Bo: Path Of The Teal Lotus Review (PS5) – Blossoming into view courtesy of Squid Shock Studios and empowered by the Unity game engine, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus arrives with the unenviable task of standing out in a genre that teems with great games.
Bursting with a maelstrom of vibrant colours and imbued with an abundance of inspired ideas, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus makes an indelible impression when you catch a glimpse of its beautiful art style for the very first time.
The question is, can Path of the Teal Lotus carve out a home for itself in a star-studded genre and become a must-try gem of the action platforming genre, or will it serve merely as a reminder of the different paints with which it decorates its own canvas?
Bo: Path Of The Teal Lotus Review (PS5) – The Teal Of Timeless Tranquility
The Tranquility of the Teal Lotus
In Path of the Teal Lotus, you’re introduced to celestial creatures known as fox yokai, and you take control of one of these beings named Bo, as you aim to fulfil and ancient prophecy and discover your origins. Such sacred missions are fraught with perils and obstacles as you dive down the belly of this artistically eloquent beast.
Many evils lurk in the treacherous wildernesses you explore in Bamboo Forest and Sakura City, but thankfully the speediness of bounding about levels by darting across the scenery and utilizing the bespoke skills of your blossom to navigate the environment.
Bo is a special kind of fox yokai, as it’s only one of its kind that has the power to rid of the oncoming plague that threatens to wipe out all the peaceful creatures of the forest. This set-up is highly cliched, but the player should indeed have the power to eradicate threats that aim to destroy the peace, so even though the premise could’ve been a lot more interesting, it’s not a deal-breaker.
There exists a peculiar-yet-rhythmic application of Path of the Teal Lotus’ platforming gameplay. The fluidity and eloquence of movement is all well and good with its infectiously fast flow, but in the midst of learning how to jump between spherical lanterns, you’ll need to rewire your expectations a little bit.
You can’t simply bound upwards, you’ll have to direct your movements so you’re able to leap from spot-to-spot. This flourish may not go over well with those who may favour more immediacy, but once you reach a flow state, this subtlety becomes as natural as a second skin.
A Hollow Knight or a Hollow Plight?
The introductory portion of Path of the Teal Lotus assists you in acclimating to the systems at play with simplistic quests such as gathering up bamboo to help you utilize a skill where you can make walls explode that reveal a passageway onwards towards more straightforward tutorials. Despite the tutorial-based beginnings, Path of the Teal Lotus opens up like the beautifully delicate plant itself.
Bo can also wield a specialized weapon called an Equinox Staff, which you can use to give those floating blue demon spirits a smack, and generally using this sacred stick as an offensive weapon whenever the need arises. It’s a shame the staff doesn’t boast a multitude of capabilities, but it serves its purpose dutifully nonetheless.
Path of the Teal Lotus has a generous save system. You’ll find shrines dotted generously throughout the adventure for you to save your game at, ensuring the game keeps moving along as rapidly as its little blossom hero. The convenience of these shrines allows players to get on with the adventure without interrupting the ebb and flow of the game.
Hidden secrets and bosses are tucked away inside of Path of the Teal Lotus’ map. Fellow blossoms can be found and rescued, screen-filling bosses test your platforming skills aplenty, and generally there’s plenty to unearth that’ll keep you curious and engaged during its 6 hour duration.
Bosses are a spectacle and highlight. Get ready to put what you’ve learned to the test and to battle such fiends as a specter that spits out miniature specters, where you need to utilize precision and timing in order to fell the scourge and move onwards. It’s delightful that Path of the Teal Lotus relishes in its boss battles as passionately as it does its visual style, and the results are simply beautiful.
This latest Metroidvania carries the spirit of the genre in a graceful and pleasant way. Path of the Teal Lotus contains within it echoes of Moon Studios’ Ori and The Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps can be identified by Bo’s ethereal elegance, the natural setting and the energetic glow emitting from its blooming devotion to Japanese folklore. The silky motion of Path of the Teal Lotus also highlights admiration for Hollow Knight, zipping along in a light and elegant way befitting of that particular stalwart of the Metroidvania genre.
Though Path of the Teal Lotus wears its inspiration on its sleeve and arguably cribs too liberally from those games, it nonetheless leaves an indelible impression that’s hard to soak off. If you’re willing to see Path of the Teal Lotus in isolation from the games that inspired it, it’s a truly wonderful experience, but even if you did take stock of all the games it takes from, these positive feelings should remain intact.
A Blossoming Beauty
One of the most impressive qualities in Path of the Teal Lotus is how it thematically holds steadfast to its inherent beauty including its blazing colours and gorgeous little details that truly makes the game pulsate with enduring life. Witnessing floating and sparkling white bunnies galloping in mid-air is an outstanding presentation flourish, which along with the painterly aesthetic, gives Path of the Teal Lotus an enriching and elegant presentation that helps Path of the Teal Lotus stand out among its contemporaries.
The backdrops are stunning and lively too, injecting Path of the Teal Lotus with an insatiable and vibrant energy that’s irresistible to look at. There are crystallized flowing rivers and scenic natural backdrops, conveying Path of the Teal Lotus’ fervent ties to its own naturalistic environment. Path of the Teal Lotus truly is one of the loveliest-looking games of the year, showing how it fully embraces its ancient Japanese leanings.
As long as you don’t expect anything genre-defining, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a breathtaking Metroidvania experience. The art style is gorgeous, the action-platforming is fast and satisfying, and the sweet modesty of its tale is though-provoking and gentle. Path of the Teal Lotus is a little heavy on with the tutorials at the beginning, boss battles later on get frustrating, and it doesn’t do anything remarkably new, but fans of Hollow Knight will find this a gratifying curio that’s well worth diving into, even if the pool here is a little bit shallow.
Bo: Path Of The Teal Lotus is available on PS5 on July 18, 2024.
Review code generously provided by the publisher.