'Lost Records': A 90s summer mystery with alternate endings
BERLIN: In Lost Records: Bloom & Rage , players journey back in time to 1995. Don't Nod Entertainment, the development studio behind the game is known for story-driven games such as Life Is Strange (2015) and Vampyr (2018), and here it's focusing on friendship and nostalgia in its new mystery adventure.
The game, which takes place in two parts, tells the story of teenagers Swann, Nora, Autumn and Kat in the 1990s, during which time Kat disappeared.
Twenty-seven years later, a mysterious package leads the friends back to their hometown of Velvet Cove. Kat has never been found. What really happened back then gradually comes to light.
In the game, you slip into the role of Swann. Her faithful companion as a teen is a VHS camcorder, which she uses to roam Velvet Cove and document her everyday life with her friends. The four form a punk band, experience formative moments, and find themselves in situations that test their friendship.
You repeatedly have to make decisions for Swann that directly influence conversations, relationships, and the course of the story.
You usually have up to three options to choose from. As you jump back and forth between the two timelines, a dark secret slowly reveals itself.
Along with Swann, the other characters in the game also seem realistic and well-developed. Their personalities and development contribute significantly to the emotional depth of the story. Added to this is a well-crafted soundtrack and a nostalgic 1990s soundtrack.
The game's high level of detail and contemporary visuals are also impressive. Warm and vibrant colours create a special atmosphere during the eight to ten hours of gameplay.
This can even be extended by accessing individual scenes using the menu, making different decisions, and subsequently discovering the story's alternative endings.
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is available for €40 (RM 193) /US$40 (R M169) for the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series and PCs. The age rating is 12 years. – dpa
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