B\: Teal Lotus: A Disappointing Yet Stunning Review

B\: Path of the Teal Lotus is an elegant and strikingly designed game, but far too many sharp edges detract from the enjoyment of the game, leaving it as an enjoyable but unmemorable experience.

Initial release date: July 17, 2024

Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, macOS, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows, Linux, Mac operating systems

Mode: Single-player video game

License: proprietary license

Genres: Metroidvania, Adventure

Developers: Squid Shock Studios, Christopher Stair, Trevor Youngquist

Publisher: Humble Bundle

B\: Path of the Teal Lotus is a really visually stunning game, but its gameplay surpasses its goals. The 2D platformer is a stunning game that straddles the line between two genres, drawing inspiration from both difficult platformers and Metroidvanias. However, neither its traversal nor combat mechanics are especially noteworthy.

The game centers around Bō, who enters the world to aid in the abolition of a powerful evil. Inspired by Japanese art, the artwork is painted in a hand-drawn style. The universe is constructed with a variety of monsters and creatures from Japanese folklore, continuing the theme. Although the primary plot is around getting ready to battle a huge monster that can be seen in the distance, the creature doesn’t play a major role in the narrative. Rather, the story chronicles your quest to gain strength and overcome obstacles. The uninteresting villain and the drab plot make the novel seem like an afterthought and don’t encourage you to keep reading.

There are two primary aspects of the gameplay: traversal and fighting. Using your bo staff to execute air combos and keep yourself in the air by bouncing off foes is the main strategy of combat. When you hit an enemy, you also get a hop back, which gives you another way to stay in the air. Unfortunately, B\: Path of the Teal Lotus lacks the accuracy for this fighting system, thus you will have to engage foes and bosses up close. It’s hard to discern when and if you can make touch with an enemy without taking damage unless you employ trial and error. You can avoid receiving damage from certain foes and bosses while moving past others that deal damage instantly. The second kind is considerably more annoying because you can block every attack that comes at you, but because they moved a little, you still get hit when you’re doing an air combination.

There aren’t many ways you can tailor your combat strategy. New moves and attacks become available to you as you advance through the game, but they seem to be more geared toward platforming than combat. While some, like the bat, which lets you fire particular kinds of projectiles, are useful in battle, the others—aside from the dash—are far too situational. The grapple and bat are useful in certain situations, but they are meant to be used in specific conflicts and are not merely more tools in your toolbox. This is because they can only be utilized when a certain item is available.

The best part of the two primary gameplay elements is traversal, but only when the game gives you the opportunity to move freely. It is your responsibility to quickly move between places while utilizing the various skills you unlock.

Unfortunately, platforming presents two main sources of irritation. First, the platforming has to focus more narrowly since some of the skills are too limited in how they can be used. Long parts are devoted to the newest ability available, which severely restricts the design in the case of the grapple. In each of these sections, you will attempt to approach the grappling point sufficiently to use it, moving from one region to the next while doing so. When you have complete control over all of your tools, there are late-game portions where you can combine them all to create a genuinely unique platforming experience.

One big source of annoyance is that certain areas include fire or spikes that only inflict a single damaging hit to you. But, they do force an instant reset, presenting you with a checkpoint that appears to be random and a loading screen. When you touch one of them to the left or right, even when you are physically on safe ground, you are reset, sometimes even losing your current position. B\: Since Path of the Teal Lotus isn’t a very hard game, this reset seems like an extra penalty that will just make you feel worse. It seems inappropriate to force a reset while you still lose health and can die from these surges, especially since the reset puts you farther back than you should have been. These spikes also serve to emphasize how clumsy Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus’ mobility is. You can never move precisely how you want to when you make contact with a spike and a loading screen appears. Normally, it doesn’t really matter if you float too much or don’t have full control over Bo.

Its second and third areas are the main sources of inspiration for Metroidvania. Sakura City, the primary hub, is reached after conquering the first section. The next two regions split out to the east and west of the city from there. There are many sections in these regions where you need to have unlocked new powers. You must repeatedly move back and forth between the two places in order to receive these powers. As you have to exit one area entirely and enter another after completing an objective, this defeats the purpose of having a linked world where new skills allow you to access other locations. The second issue is that the rapid travel locations are a little too dispersed, which makes traveling to a new location seem laborious, particularly when it happens three or four times.

B\: Path of the Teal Lotus is good in two aspects: most boss fights and artwork. The hand-drawn graphics in the game are amazing, with fresh styles to admire in every new location. It appears fantastic both when you are moving through it and when you are still, such as during a boss battle. The majority of boss encounters combine fast-paced combat, some traversal requirements, and all of your current powers. B\: Path of the Teal Lotus is quite smooth and demonstrates its potential when you are given an arena to employ everything you have at your disposal.

Review Overview

Gameplay – 55%

Story – 60%

Aesthetics – 85%

Content – 58%

Accessibility – 65%

Value – 60%

Overall Rating – 64%

Mediocre

Summary: B\: Path of the Teal Lotus is extremely beautiful and has some truly amazing moments, but its level design, combat, and platforming are all a little sloppy. While none of these defects make a game awful in and of itself, they do cause dissatisfaction over time, undermining the potential for a truly memorable experience.