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The studio behind ‘Life Is Strange” And “Life Is Strange 2” dropped their first story-based game since the release of Life Is Strange 2 (2018) “Lost Records: Bloom And Rage.” Also, this is my first time being able to hop on a game upon release. When LIS2 dropped, the only way I could get into the game was by reacting to the trailers for each episode; I didn’t have a good computer or a console to play the game. The struggle was real being a broke gamer. Now that I got an Xbox to play Don’t Nod’s new title as well as other titles, I was excited to play this game upon release.
This game was Don’t Nod’s first Life Is Strange-like game since Life Is Strange 2.
After Life Is Strange 2’s release, Don’t Nod underwent a rebrand. Decknine got the rights to the Life Is Strange IP.
I’d think sometime in 2023, Don’t Nod teased their new game and dropped some screenshots and trailers in early 2024. In the summer we got a Lofi trailer consisting of the VHS recordings you can do with Swann throughout the game. Swann reminded me of Max. It’s safe to say Swann is Max but videography instead of photography. Don’t Nod originally plan on dropping the game sometime in late 2024. I’d guess before Thanksgiving. then delayed the game to February when Decknine, who now has the rights to the Life Is Strange IP, dropped the trailer for Life Is Strange Double Exposure. Long story short, the double exposure plot was similar to True Colors minus the empathy power Alex had. After playing Double Exposure, fans didn’t connect to the plot the same way they did for the first Life Is Strange and Life Is Strange 2.
The game (DE) even received some pushback. Decknine announced they would respect both endings of the first game. As a result, players assumed Chloe would return or be referenced ( eg Max calling/ texting her.) When the game came out, fans learned if Chloe lived in your game, she broke up with Max in Double Exposure.
Tape 1 of Lost Records Bloom and Rage dropped February 18th on Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC. The game starts with Older Sawnn, meeting an old friend, Autumn at a bar after she receives a mysterious package. The 2 recall what happened in the summer of 1995 that caused the girls to part ways. Throughout the game you will recall memories and play as Swann in said memory, you can inspect certain things and hear the thoughts of older Swann and Autumn. While having fun, the girls realize some strange things happened. If you are a Stranger Things fan, you may get those vibes when the girls discover the Abyss.
After playing Double Exposure and Lost Records, fans are pleased with Lost Records and they anticipate the release of Tape 2 after it ends on a cliffhanger. I wish Don’t Nod didn’t delay LR now that we know folks didn’t like Double Exposure. Don’t Nod delayed LR to avoid the hype for DE overpowering the hype for LR. I believe what drove fans away from the game Decknine paywalled early access to the first 2 chapters and cat content. The game by itself was 50 bucks and the cat content/outfits were an additional 20 bucks, Don’t Nod includes outfits for Swann, and the cat content and LR was 40 bucks and gave folks a release launch discount.
Nonetheless, fans wouldn’t have forgotten about Lost Records If Don’t Nod released it when they originally planned to. I can understand Don’t Nod assume the hype for DE would overshadow the hype for LR.
I can’t wait for Tape 2 to see what happens next. Don’t Nod outdid themselves with this game and I hope they make a sequel or a prequel/DLC depending on how the game ends. The future looks bright for Don’t Nod. Don’t nod pushed Tape 2 back, it was supposed to drop this month but was pushed to April. At least we know we will get a complete game instead of a buggy mess. The Life Is Strange Remaster collection was a hot buggy mess when it dropped despite being delayed. It was originally dropping the same day Steph’s DLC for True Colors dropped.
Overall, I enjoyed Lost Records and connected to it compared to Double Exposure. My only critique is that Don’t Nod should replace copyrighted music with streamer-friendly music like Cyberpunk 2077 does. Muting the music ruins the experience. Gamers who can’t afford the game and/or don’t have a strong computer to run it/don’t own a current-gen console will watch playthroughs and can’t experience the game if streamers have to mute the music to avoid muted VODS (Twitch) and copyright matches (YouTube). It’s like going to a movie and there’s no musical score. I couldn’t enjoy any playthroughs of Life Is Strange 2 due to this. Or compose an original score like Double Exposure did. Music is what helps drive a game, it’s hard to drive that game if streamers have to mute it.
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