I’m not really much of a one for platform games, as a rule, but I do love a bit of Japanese folklore. It was that which ensured I was intrigued by Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus from Squid Shock Games and Humble Games.
Billed as a “Colourful hand drawn adventure inspired by Japanese Folklore”, and with a gameplay style that owes more than a tip of the hat to the great Hollow Knight, I guess the question we need to answer is whether this game can live up to the billing and the source material. Well, come with me to a world of yokai and colourful visuals, won’t you?
The story of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is as good a place to start as any, and here is where things start to get a bit weird, to be honest. Of course, Japanese games are no stranger to the weird, so this is to be expected!
We play as Bō, a celestial blossom descended from Heaven (yes, really) who has to play his part in an ancient and mysterious ritual. Bō is a fox tentaihana, obviously, and we have to use the power of our staff (our stick we carry, not the butler, you understand) to bounce and glide through the world, attempting to bring peace to an unruly world. At least, I think that is what is going on!
Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus has a fantastic hand drawn, 2.5D style that looks nice when static, but absolutely great when in motion. The way that Bō bounces and glides about the place looks great, whilst the enemies are imaginative, apparently drawn straight from Japanese folklore. All in all, it is a treat for the eyeballs. The bosses in particular are really well designed, and the fights are quite nerve wracking!
The levels that we find ourselves in are expansive, with different routes through, and even the backdrops look great. The sound of the game is nice as well – the swishes as Bō lays waste to enemies with his stick, the “boing” sound effects as we bounce off mushrooms to get higher, the way that the music suits the game perfectly – all is lovely here. In fact, I have absolutely no complaints about the presentation of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus at all.
Things are a little more mixed in terms of gameplay. The actual flow of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is great, don’t get me wrong, but there are some sections of the traversal mechanics that make things a bit harder than they need to be.
Let me explain. Bō has his stick, which is his primary means of attack, but it also comes in handy when trying to get around. First off, if we do a downwards attack (using down and X together) then Bō will not only bounce off mushrooms in the landscape, but can also bounce off enemies. If he strikes an enemy in mid air, he can then jump again afterwards – in this way, it is possible to chain together jumps, attacks and then further jumps to get to where we need to be. At least, that is the theory – however I have struggled with the timing of this to the extent that there are now teeth marks in my controller. I’m not sure how much of this is a ‘me’ problem, with my creaking joints, but it does seem somewhat tricky.
Apart from this, the rest of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is great. Exploring around the place will let us find little buds that will expand Bō’s potential, and also completing missions for people will allow the staff to gain new abilities. There are a number of these to collect, but I’m not going to spoil them here. Suffice to say, these new abilities will come in really handy when it comes to getting through obstacles in the way. There is usually a power nearby to overcome any obstacle…
Combat is nicely weighted in Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, and while taking out small enemies soon becomes second nature , the bosses are a different kettle of fish. These require not only pinpoint timing and the use of all skills, they also require learning of attack patterns in order to be successful. They don’t go down easy either, and so it is fortunate that one of the things that Bō can use is a series of Daruma dolls. These dolls can be upgraded and then used in battle, capable of turning the tide in a close run fight.
There’s no doubt that Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is one of those rare great games. Any Hollow Knight comparisons are valid, but the overall feel of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is very much its own. The challenge is high, as it should be, and the feeling of accomplishment when you finally beat a difficult boss is almost on a par with Elden Ring!
If you want a tricky-to-master platformer, then I can recommend Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus.
