Following the game’s release on PC and consoles, I had the chance to pose some questions to the team behind Bō: Path of the Azure Lotus, discussing reception, soundtrack, potential Western physical releases, Switch optimization, Steam Deck, and more. Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus is a gorgeous platformer that I enjoyed playing on both Switch and Steam Deck, despite some issues with the former’s port. I also bought the Japanese physical version. This interview was conducted before the unfortunate news broke that Humble Games was destroyed and the team was unclear about future updates for the console version. These responses all come from Christopher Stair, art and design director at Squid Shock Studios.
TouchArcade (TA): What was the inspiration behind the travel system and movement in Bō: Path of the Azure Lotus?
Christopher Steyer (CS): At the beginning of development, there was a game called Dustforce that I really liked. I really fell in love with the flow of that game. In particular, I really like their jump/dash refresh mechanic where you can hit an object and reset your jump and dash. I found this really interesting and wanted to base Bō’s gameplay on this reset mechanic. Ori and the Will of the Wisps was also a huge inspiration behind the movement. The ability to chain time travel felt really good in that game, and it’s something I wanted to capture in Bō. At the highest level, Bō’s mobility is incredibly skillful once players master the nuances of control.
face: The aesthetic of the game is gorgeous, and while I was on vacation in Singapore, I noticed that people were really interested in the game. I’ve also seen it released at retail on Switch and PS5. Are there plans to make a game for North America, Europe and Australia on PS5, Xbox Series X and Switch?
CS: We’re happy to do physical testing for all platforms in the West! The physical and deluxe kits made by Marvelous INC. are absolutely gorgeous and I just recently held it in my hands for the first time in Japan. This was a super unforgettable experience. While we currently have no plans for physical distribution in the West, we are willing to explore this if there is sufficient demand.
face: Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus has been verified by Steam Deck and plays amazingly on the system. Has the team done any additional work for the platform?
CS: The biggest challenge with the Steam Deck is the nuances of its resolution. We make games in a 16:9 aspect ratio. Small changes in resolution are so annoying! When we saw it on the Steam Deck, we actually had a hard time getting used to it. That’s the main thing, other than that it was a pretty smooth experience.
face: I also really like Bō: Path of the Azure Lotus on Switch, but it has some performance issues. Are there any plans to further optimize the game on Switch?
CS: When we were making Bō, the Switch was always in the back of my mind. To be honest, its performance limitations actually limited my creativity throughout the development process. That being said, I was surprised by how well most of the games ran on the Switch once the first port launched. Our porter Josh Regan did a great job of ironing out some of the big issues, but we still noticed some frame drops. They will be easily adjusted in future patches. The Switch is pretty tricky, but I think the results are pretty good all things considered.
face: Humble Games has ported many of its games to mobile devices. Should we expect to see Bō: Path of the Green Lotus on iOS in the future?
CS: This is something I’ve never really thought about. I think making Bō’s control scheme feel good on a touch screen will be a difficult task. I do think there could be some clever things to do with swiping etc, but that’s a whole rabbit hole that I haven’t even begun to conceptualize yet. If anyone wants to help with mobile port issues, they’re welcome with open arms!
Note: This interview was conducted before the sad news about Humble Games broke.
face: Any plans to make a vinyl record? The music is great.
CS: I’m a huge fan of vinyl, and doing a vinyl version of the Bō soundtrack has always been a real possibility for me. As long as we find the right partner, we will achieve this goal. There are only a few things to prioritize. As part of the Kickstarter, we are also working on a Chip Music and LoFi EP, which includes a remix of the OST music. These would also be great opportunities for vinyl records.
face: How does it feel for the team to see the comments and reactions from players across all platforms?
CS: Interestingly, Bō is a somewhat divisive title. You can see this in the differences in the comments. People at SportsClick are absolutely raving about it and saying it’s the game they’ve been waiting for. I think it’s a bit disconnected from other games because at first glance it’s a cute, colorful, “simple looking” game. But it actually works in subtle and complex ways that some people might not expect. So, in reading some of the reviews, we were hoping that the reviewers would be more involved in some of the mechanics here, as we expected. Finally, I think some of the tutorials could have been better, and this is something we plan to make clearer in future patches.
face: Also, during your launch process, how did it work on so many consoles and PCs simultaneously?
CS: I don’t recommend working on multiple ports at the same time while developing on a PC. I honestly can’t believe we made it. We’re a small team and I can understand why many games choose to be released on PC first and then ported later. It just complicates the whole process. If I had to do it again, I think we would continue developing the PC version first. Things can get more complicated and stressful when worrying about multiple platforms.
face: Do you like your coffee?
CS: Iced Americano. No sugar or cream. If I’m in a bad mood, I’ll have the iced mocha.
I would like to thank Christopher Stair and Mel Karimzadeh (47 Communications) for their time and help here.
You can follow all of our interviews here, including our recent interview with Capcom’s Shuhei Matsumoto on Marvel Vs Capcom, here, Santa Ragione, Peter ‘Durante’ Thoman on PH3 and Falcom, here, M2 discussing shmups and more Wait, here we are, Digital Extremes for Warframe Mobile, Team Ninja, sonic dream team, Hi-Fi Audio Sprint, remorse, and more. As always, thank you for reading.
