It can be hard to shake off the shadow of Hollow Knight when you're making a 2D Metroidvania, but I can't imagine that that's too much of a concern for the developers of Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus. A diminutive silent protagonist, a mysterious world brought to life with gorgeous artwork, and a supporting cast of appropriately cryptic side characters aren't the world's most subtle nod to Team Cherry.
For all that, however, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus remains firmly rooted in its own identity. Based around Japanese mythology, its journey begins with the descent of Bo - a Yokai created for the game that blends a fox-like top half with the powers of a 'celestial blossom'. Those powers put a swift focus on platforming, and it's not long until you're learning to combine Bo's aerial abilities with their powerful staff to work your way through sprawling levels.
Some of that is a little tricky, and while later sections run smoother and faster, there were times at the start of the game where I felt I was relying a little more on luck than judgment to solve some of the puzzles. As you might expect in any Metroidvania, as Bo progresses, their staff gets upgraded. An early upgrade lets me thwack around some hard-shelled nearby critters to break through some otherwise-impenetrable barriers. It's satisfying at first, but as Path of the Teal Lotus pushes the idea further, complexity starts to give way to good fortune.
Godlike
Much of the time, however, there's a sense of genuine mastery that's far more in line with some of the best 2D platformers of recent years. It's certainly prepared to be tricky, and there are certain skills that do require practice to perfect, but Path of the Teal Lotus treads a fine line well. A single missed input doesn't always have to send you back to the start of whatever challenge you're facing, and I appreciated the fact that Bo was often able to scrabble back into a position where they could continue from wherever they left off without crashing to the floor or losing HP to a reset.
Even if Path of the Teal Lotus wasn't a little more forgiving than some of its Metroidvania brethren, however, I'd be prepared to cut it some slack for just how beautiful it looks. I was drawn in very quickly thanks to its beautiful artwork, and I'm pleased to report that I was far from disappointed by the finished result. Few games live up to the anime-style trailer that initially drew me to Bo, but there's a huge amount of character tied up in their movement, and the various other Yokai that inhabit their world.
It's here that Path of the Teal Lotus' Japanese inspiration is most keenly felt. Its backgrounds - whether in close-up platforming sections or screen-spanning vistas - speak directly to the mythology that shaped the game, and lend it a crucial sense of identity. Combat is rarely a core focus of the action - platforming, motion, and mobility feel much more important - but Path of the Teal Lotus knows how to put on a show when it comes to boss fights. Arenas open out, these Japanese-inspired monsters filling and adapting the space to allow art and action to truly complement each other.
Bo's foes might be some of the more apparent sources of Japanese influence, but their friends ensure that the some more subtle ideas are capable of holding their own too. Bo powers up by collecting ingredients for various teas, each of which empowers their staff in various ways. Some of those are combat heavy, but others, such as a particularly entertaining grappling gun, are movement-centric. Elsewhere, the collection of Daruma Dolls - traditional dolls often thought of as good luck charms - offer another nod to the source material, while adding an extra layer of depth to Bo's combat.
In much the same way that it must be hard to exist in the shadow of something like Silksong as a developer, it can be hard to write about modern indie Metroidvanias without dwelling too long on Hollow Knight. It's clear that Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus isn't looking to shy away from that comparison - the scent of Team Cherry's masterpiece is all over this game. But crucially, it is just a scent; Bo and The Knight have plenty in common, and I can feel the influence of the Hallownest and its inhabitants, but at no point does this feel like a cheap copycat. Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus and its Japanese mythology offer a valuable, if familiar, entry into this part of the Metroidvania genre. If you, like many others, are still waiting for Silksong, this is a worthy contender to not just help you kill some time, but help you get excited for that eventual release.
Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is out now on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and Switch. To see what else we've been enjoying this year, head on over to our Indie Spotlight series.
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