Misplaced Data: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is the primary on this intriguing two-parter, and an formidable endeavor from the unique creators of Life Is Unusual. Establishing two timelines, each within the mid-90s and current day, Bloom & Rage is a return to Don’t Nod’s roots with a killer setting, lovable characters, and loads of nerve-wracking choices to make amidst a thriller narrative. Nonetheless, Tape 1 is a sluggish burner, and whereas we’re onboard for the scene that it units, it’ll be right down to Tape 2 to dictate whether or not it’s all well worth the journey.
It’s been virtually 30 years since protagonist Swann has seen the titular Bloom & Rage buddy group. In a modern-day setting portrayed in first-person, the crew are reluctantly introduced collectively by an ominous field addressed to them. We don’t know what’s in it or who despatched it, but it surely’s all tied to their summer season collectively in 1995.
That’s the large narrative hook that will get you within the door, however Misplaced Data takes a step again and slows issues down. Reminiscing about their summer season collectively, we’re transported again, the place we management a 16-year-old Swann from a third-person perspective.
Exploring Don’t Nod settings isn’t something new, however what Misplaced Data does to face other than the developer’s earlier work is it asks you to seep within the very essence of a time interval. With heat fuzzy visuals, a comforting synthy rating, and loads of 90s knickknacks to dial up your nostalgia, it’s considered one of Don’t Nod’s greatest settings to this point.
Whether or not it’s Swann’s bed room, plastered with posters of bands, books, and flicks, or an unbranded Blockbuster full with film shows, Misplaced Data goes all-in on the handful of settings you discover. It’s par for the course with narrative video games like this, however Misplaced Data actually sells the ambiance of every of its settings, making all of them extra memorable within the course of.
Nonetheless, the setting is only one a part of Misplaced Data’ attraction, with its characters being on the forefront. Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is a story of friendship, with protagonist Swann, together with Autumn, Nora, and Kat, coming collectively in an opportunity encounter. Don’t Nod actually takes its time to determine these relationships, with the women merely attending to know one another taking over the majority of Tape 1’s six-hour runtime.
It’s in these performances that the characters come into their very own, each as formidable, energetic teenagers, and worn down, mature adults. The writing is way improved from one thing like Life Is Unusual, which was riddled with the “hella” cringe dialogue of angsty teenagers. It’s not totally gone in Misplaced Data, with the “we’re weirdos” patter sporting a bit skinny at occasions, but it surely all feels far more genuine to the characters and its setting.
It meant we have been longing for any morsel of data on how these characters’ lives panned out when chopping again to the fashionable day. How did seeds planted in 1995 sprout within the 2020s, all whereas being drip fed data relating to the women’ separation 27 years prior?
It does get a bit “after which that factor occurred” as we flit forwards and backwards, just like the characters are waggling their fingers on the display screen saying “not but”. Whereas the time spent attending to know these women will possible be price it, you continue to spend lots of your time questioning when something nefarious goes to occur.
In fact, with this being a Don’t Nod recreation there are many narrative decisions to make. From this tape alone, it’s onerous to actually gauge if something will really influence the result of the narrative. Thus far it dials right down to your cat being a unique color relying on what you determine to name it, or romance choices with every of the principle solid seemingly having no carryover to the fashionable day. It’s one other ‘wait and see’ side that we’ll be eager to know extra about.
Along with the Don’t Nod hallmarks, Misplaced Data has mechanical gimmicks to boost its simplistic gameplay. In Life Is Unusual it was the time-rewinding and in Twin Mirror it was the Thoughts Palace. Right here, Swann, an aspiring filmmaker, all the time has a camcorder at hand. As you revel within the 90s setting, you’re tasked with filming sure objects contributing to Swann’s memoirs.
Filming issues like graffiti, nature, areas, and even your cat, you rearrange the footage in a simplistic editor, after which watch again your work with Swann’s added commentary. It’s acquired a beautiful aesthetic attraction, which flits from healthful dwelling video to Blair Witch. Nonetheless, this shortly turned extra of a chore for us, as you movie objects, ready for a circle to fill earlier than transferring on to the subsequent factor. Watching the footage again wasn’t usually well worth the grind both, and for us, it turned one thing we virtually totally ignored within the latter a part of the sport.
However what we’re actually right here for is the thriller. There’s a sure level in Misplaced Data, simply once we thought it was about to lose us, that it switches gears. We don’t wish to get into spoilers right here in any respect, however with pangs of horror and foreboding narrative threads, it left us desirous to know the way it all pans out. Tape 1 is all about drip-feeding that thriller narrative, whether or not that’s the rationale the gang parted methods in 1995, or why they’re so nervous to be again collectively once more within the modern-day.
As if the ‘Tape 1’ tag wasn’t sufficient to point, that is firmly a chunk of a bigger puzzle, with this primary chapter placing in lots of the legwork for the concluding half. It makes it tough to actually say how nice or price your time Misplaced Data actually is. We loved it and we want to see extra, however whether or not the entire expertise is price it’s but to be seen.
To shortly be aware efficiency, we performed Bloom & Rage on the PS5 Professional (though it needs to be talked about that it isn’t Professional Enhanced). The sport appears totally gorgeous, with sharp particulars and sensible lighting — with a specific shoutout to sound design. Nonetheless, efficiency pre-launch was slightly uneven at factors, and texture pop-in was all too frequent. We by no means skilled any crashes, nonetheless, and with the slower-paced gameplay, body charge dips by no means bothered us an excessive amount of. It was a much more technically sound expertise than one thing like (sarcastically) Life Is Unusual: Double Publicity.
Conclusion
Misplaced Data: Bloom & Rage Tape 1 is an intriguing introduction to a mysterious new world. With its characters and setting on the forefront, this rose-tinted view of the mid-90s is welcoming, nostalgic, and completely blends this story’s extra enigmatic facet. It’s extremely sluggish at occasions and it doesn’t reply an terrible lot, however fact be instructed, we’re dying to have these questions addressed within the latter a part of the story. Tape 1 has teed it up, so it’s right down to Tape 2 to safe the house run.
