Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is a side-scrolling game with metroidvania elements, featuring a celestial flower in the shape of a fox “that has descended from the heavens to play a key role in a mysterious ancient ritual.” The title features a diverse and interconnected world where action is mixed with exploration and the discovery of new abilities, which once acquired invite the player to figure out how to use them to find a secret path and reach where they couldn’t before.
One of the game’s main mechanics is the bo staff, which is used to bounce and glide fluidly through environments filled with yōkai and large monsters taken from ancient Japanese legends. As in other similar games, combat requires precision and a bit of acrobatics. Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus seeks to distinguish itself with its movement and restart system to reach new areas or recover after a setback. As they progress through their adventure, players will unlock new abilities for the staff, which will be useful both in combat and when exploring the levels.
“In Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, we wanted to create a movement and combat system with its own distinct rhythm – something that made players feel like they’d entered a state of ‘flow’ when everything clicked together – and we wanted to talk a little more about that with you,” says Chris Stair, Creative Director at Squid Shock Studios. The combat system also features Daruma dolls, which once discovered can be summoned to gain an ally capable of casting spells and using other abilities.
Fluidity is one of the game’s premises, so you have to pay attention to the signals it gives so that the action doesn’t drop. For example, Bo can’t double jump, but thanks to the Shock ability when he hits an object or an enemy with his staff while in the air, a blue glow will surround him, indicating that he can jump before landing. “If he hits something again after that second jump, it will glow again and he can do a third jump and so on,” adds Chris Stair. In the same way that movement skills are enhanced, so are combat skills.
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