Bō:
Path Of The Teal Lotus

Bō: Path Of The Teal Lotus (2024) is a running and jumping game about a mystical fox in a land of Japanese folklore. You use your anthropomorphic staff and doll allies to defeat mythical enemies, and brew teas to become stronger. It stands out for its emphasis on elegant, flowing combat and traversal and the tea-brewing that creates moments of calm even in combat.

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You play Bō, a fox from Japanese legend who descends from the heavens into a world of mystical creatures and landscapes to fulfil an ancient prophecy. You traverse the world and talk to the creatures you meet, defeating enemies using your bō staff and Daruma doll allies, and brewing teas to heal and become more powerful.

Play involves running, jumping, and dashing through the world and fighting enemies. Combat is fast-paced with an emphasis on fluidity, and you use both your staff and different Daruma dolls you can summon to help you.

Brewing a healing tea restores your health, but leaves you temporarily open to attack, so you must choose your moment carefully. Other teas you brew grant your staff new abilities which allow you to traverse previously inaccessible areas, both to find secrets and continue advancing along the main path.

The result is a game that stands out not only for the Japanese folklore influence but also for the way that this influence creates novel combat and traversal abilities. Calmly brewing new teas to grow in strength is not only essential to progression but also makes for a unique dichotomy between the engaging fights and platforming and the meditative action that enables it.

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Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Bō: Path Of The Teal Lotus a year ago. It was re-examined by Thom Robertson and updated 6 months ago.