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An upcoming 2.5D action platformer with some gorgeous visuals inspired by Japanese folklore? Sign me up, this sounds great but it's a little while away yet.

Seems I completely missed this one originally, as it was funded on Kickstarter back in early 2022 and Linux is a confirmed release platform for the game. It surfaced again recently, as they've now teamed up with Humble Games (the publishing arm of Humble Bundle).

Check out the new trailer:

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"Flow with acrobatic grace and agility through a mysterious world of myth and legend in Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus, a colorful hand-drawn adventure inspired by Japanese folklore.

Undertake a mystical journey as Bō, a celestial blossom (fox tentaihana) descended from the heavens to play a key role in an ancient and mysterious ritual. Use your legendary bō staff to bounce and glide fluidly through an otherworldly realm of hand-drawn, dreamlike landscapes, strange and adorable yokai, and massive monsters summoned from ancient legends of Japan."

Features:

  • A genre that will feel familiar yet fresh to many players. A 2.5D side-scrolling action platformer with metroidvania elements that merges classic hand-drawn animation and scenery with new atmo- spheric 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 puzzles.
  • Explore a mysterious world based on Japanese folklore! 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.
  • Gather and collect ingredients and relics. Mine the valuable resources in the Kagayaki Cave or harvest bizarre flora in Midori Forest.
  • 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 sidekicks! 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 colorful cast of bizarre and adorable yokai (Mischievous monsters from Japanese folklore) as well as original characters based on Japanese cultural archetypes. All of these characters and enemies are animated with charming detail in 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 musical score composed by Moises Camargo (Moixhka) that beautifully blends traditional Japanese instrumentation with modern orchestral music.

You can follow it on Steam, due for release in 2024.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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About the author -
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I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
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5 comments

Pengling May 22, 2023
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  • Supporter
Oh, this looks beautiful and I want it! Will be keeping an eye on this one for sure - thanks for the heads-up!
scaine May 22, 2023
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  • Contributing Editor
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Well, after watching that video, it's no surprise to see this line in the Kickstarter:

QuoteWe are heavily inspired by video games like Okami, Hollow Knight, Paper Mario, Dust Force and Celeste and Anime such as Spirited away, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, Princess Mononoke and Mononoke.
emphasis mine

I guess I can add this one as a reference to my Hollow Knight article...
Maxine May 22, 2023
This one is indeed gorgeous, will be keeping an eye on it.
Ehvis May 22, 2023
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  • Supporter Plus
Quoting: scaineWell, after watching that video, it's no surprise to see this line in the Kickstarter:

QuoteWe are heavily inspired by video games like Okami, Hollow Knight, Paper Mario, Dust Force and Celeste and Anime such as Spirited away, Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer, Princess Mononoke and Mononoke.
emphasis mine

I guess I can add this one as a reference to my Hollow Knight article...

Definitely leaned towards Hollow Knight instantly. It seems they went even harder on the precision platforming. Might even be too much for me.
Purple Library Guy May 23, 2023
There is no way I could successfully play this game. But it's very pretty; I might enjoy watching someone play it.
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