DON’T NOD Montréal revealed its new property Lost Records: Bloom & Rage at The Game Awards 2023 ceremony. Bloom & Rage is the first game in the brand-new Lost Records universe and is a story-driven journey through time from the creative minds behind Life is Strange. DON’T NOD also dropped the reveal teaser for the game, which you can check out now:
Who Are DON’T NOD?
DON’T NOD Entertainment is a French video game development studio founded in 2008 and expanded into its Montreal location in 2020. The company gained recognition for its focus on narrative-driven games with impactful choices and emotionally engaging storytelling. The studio has received acclaim for titles such as Remember Me (2013), Life is Strange (2015), and Vampyr (2018).
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DON’T NOD Entertainment is known for its commitment to storytelling, character development, and creating games that often tackle mature and thought-provoking themes. The studio has garnered a dedicated fanbase and continues to be a prominent name in the narrative-driven gaming space.
Is it strange that DON’T NOD Montreal, a branch that opened three years ago, is only just putting out its first game? Not at all. Frédérique Fourny-Jennings, managing director at DON’T NOD Montréal, has discussed how the company has used the three years to get exactly the right mix of people to create a studio to be proud of.
“Over the past three years, we’ve been building a studio that echoes the strong values of DON’T NOD and welcoming awesome people, so it’s the perfect cauldron to develop a brand-new IP that will be infused with who we are here in Montréal. To be able to talk about Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is an indescribable feeling because it goes beyond the story of our characters. It’s also about the team who has been carving our identity as a studio and that of the game, as well as those yet to come!”
What Is Lost Records: Bloom & Rage About?
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage allows the enchanting summer of 1995 to unfold as a journey of self-discovery, weaving unbreakable bonds among high school companions Swann, Nora, Autumn, and Kat. After 27 years of silence, destiny orchestrates their reunion, prompting them to confront a deeply buried secret that once compelled them to pledge never to speak again.
It’s a deep story, especially given it is DON’T NOD Montreal’s first. As executive producer Luc Baghadoust and creative director Michel Koch explained: “It’s been quite an adventure for us since our incredible Life is Strange experience – relocating to Canada, setting up our Montréal studio, and assembling a fantastic team during the global challenges we’ve all faced.
Today we are thrilled to finally unveil Lost Records: Bloom & Rage. This new universe is brimming with the magical realism we love, and we are eager to reveal more about Swann, Nora, Autumn, Kat, and their journey. We can’t wait to hear the community’s thoughts!”
How does the game look?
The game’s CGI is solid, with a slight cartoonish edge to it. I appreciate this because it leans into the fact that it isn’t real, and by not trying to be the world is made more immersive, especially when the more fantastical elements kick in.
The trailer has a real Kids on Bikes feel, and so seems perfect for anyone after that Stanger Things or Kollok 1991 fix. Tied into this, the 90s aesthetic works well and creates a fun, ‘dog days of summer’ vibe. That might be my age (I turned 10 in the summer of 95) but it instantly calls to mind long, summer vacations with friends, which is exactly the story the studio is trying to tell. Leaning into the millennial childhood nostalgia works, and I can see many of us who were the same age as our protagonists in 1995 paying for the nostalgia.
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Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is scheduled to be released in late 2024 on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. To stay up-to-date with all the developments as they happen, follow the Lost Records social media accounts on X, Instagram, and TikTok, as well as DON’T NOD’s accounts on Facebook, X, and Instagram.
What do you think of the trailer for Lost Records: Bloom & Rage? Are you excited about delving into this brand-new world? Or are you put off by the fact that the 90s are currently being seen as vintage? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.
SOURCE: DON’T NOD Montreal
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