Upcoming narrative adventure from Life is Strange dev only features one playable character despite its ensemble cast

Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is shaping up to be an intriguing narrative adventure for fans of the original Life is Strange games, but despite having four main characters at the forefront of the story, it turns out that we’ll only be able to play as one of them. 

The upcoming story-driven game stars four girls, Nora, Autumn, Kat and Swann – former friends who reunite 27 years after vowing never to speak to each other again due to a mysterious incident sitting at the heart of the narrative. While you might have expected that this would lead to the game switching between the four characters to tell their collective tale, speaking to Edge in issue 394, producer Luc Baghadoust and creative director Michel Koch confirm that this isn’t the case. 

Koch – who was also co-director on Life is Strange and Life is Strange 2 – explains that although he does personally enjoy switching perspectives in games, the mechanic can lead to you feeling disconnected from what’s happening on the screen.

“I play a character in one scene, but then in the next scene I see this character talking to me, and I’m not choosing the words?” he says. 

On the other hand, he hints that Bloom & Rage’s conversations may flow a little more organically than those that we’re used to from Life is Strange. While we can’t expect the game’s perspective to shift between the cast, you should feel as if you’re fully part of the group, but without the worry of being the only one driving the conversations forward.

“You might want to more clearly listen to someone or someone else, and try to intervene or interrupt someone while they are talking,” he adds. In addition, we can expect to see some “interesting things for interactivity” when it comes to making an impact and having “agency” in the game’s narrative. 

Much of what’s to come in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is still a mystery. The game was revealed during The Game Awards in December 2023, and so far, has only received one teaser trailer. It’s set to release on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X later this year. 

If you’re looking for some new solo adventures to dive into, be sure to check out our recommendations for the best single-player games.