Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus

You know, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus might be my pick for the best looking game of the year! I first saw this a little while back and the trailer blew me away with its hand-drawn animation that looks like something from one of the big animation studios! They have a demo for this which I highly recommend you check out, I have pretty much exhausted everything that you can do in the demo and I know for sure, that this will be a day one pick up when the game is fully released in the coming weeks, well coming weeks as I write this.

Bo And Donatello Know Bo!

I think that it is so cool how Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is based on ancient Japanese mythology, with crazy yokai and all other kinds of weird and wonderful spirits playing a part in the story. We play the role of a character called Bo, who is a fox (there is an actual name for what this fox is, but it is escaping me as I write this) and Bo is a spirit that has been sent down to the land in order to fulfill a prophecy. There are all kinds of strange spirits that want to prevent you from doing this! If you are into anime and Studio Ghibli style movies, you will get super into the fantasy tale that is being woven here.

Fast Like The Wind

I was going to write “She’s Like the Wind” as a fitting tribute to Patrick Swayze, but then I thought what the heck does that have to do with Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus? Anyway, while the game is pure eye candy, this is just an absolute joy to play. What we have here is a 2D Metroidvania style of game and what makes it so fun, so compelling and so awesome to play is how tight and fluid the controls are. Bo is so easy to navigate and the platforming and the combat flow together so well. In many ways, I would say something like Ori and the Will of the Wisps is probably the best way to describe how silky smooth the controls of the game are. Even in the demo, you can get a feel for the control right away and it is easy to pick up and play, but once you fully get to grips with it, you will be running, jumping, and dashing with a ton of grace and style!

More Depth Equals More Fun!

The core gameplay of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is absolutely fantastic! Truly, I cannot overstate what a joy to actually play this game is. However, there is so much more to this! To start with, Bo uses a fancy bo staff as a weapon, but this can be shifted into different weapons, this along with your new abilities gives you an arsenal that is fun to use, but also adds to the Metroidvania gameplay by opening up previously blocked off areas. There are challenging boss battles and just a ton of variety in the different areas the game takes you! It is honestly incredible just how much there is here. Oh, you can even get these little yokai/spirits as you progress through the game that can be summoned in to lend a helping hand!

Video Games Truly Are Art!

As I said at the start, Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is truly a gorgeous looking game, probably the best looking game of the year for me. We have seen games utilize hand-drawn art before, but the Japanese theming here is just so well done, not only that the animation is so fluid and smooth, you truly do feel like you are watching some high end anime movie. The quality of the backgrounds and the variety of locations is also fantastic, it ensures you are never looking at the same thing for too long. Plus, this game has an amazing soundtrack, the kind of soundtrack that I would happily buy a vinyl soundtrack of.

Pros:

• The gameplay is so smooth and fluid
• You have many abilities and moves to unlock
• I love the story and setting
• This game looks and sounds amazing

Cons:

• This needs a physical release!
• I hope this gets the audience it deserves