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There are plenty of dramatic twists that happen throughout Swann’s adventures inLost Records: Bloom & Rage, as she stumbles across and ultimately bonds with her three closest friends - Autumn, Nora, and Kat. Circumstances in each of their lives help affect how the story progresses in tandem with the supernatural occurrences deep in the woods of Velvet Cove.
However, the most emotional and consequential circumstances inLost Records: Bloom & Rageinvolve Kat Mikaelsen, and the cliffhanger left at the end of Tape 1 definitely had many players reeling over what her fate would be in the second half of the game. If you’re wondering what becomes of her personal story, here’s a guide to help explain who exactly Kat is and what ends up happening to her in Tape 2.
Who is Kat in Lost Records: Bloom & Rage?
Disclaimer:The following character guide contains EXTREME story-related spoilers, so read ahead with discretion, especially if you haven’t finished the game.
Kathryn (“Kat”) Mikaelsen is the youngest daughter of the Mikaelsen family who owns Mikaelsen Ranch, a local deer-breeding business that also serves as the premier hunting getaway in Velvet Cove. Dylan, whom the girls first meet early in Tape 1, is Kat’s older sister. Their parents are briefly heard but never seen in-game.
Kat’s childhood upbringing is conveyed as a contentious one, as she hints at her parents being extremely religious, controlling, and opting to homeschool her. She rebels in what ways she can with her tomboy’ish wardrobe, sneaking out often, and it becomes increasingly clear how much she despises her family’s business. A conflict between Swann and Dylan (and later Corey) in Tape 1 leads to Kat getting involved and them becoming friends, along with Autumn and Nora.
Asthe story progresses, Kat gradually opens up more about her anger and frustration against her family, and particularly against Dylan and her questionable relationship with Corey. Details later on in Tape 2 reveal that she and Dylan were much closer when she was younger, and Dylan even pressured their parents to get Kat the pet rabbit she wanted. However, everything changed when Corey came into the picture.
When Swann and the others eventually come across the abandoned cabin in the woods and later the strange hole in the ground they name “the abyss”, Kat becomes unusually drawn to its power and influence. While the other girls seem hesitant to understand and much less trust “the abyss”, Kat seeks to use its power for personal reasons, particularly against Corey. After founding their band “Bloom and Rage”, circumstances only grow more tense between the girls and Dylan and Corey, and they decide to hold an improvised concert at the Blue Spruce Bar in retaliation.
The night of the concert, the girls manage to belt out most of their debut song despite heckles from the crowd, until Corey and Dylan attempt to intervene by pulling the plug. As the argument grows more heated, Kat lashes out at the entire crowd, ignoring the blood coming out of her nose. Soon, she faints, and the concert comes to a halt. Dylan yells at the group and reveals that Kat has degenerative leukemia and “doesn’t have much time”.
Having not known about Kat’s illness up to that point, the girls find themselves at a loss for words while Dylan and Corey carry Kat off for emergency treatment. The events of Tape 1 end there, with Kat’s fate in the story suddenly far more grim and uncertain.
Is Kat Alive At the End of Lost Records: Bloom & Rage?
The emotional cliffhanger at the end of Tape 1 undoubtedly left many players feeling anxious and worried about Kat, given Dylan’s disclosure about her leukemia. However, Swann and Nora find her alive and well at her home, at least as well as can be expected. During the brief reunion, Kat reveals that she suffered a hemorrhage during the concert, but insists that she feels fine. Not wanting to lose it later during treatment, she cuts her hair short with Swann’s help (depending onyour friendship/relationship with her).
Unfortunately, the reunion is interrupted by yet another confrontation with Corey and Dylan, and it leaves Kat feeling even more angry than before. Angry enough to carry out one last big plan while she’s able to. Soon after, Kat and the other girls don masks and relentlessly vandalize the hunting shop owned by her family, even opting to burn the deer statue out front. However, Kat’s true wish lies in freeing the deer bred and kept in the nearby barn for hunting purposes.
Swann and Kat break into the barn and let all of the deer loose, including Gertie, the one Kat previously mentioned nursing back to health. However, Corey soon arrives with Dylan and flies into a rage at what’s happened. After freeing the deer, the girls escape into the woods. Corey gives chase on his bike but gets gored by one of the deer in the process. The girls make it to the cabin and hide inside, seemingly safe.
However, Corey eventually stumbles across the cabin, filming it all on Swann’s forgotten camcorder. He breaks in and proceeds to set the cabin on fire, threatening to trap the girls inside. They manage to escape and soon come across “the abyss” once again.
What ensues from this point is dependent on the player’s choices, and there are avariety of different tangent endingsthat can happen here. However, regardless of how things initially transpire at the abyss with Corey, one tragic factor remains the same.
By the end of the game,Kat is effectively “taken” by the abyss. Depending on what happens during your playthrough, she will either be dragged in by Corey as he falls in (which he’s doomed for no matter what), or she’ll vanish after he gets pushed in. The reasoning behind this isn’t very clear, but based on Swann’s presumptions (she explains it better in some endings than others), Kat is apparently deemed a “sacrifice” to the abyss.
Whether it’s a direct consequence of Corey being taken isn’t clear either, but up to that point in the story, Kat implied that she wanted to give in to the abyss and its power rather than her illness. So that could be another strong possibility, or it could even be a mixture of both. She may have even sensed that the abyss wanted to take one of the girls as its sacrifice and offered herself in response. Either way, Kat is gone at that point, leaving the other girls (Dylan included) to contend with their grief.
However, during the final epilogue scene (‘Lost Records’), older Swann ventures back into the woods with her camcorder and eventually hears what sounds like Kat’s voice. It pleads for her to come find her, and soon enough, she finds herself back at the same abyss. This time, however, Kat’s spirit, noticeably still young, is standing on the other side. She seems to beg Swann for help, the abyss having trapped her for so many years. The game then gives you one single option - to enter the abyss. Swann declares that she’ll find and save Kat from whatever the abyss truly is, and the game ends there.
This certainly leaves many questions for players,as it’s not clear whether Kat is actually alive or dead, even after so many years with a terminal illness.
DONT NOD has since mentioned thatLost Records: Bloom & Rageis the planned start of a new series, similar toLife is Strange. Kat’s true fate (and Corey’s for that matter) will likely be determined in the sequel to come, and until then, there are plenty of ways to think about and discuss different theories. Also, make sure to go back and catch up onany missed achievements/trophiesin both halves of the game.
