Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is an upcoming Metroidvania, by the team that worked on AM2R, a plush remake of Metroid II: Return of Samus.
The new game has begun life on Kickstarter, and the developer, Squid Shock Studios, has steeped it in Japanese folklore, which is pretty cool. Check out the trailer below:
The description reads:
“Bo is a hand-drawn 2D Metroidvania based in a colorful world of Japanese folklore. You play as a tiny fox spirit that grows from lotus blossom after being blessed by the moon god. It is an indie game being developed by Squid Shock Studios.
“Use your legendary bō staff to bounce and move fluidly through a delightfully-demonic East Asian fever dream. Use the tight movement and reset system to reach areas efficiently and gracefully or recover chaotically while floundering for footing.”
It is reminiscent of Ōkami, the cult Zelda-alike from Hideki Kamiya. The premise of Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is that you play as Bō, a celestial blossom who wields a shapeshifting bō staff. Generally, I would say that not enough games feature bō staffs. Squid Rock is aiming for a PC release, but there is also a Switch version as a stretch goal.
So, if you’re a fan of celestial blossoms, Metroidvanias, and/or Ōkami, then you may want to think about funding the thing. Check out the game’s Kickstarter here.
