible spoilers!)
