Bo Diddley, Bo Derek, Bo Katan, Bo…Dallas. I dunno; I couldn’t think of any more famous Bo’s.
Until Now.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a 2D hand-drawn Metroidvania from Indie studio Squid Shock. You play as Tentaihana, Bo, who needs to use his magical sometimes-earring, sometimes-beat-down-staff to restore peace in the face of a gargantuan demon appearing from out of nowhere. Tall task!
This game could be called a Hollow Knight-lite. Comparing the gameplay, visuals and movement mechanics, it is pretty easy to see why. However, Bo is so much more and worth a detailed look.
It’s freaking GOOD!
I know nothing about Japanese culture, folklore or myths, so take this with a pinch of salt.
The story follows a type of yokai (a kind of supernatural creature) created specifically for the game called a Tentaihana. Our protagonist is born from a teal lotus flower when some wacky sh*t happens in its vicinity.
OK, so the story is sort of abstract.
Basically, this fox-looking dude called Bo awakens just in time to witness the appearance of a towering bad guy, Gashadokuro, blink into existence and start stomping around the world, destroying the peaceful landscape and being a complete nuisance. It’s down to Bo to calm the demon and restore the world to some semblance of normal.
Along the way, you’ll meet various memorable NPCs who will task Bo with re-uniting the kingdom or rebuilding the capital. But what has the capital city’s leader been doing all this time??
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus could be described as a Hollow Knight-lite. That’s a compliment to the game. It’s a terrific Metroidvania with beautiful hand-drawn graphics, challenging boss fights, excruciating platforming sections, and a memorable cast of NPCs. It’s quite a bit smaller in scope, but that’s perfectly fine by me!
The unlockable transformations of their staff shape the titular Bo’s powers. The first one lets you hit stuff and break through fragile walls, and the next allows you to catch and bat away some types of projectiles, and so on and so forth. After collecting all of the powers, by the end of the game, you feel like you’re the boss.
There are also ways to customize your build akin to Hollow Knight’s charm system called Onamori. I’ve never been the best at understanding the benefits and drawbacks of these, but I did find the collectible seeker one very useful for cleanup. The ones that boost the currency you gain for killing other Yokai monsters were also useful because there’s an economic problem near the endgame.
Combat is pretty unique in Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. There are eight summon items to collect called Daruma Dolls that help you in your quest. These summoning items become much more potent if you boil your special tea kettle. That’s right, it’s not just the English who love their tea! The only way to boil your kettle is to build up a combo while fighting in mid-air.
Basically, the floor is lava. Ok, so it’s not lava, but dropping to the ground will nerf your powers. This game incentivises mid-air combat using its excellent movement mechanics. By the end, you’ll have a glide, a dash, and a double jump, all of which reset after hitting an enemy or breakable object. All of this, coupled with a pogo ability that feels amazing (swiping the staff in a downward motion to gain height). Bo has an accomplished movement system.
And it’s a good job, too, because this game has some difficult platforming sections. If you’re not great at precision platforming, there’s a massive skill test around 2-3 hours in, which will have you sweating, or it may even cause a rage-quit. It’s a significant difficulty spike for those not used to these types of games. I mean, it’s no Path of Pain, but it’s no picnic either.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is freaking beautiful. It’s a hand-drawn 2D world, which you’ll instantly recognise as similar to Hollow Knight and Nine Sols. However, the enemy animations, especially the bosses, remind me of traditional paper puppet shows where some of their moving parts are held together with drawing pins. It’s so cool! Bo also uses a saturated and colorful palette, meaning it’s more desirable to take it in than some of its dour contemporaries.
The soundtrack is fantastic. Composed by Moises Camargo, it takes inspiration from traditional Japanese music and instruments but adds a modern flair to fit with this type of game. In explorational areas, it’s contemplative and relaxing. Boss arenas, though, ramp up the excitement, almost daring you to panic and make a mistake. I would totally listen to this OST in isolation to playing the game instead of searching YouTube for lowfi beats or synthwave bops.
I played this game on PlayStation 5, and it pleases me to report that I had no issues with performance. Bo ran beautifully each time I booted up the game, so I couldn’t blame any of my terrible play on lag, frame drops or screen tearing. I was just baaaaaaaaaaaaad.
This year has already provided some banger entries in the Metroidvania genre with games like Ultros, Animal Well, and Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus can be added to that list.
This game ticks a lot of my boxes. It has incredible combat and traversal mechanics. It’s freaking beautiful to look at and to listen to. It is in my favorite genre of video games: Metroidvanias. There are some sharp difficulty spikes and grindy money issues near the end of the game. Having one boss with six phases may have also been overkill, but Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a delightful surprise for something I bought on a whim.
Now, let me tell you what isn’t a delightful surprise: the trophy list. I understand it was partially crafted by the original backers of the game, but COME ON! Beat the game without dying and beat the game without healing? For such a challenging game, that’s torture! I know it can be done, but I don’t think I have dem skills!
Regardless, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus deserves more attention now than ever. This game was published by the now shut-down (or near as dammit) Humble Games. The developers have lost their ability to update console editions of their games and have resorted to setting up a Patreon to help support their ongoing work.
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is an excellent game, and it’s incredibly sad that such a talented studio is going through such pains through no fault of its own. I can’t wait to see what happens next with Squid Shock, whether it be DLC or a new game. I’m sure it’ll be cool as heck!
Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch for around $20 (and that’s a steal).
