Lost Data: Bloom & Rage has come full circle. What started as an intriguing promise from DON’T NOD—the Parisian storytellers behind Life Is Unusual—is now a completed, two-tape narrative that lands with the emotional punch of a protracted-misplaced diary lastly cracked open. Each chapters—Tape 1: Bloom (February 18 2025) and Tape 2: Rage (April 15 2025)—can be found on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Collection X|S, with a bodily PS5 version slated for August 7.

A Story Advised on Two Timelines

On the coronary heart of Lost Data are Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat—4 youngsters who spend a riot-grrrl-soaked summer time in 1995 documenting each awkward crush and basement gig on Swann’s battered camcorder. Twenty-seven years later the ladies reunite, drawn again to their hometown by a secret they swore by no means to talk of. DON’T NOD’s trademark time-skipping construction allows you to play scenes from 1995 and 2022 in parallel, watching tiny decisions in VHS grain ripple into grownup lives coloured by remorse, resentment, and lingering affection.

How It Performs

Lost Data is much less about puzzles and extra about presence. You’ll wander solar-bleached cul-de-sacs, scrub by way of camcorder tapes body by body, and steer conversations with a surprisingly versatile dialogue system that tracks tone as a lot as phrases. Selections not often really feel binary; they’re shaded within the grey areas the place actual friendships reside. The result’s an expertise that’s intimate somewhat than explosive, with pressure drawn from what characters select to not say.

Runtime, Value, and Platform Particulars

• Size: 10–12 hours for each tapes, relying on how obsessively you hunt for hidden clips and diary scraps.
• Value: $39.99 USD (contains each tapes).
• Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Collection X|S now; bodily PS5 version on August 7.

What Critics and Gamers Are Saying

Early skepticism concerning the staggered launch melted as soon as Tape 2 dropped. Reviewers praised the sport’s capacity to nail ’90s ephemera with out turning nostalgia into low-cost fan service—riot-grrrl flyers plastered in a storage, mixtapes with handwritten observe lists, the gentle whir of a VHS deck rewinding. Voice performances have been highlighted as “quietly devastating,” particularly throughout late-sport confrontations that flip acquainted coming-of-age tropes on their head. The commonest gripe? Tape 2 wraps up shortly—some gamers needed more room for the thriller to breathe.

Vinyl, VHS, and the Sound of 1995

Past the display screen, DON’T NOD teamed with Child Katana to press a restricted-run vinyl soundtrack: neon-splattered sleeve, liner notes styled like scribbled yearbook pages, and a hidden observe that performs the camcorder’s audio hiss. It’s greater than merch—it’s a bodily extension of the sport’s fixation on the methods we report and reinterpret our youth.

Wanting Forward: Challenge M2

DON’T NOD’s 2024 earnings name quietly confirmed “Challenge M2,” a comply with-up set within the Lost Data universe. Particulars are locked down, however early idea artwork suggests the crew isn’t completed mining the blurred border between reminiscence and actuality. Whether or not it’s a direct sequel or a brand new solid in the identical timeline, followers can anticipate the studio’s subsequent venture to construct on the camcorder mechanic and twin-period storytelling that made Bloom & Rage stand out.

Fast FAQ

Lost Data: Bloom & Rage doesn’t attempt to reinvent DON’T NOD’s components; as an alternative, it refines it, swapping supernatural spectacle for the uncanny energy of revisiting the previous by way of grainy footage and half-remembered songs. In the event you ever pressed “report” on a camcorder simply to freeze an ideal summer time day, the sport’s bittersweet reunion will hit like a refrain you haven’t heard in a long time—and can’t cease buzzing as soon as it comes again.

Key Takeaways

• Tape 1: Bloom and Tape 2: Rage are each out now on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Collection X|S.
• The sport retails at $39.99 and contains each tapes in a single buy.
• A bodily PS5 version is releasing on August 7, 2025.
• Developed by DON’T NOD, creators of Life is Unusual, the sport blends supernatural thriller with coming-of-age drama.
• Future sequel teased below codename “Challenge M2”, presently in growth.

Overview of Lost Data: Bloom & Rage

Set in the summertime of 1995, Lost Data: Bloom & Rage follows 4 teenage ladies—Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat—as they spend a life-altering summer time collectively earlier than a mysterious occasion tears them aside. The story picks up almost three a long time later, as the chums reunite and try and uncover what actually occurred. Advised in two components, the sport seamlessly strikes between timelines to discover friendship, concern, and forgiveness with DON’T NOD’s signature emotional depth.

Story and Themes

The narrative offers closely with reminiscence, trauma, and the methods our previous defines us. In Tape 1, gamers expertise the formative summer time that bonds the women collectively, whereas Tape 2 delivers the grownup perspective as secrets and techniques unravel and buried recollections floor. The twin-timeline format echoes DON’T NOD’s energy in layered storytelling, permitting gamers to see the ripple results of selections made way back.

Gameplay Mechanics

Lost Data focuses on immersive exploration and interactive dialogue. A standout characteristic is the camcorder mechanic, the place gamers revisit VHS-fashion footage from 1995 to uncover clues and set off recollections. The sport additionally contains a refreshed dialogue system that lets gamers form how relationships develop—typically with penalties that echo throughout the 2 timelines.

Although the gameplay is gentle on motion, the emotional weight of decisions and the depth of character writing make it really feel wealthy and rewarding. Count on atmospheric environments, a moody soundtrack, and loads of small narrative particulars to uncover by way of exploration and dialog.

Genuine ’90s Vibes and Aesthetic

Lost Data thrives on authenticity. The builders painstakingly recreated the look and really feel of 1995—from flannel shirts and mixtapes to camcorders and riot grrrl posters. The cultural references, music, and visible language of the period assist root the sport in a tangible sense of time. Nostalgia isn’t simply window dressing right here—it’s central to the story’s emotional resonance.

Not like Life Is Unusual’s time-journey mechanic, the supernatural in Lost Data is extra ambiguous. The thriller unfolds subtly, giving the sport a dreamlike pressure somewhat than overt magical realism.

Reception and Way forward for the Collection

Critics and gamers alike have responded positively to the sport’s route, regardless of some wishing for extra gameplay or an extended conclusion. Nonetheless, its emotional maturity, visible polish, and unforgettable characters have earned it a spot amongst DON’T NOD’s most compelling works.

Excitingly, DON’T NOD has already begun work on what seems to be a sequel or religious comply with-up, presently codenamed Challenge M2. Whereas particulars are scarce, followers can sit up for extra tales set on this richly textured universe.

FAQ

Is Lost Data: Bloom & Rage totally launched?

Sure, each Tape 1 and Tape 2 are actually accessible. The complete story is full and playable on Steam, PS5, and Xbox Collection X|S.

Is a bodily version accessible?

Sure. A bodily version for PS5 is confirmed and will launch on August 7, 2025.

How lengthy is the sport?

The full playtime throughout each tapes is roughly 10–12 hours, relying on how deeply you discover.

Will there be a sequel?

DON’T NOD has confirmed they’re engaged on a comply with-up venture below the title “Challenge M2,” which many anticipate to broaden the Lost Data universe.

Is it much like Life Is Unusual?

Sure, in tone and emotional depth. Nevertheless, Lost Data trades overt supernatural powers for a extra grounded and reminiscence-centered thriller. Followers of Life is Unusual will really feel proper at house right here.