Bo Path Of The Teal Lotus
Image: Christopher Stair, Trevor Youngquist

Following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign back in February this year, Chris Stair and Trevor Youngquist's upcoming stunning Metroidvania Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus has gained a couple of notable names in the Metroid fan community.

Members of the team behind Another Metroid 2 Remake (AM2R) have joined this Japanese folklore-inspired search action game which the developers say takes a leaf out of Hollow Knight and Okami's books.

Stair and Youngquist were originally working on the project alone, but have now been joined by these three reputable names who know a thing or two about the Metroidvania genre — Milton Guasti (DoctorM64, Director of AM2R and level designer on Ori and the Will of the Wisps), Esteban Criado (DruidVorse, AM2R's Lead Playtester and Metroidvania speedrunner), and Robert Maloney (Sephazon, Producer of AM2R and Associate for Pokémon Symphonic Evolutions). The three of these will be working as Associate Designer, QA Lead, and Production and Publishing Lead on Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, and what a team to bring on to this beautiful-looking project.

Using lovely hand-drawn aesthetics to create mesmerising levels, characters, and environments, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus follows Bo, a celestial blossom who must overcome obstacles and fight dangerous enemies after uncovering the secrets behind the rise of a powerful shogun. Bo will use her staff to bounce around these Japanese watercolour worlds and you'll be treated to a feast for the eyes and a boatload of Japanese folklore.

Here are some more details on the game from its Steam page:

- A familiar 2D side-scrolling action-platformer that merges classic hand-drawn animation and scenery with new atmospheric bells and whistles that make the experience wondrously novel yet cozily familiar.

- Tight platforming controls. Bō feels amazing to control and players will feel great agency as they enter a flow state navigating the challenging platforming challenges.

- Explore a mysterious world! The world of Bō is open and interconnected. Explore everything from haunted bathhouses to a thriving Japanese-inspired metropolis. Find ways to travel back to areas that you thought you explored fully and unlock new paths and surprises.

- Unlock powerful new abilities! Brew and drink arcane teas to unlock Bō’s shapeshifting staff abilities. Including the Mochi Mallet, Blossom Dash and the Grappling Gun.

- Daruma doll Power-ups! Collect daruma dolls throughout your journey to tune your abilities and give you advantages (or even disadvantages) in unique ways. All daruma dolls begin with 1 eye filled in. They can be upgraded to a 2-eyed daruma that enhances the original daruma’s perk. These loveable daruma dolls will be by your side throughout your journey.

- A large cast of bizarre and adorable yokai (monsters from Japanese folklore) as well as original characters based on Japanese cultural archetypes. All of these characters and enemies are brought to life with traditional hand-drawn 2D frame-by-frame animation. Help them with their side quests or just stop by for a chat and a cup of tea.

- Epic Boss Battles! On your journey you will encounter many massive monsters from Japanese folklore. Use your gained knowledge and skill to vanquish them and advance further in your quest.

- Beautiful hand-drawn and immersive areas and landscapes with traditional Japanese-inspired trimmings.

- An absolutely gorgeous original score composed by Moises Carmago, that beautifully blends traditional Japanese instrumentation with modern orchestral music.

There is a dime a dozen Metroidvanias on the Switch, but with Bo's beautiful visuals and the pedigree behind it, we're extremely excited to see how this one turns out.

Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus is out on Switch sometime next year, and we'll definitely be keeping an eye on this one. Check out last year's teaser trailer below and share your thoughts on the game with us in the comments!

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