Roughly four years after the company was founded, Squid Shock Studios is ready to share its first game: a 2.5D metroidvania called Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus. It’s a whimsical platforming adventure deeply steeped in Japanese folklore and complemented by a satisfying combat system and stellar original score.

Tea time

As the titular Bō, a celestial blossom, you set out on a journey to participate in an ancient ritual. As you make your way through a diverse set of environments, your role in this ritual and the world at large begins to crystallize. You’ll meet a host of friendly and hostile yokai on this journey, all pushing the story forward through imparting wisdom or the dance of battle.

While the story in Bō is rather vague, Squid Shock Studios goes all-in on vibes. The hand-drawn characters and environment are downright gorgeous, and I stopped to admire the scenery every time I reached a new area of the world. There’s also an incredible attention to detail, as you’ll often witness the world moving at its own pace in the background as you explore. Whether it be a flock of birds soaring over the hills or the dancing lights in the night sky, there is so much to visually admire in Path of the Teal Lotus.

Stepping back from the visuals, Path of the Teal Lotus is equally pleasurable to listen to. The original score composed by Moisés Camargo is thoroughly delightful. It’s tranquil during the quieter moments, like something you’d listen to while strolling through an art gallery. When the action picks up, it transitions to fast-paced and energetic music.

Eloquent action

In true metroidvania fashion, Path of the Teal Lotus encourages you to retrace your steps, revisiting old locations with newfound abilities that allow you to access previously unreachable areas. The developers nail that feeling of “oh, I know exactly where to use this!” that you get when you unlock new ways to traverse the world, and I felt rewarded for my curiosity and attention to the layout of each level.

Not only is the world of Bō cleverly designed, it’s also incredibly fun to traverse. This is thanks to a mechanic that provides the ability to jump an extra time after hitting an enemy in the air. These jump attacks can be chained together to cross a great distance without ever touching the ground. It’s great for not just puzzle-solving, but combat. Boss fights feel epic when the entire encounter becomes an aerial battle as I frantically leap around the stage, managing my movement while dodging attacks and getting in some hits of my own.

Path of the Teal Lotus also includes large mushrooms that can be hit with a down attack for a massive leap, which is used to reach high areas. I found the strength of these jumps to be inconsistent, and I had to hit the mushroom a few times in order to get the desired height on my leaps.

The scrappy celestial blossom is equipped with earrings that can transform into various weapons and utility items. This includes a staff that can be used to whack enemies and a bat that can be used to send them flying into weak structures, opening new paths for exploration. That said, I found the bat controls to be a little obtuse. You can only hit an enemy with the bat after striking it with the staff, during a brief window of time as indicated by an on-screen prompt. You then move the analog stick in the direction you want to hit it. The timing of this simply feels off, and I frequently had to smack an enemy multiple times to actually hit it and send it in the direction I wanted.

There are a couple of key features that can be used to enhance your combat skills and aid you in battle. Daruma Dolls can be collected throughout the world and have unique spells and abilities that Bō can unleash on foes. Darumas can be upgraded to increase their effectiveness. You’ll also find Omamori, which are charms that modify Bō or his abilities. These can be equipped in the menu, and finding the combination that suits your playstyle is key.

Follow the light

Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is an extremely charming metroidvania thanks to its rich use of Japanese folklore in its world and character design. Not only is the world nice to look at, but a delight to explore. There are some rough edges when it comes to the platforming, but there is immense fun to be had if you can work past them.

This review is based on a Steam code provided by the publisher. Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus launches on July 17, 2024, for PC.