PlayStation ALL
Ender Lilies reinvigorated my love for Metroidvania video games. The melancholic world and unique combat abilities left a lasting impression on me. So when I heard about the sequel, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, I knew I had to get my hands on it.
Ender Magnolia wears its predecessor on its heart and it shows that straight from the opening. Much like Ender Lilies, your female protagonist, Lilac, wakes up without any memories. She is an Attuner who’s powers can purify anyone infected with blight. The world is littered with humanoid beings called Homunculi that serve the kingdom. However, they are infected and Lilac is the one that travels around to purify everyone. Once you purify these beings, you are greeted with short cutscenes that are part of the memories of the infected Homunculi. I do think Ender Lilies has a better plot than Ender Magnolia, but Magnolia has a better surrounding cast than the original. You’ll still find a good story tucked in the game, and I don’t think it’ll disappoint fans of the first.
Now, it wouldn’t be a Metroidvania game without excessive exploration. Again, you won’t find an insane difference between the sequel and original, but there are a few tweaks and quality of life improvements. The first game didn’t offer much information with its map. It could be frustrating to find out what was missing and 100% the map. With Magnolia, you get more information and it’s much easier to know what to come back to. You can fast travel to any safe zone at any time, and outside of the last area, it’s easy to get back to an area you are missing something in. They did switch up some traversal abilities as well. For one, they took away a normal ability that destroys blight walls going sideways and replaced it with a pair of abilities that take down the walls with different methods. It makes the player get a little more creative on opening these secrets and added to the puzzle solving in the game.
The combat also went through a face lift from the original. While obtaining new abilities remains the same, beating bosses and using their aid as your move set, the moves are quite different from the original. Each Homunculi that fights by your side now has three different moves you can choose from and you can have up to four moves equipped at one time. You’ll have to mess around with them to find out your perfect combination and will probably have to change things around with different bosses. I did find out what works best for me and didn’t stray too far from my setup, but they were always adding new abilities that made me second guess my setup. One thing I didn’t love about the sequel, is that you get moves way too late in the game. There’s a specific boss I didn’t fight until later, and I never used the abilities given to me. By then it just felt too late, and it didn’t feel overpowered enough to make me want to change. It was kind of a bummer, and I wish I would have been able to use the ability when it wasn’t so close to the end of the game. Another small tweak is that enemies don’t hurt you on contact. I love the change, and it felt like you never got cheated with your deaths. The combat felt quicker and snappier than the first and the developers did a great job addressing issues from the first game.
The enemies in the game felt varied and still can pack a punch. You’ll still have to be methodical and judicious with how you use your health to make it to the next safe room. The bosses were a big part of Ender Lilies and they make a solid return in this one. While Magnolia felt much easier on its default difficulty than Lilies, some bosses still got the best of me. This is where I had the most fun. Those tough bosses made me second guess my setup and figure out what new strategies I needed to employ. Each boss felt satisfying to take down, and the good ending final boss will test your skills and your strategy.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on the artwork and music. Ender Magnolia drops the grey and black backdrop for a more lively, colorful, and vibrant aesthetic. Some of the backdrops are just downright beautiful. However, I do think it comes at the expense of losing that somber tone from the first game. I can see fans of the first being split on which direction they like better.
Fans of the series will be happy to know that the music is still beautiful, moving, and perfectly placed. With a more expansive range of artwork comes a bigger range of music. Ender Magnolia wows again with its beautiful soundtrack and it’s crazy how well each song fits the location. There’s one area in particular that the soundwaves hit my ear drum, and I wanted no part of it. I dreaded going to that place and it started with the tone set from the music. It is so well done and does a great job emulating the emotions they want you to feel. Here’s just a little sample of the music you will encounter.
The TLDR version of this review is that it is amazing. Ender Magnolia improves upon its predecessor in many ways. I don’t think you get the same gut wrenching story, but what’s there is still a great tale to be told. The combat is quick and snappy and improved in every single aspect. The artwork and music are beautiful and will leave a lasting impression.
Ender Magnolia is a 9 out of 10 for me. It’s a safe sequel in the sense of what it changes, but any fan of Ender Lilies is going to love Ender Magnolia. Live Wire and Adglove knocked it out of the park again, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.
