10 Recent Video Games That Have Already Been Forgotten
3. Lost Records: Bloom & Rage
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage is the undeniable spiritual successor to the Life is Strange franchise, given that it's a narrative adventure game from original Life is Strange developer Don't Nod and tackles similar coming-of-age themes wrapped in a supernatural mystery.
Yet considering how overwhelmingly passionate the Life is Strange fanbase is, it's honestly surprising how little impact this well-received new adventure has actually made.
When the first "Tape" in the two-part story launched in February, it peaked at less than 2,000 concurrent Steam players and peaked briefly once again at just shy of 3,000 players with the release of Tape 2 in April.
Considering that even the wildly polarising last Life is Strange game, Double Exposure, peaked at almost triple that figure, it's not hugely indicative of Bloom and Rage having much staying power, even accepting that it was also available on PlayStation Plus on launch.
More to the point, Bloom & Rage's meagre concurrent player count months after the fact is easily dwarfed by the earlier Life is Strange games, likely suggesting that players haven't really been compelled to replay it.
Though Don't Nod decided to release Tape 2 two months after Tape 1 in an attempt to maximise engagement and build buzz, it doesn't really seem like the gambit paid off.
It's a fine game, but just not one that's captured the imagination of players in the same way that Life is Strange did, and it feels like its "mindshare" has already largely evaporated.