Meet Lilac

In 2020, I was lucky to come across Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, a beautiful Metroidvania-style action RPG. I fell in love with it immediately due to its dark fantasy world and charming soundtrack and art, and the following year I had a great time playing it. Thankfully I wasn’t the only fan of the game, and it seems Binary Haze Interactive is aware of that, as a few years later its sequel, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, was announced, with the 1.0 version releasing in January 2025.

Ender Lilies leaned toward a “classic” dark fantasy aesthetic, and while its successor borrows many similar elements, it builds up greatly upon that setting. While magic and world-changing curses are still relevant, Ender Magnolia is all about homunculi, essentially robots and androids. While Dark Souls appeared to be a primary inspiration for the first game, the second one seems to mainly draw its imagery from Nier Automata, which was a big surprise.

Regardless, the story follows a similar pattern to Ender Lilies. The protagonist, Lilac, wakes up in an unfamiliar place and meets an amnesiac homunculus, Nola. As they explore the world, she discovers that she can attune to mad homunculi and not only befriend them but also find out a portion of the hidden truth of the world through their memories.

Lilac isn’t a silent protagonist; she actively talks with allies and enemies, and although the dialogue isn’t voiced, I enjoyed several of the optional chats she has. While these conversations are there to expand the characters, a big part of the story unfolds through the aforementioned cryptic memories and various texts hidden in the world. Also, it is often told out of order, making parts of it a bit hard to follow. I still find the atmosphere of the game excellent, though, and the mystery is still compelling; it’s more of a presentation issue.

Dressed to kill

Ender Magnolia adds many improvements, significantly changing the player experience. The core of both games is the same: you level up as you explore, fight enemies and bosses, and acquire new abilities. However, the combat is less clunky than in the first game, and the animations for both enemies and Lilac feel smoother. Small changes like the lack of contact damage on every enemy are game-changing, bringing it closer to its peers in terms of combat, even if it still has room for improvement.

The boss fights are an important part of the gameplay loop, and while there’s variety and challenge, at least on Hard, they can also be somewhat uneven. Some fights could benefit from being harder while others could be adjusted a bit, but I was satisfied for the most part. However, they still don’t escape from a common issue with such games where spamming abilities is more effective than precise combat.

The game features a revamped spirit system, with four equipable spirits instead of three. They act as Lilac’s primary method of attack, but unlike the first title, the spirits are more unique this time. For example, Nola’s focus is close combat, another acts as an autonomous weapon, and others can be used for powerful or sporadic ranged attacks. Moreover, they feature upgrade paths that change some of their parameters, like the type of damage or the speed and power of the attacks, giving more variety to the preferred build.

Lilac can also wear equipment that improves her stats and healing or applies certain effects. For instance, some special equipment like carapaces adds a very well-timed parry to her dodge, which was fun but hard to execute consistently. Relics are the main customization system, similar to talismans or rings in other games. Some relics boost certain skills, others encourage certain playstyles, and some add extra effects, like HP regeneration.

Exploring everywhere, up and down

As for the exploration, it takes some time to see interesting locations, but the game’s second half is more unique. There are classic locations with some twists, like forests and caverns, but there are also areas like cities and factories that feel a lot more distinct. The background art for all of them is a major step up compared to its predecessor, with a lot of detail and vibrant colors. Moreover, while the starting areas are linear, as you progress you find more complex ones, often with some cool puzzles that work with the whole area in mind rather than being specific to one room.

Another major improvement over Ender Lilies is the level of detail in the mini-map. Ender Magnolia accurately represents each area and uses the fog of war to hide unexplored parts. You can still tell when an area has been thoroughly explored, and while this makes some hidden secrets a bit easier to find, especially in the game’s early parts, it’s still a massive quality-of-life improvement over the colored boxes of its predecessor.

It’s also worth mentioning that most of the upgrades and puzzles are movement-based, and I enjoyed the freedom of movement right from the start, which expanded greatly from there. Exploration often requires some light backtracking, but fast travel unlocks early and makes it a breeze. Regarding accessibility, I appreciated how many customization options the title provides, and you can use several difficulty sliders to adjust aspects like enemies’ HP and damage or enable challenges like 1-hit KO. Pre-made difficulty options, like Normal and Hard, are available as well.

A painted world

The genre is niche but highly competitive. Ender Magnolia doesn’t break any new ground. However, the series stands out among similar games due to its music, art, and atmosphere. These three elements are deeply interconnected, giving the game a unique identity in ways the gameplay alone can’t.

It is a very charming title, and Mili’s exceptional OST, the beautiful backgrounds, and the character animations complement that. I enjoyed exploring an area and hearing the background music’s vocals come into play or seeing Lilac relaxing with her buddies on a save point. The game is full of moments like those, with a good sense of tranquility even when the danger lurks.

Conclusion

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist cements the series as one of my favorites in the genre. You can surely find other games that excel over it in some ways, but I’d be hard-pressed to find something that is as satisfying as its whole package is. It’s a beautiful indie with an OST I adore, and it has a lot of improvements over its prequel, making the overall experience arguably much better. It can improve further, particularly as far as the combat is concerned, but the developers are pushing it in the right direction. It took me around 24 hours to complete, and I enjoyed every hour; it’s a title I strongly recommend.