We had a great time with the stunning metroidvania Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus when it launched on Switch last year and now, it seems, the adventure is set to get even bigger.
Announced during yesterday’s Humble Games Showcase 2025, developer Squid Shock Studios shared an all-new trailer for the metroidvania, showcasing its upcoming ‘Tanuki Kabuki’ DLC. This one is set to arrive on Steam at some point in 2025, with a Switch release to be announced “at a later date”, and it will be available as a content update for all owners of the game.
So, what’s involved? The headline addition in this one is the grand Kabuki theatre, a new location where you can re-challenge every boss from the base game in front of a cheering audience — Paper Mario, is that you? You can either head to the stage and take on the boss reenactments individually, or dive into a ‘Gauntlet’ rush mode where you’ll tackle them in a curated order. The better you perform, the louder the audience will cheer and the more you’ll be rewarded, so it pays to play to the crowd.
The update also includes a new ‘Tanuki Tracker’ quest, where you’ll have to hunt down hidden tanukis and chase them through a series of platforming challenges. Finding these hidden hairballs unlocks a combat practice room, the Tankui Kabuki band (for listening to the game’s soundtrack, jukebox style), and a room for you to decorate as you please.
There’s also a new gachapon machine and bestiary menu to dive into, and, as an added bonus, the dev has released a chiptune rendition of the soundtrack alongside the update announcement which, having given it a listen on YouTube (below), absolutely slaps.
As we say, there’s still no precise release date for the Tanuki Kabuki DLC on Switch just yet, though we’ll be keeping an eye out over the coming months for more information.
In our review, we described Bō: Path of the Teal Lotus as “a game where charm meets challenge and a passion for Japanese culture is expressed with artistic flair”, awarding it an 8/10. In short, we’re excited to dive back in.
