Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is the sequel to Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, a very well-received 2D metroidvania platformer from 2021. The original creators, the Japanese studio Live Wire, worked on the development. The game was released by Binary Haze Interactive, also originating from Japan.

Plot

The action of Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is set several dozen years after the Rain of Death and other events from the first game. The game takes us to the Land of Fumes where rich deposits of magical resources were discovered under the surface. To accelerate their extraction, artificial forms of life known as Homunculi were created (humanoid creatures resembling wrinkled small children, which in the Middle Ages - unsuccessfully - alchemists tried to bring to life). Unfortunately, the poisonous fumes emanating from the bowels of the earth first drove them to madness, and then turned them into monsters.

Lilac, the protagonist of Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist, can bring them salvation. Similar to Lily from the first game, she has the power to cleanse beings that have fallen into madness. Having awakened in an underground laboratory, the heroine embarks on a journey, the goal of which is to heal the Land of Fumes and discover the truth about its downfall.

Although at first glance it eerily resembles the main theme from Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, where we similarly saved the kingdom, the plot structure of the sequel is a bit more complicated. On her way, Lilac encounters both people with various social status and the Homunculi, and ultimately has to decide which group should be saved. We learn the story mainly through dialogues, in which Lilac also takes part (Lily was silent throughout the previous game). Many of the story bits are also revealed using the notes found in the game world.

Mechanics

Enriching the characteristic dark fantasy atmosphere with post-apocalyptic themes is not the only change that the creators decided to make in the sequel. In many ways, they also improved the gameplay, especially the combat system. At the same time, the developers remained faithful to the predecessor, which is why Lilac - like Lily - does not participate directly in battles, although she is constantly exposed to enemy attacks.

The heroine is "helped" by the souls of defeated bosses and minibosses, the use of which is done through activating various skills. Lily was able to use a maximum of three "skills" within one set, but Lilac can use as many as four.

In total, there are over 30 different abilities available in Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist. Some of them are also useful outside of combat - during the exploration of the Land of Fumes. Typical for the metroidvania genre, some skills open the way for the heroine to previously inaccessible areas and their secrets.

There are equipment elements for Lilac that were not available in the first game. Just like the souls and relics we acquire, we are able to improve them, which makes overcoming challenges easier. If any of this proves to be too demanding, the game allows to modify the difficulty level using the benches Lilac encounters. They also serve as a resting place and a save point. This is a big change, because in the first game the difficulty could only be changed after finishing the story. This made it very difficult for some people to get to know the plot.

Technical aspects

Like the original, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is kept in a dark style, somewhat similar to that associated with anime. It is worth adding that the Mili band is again responsible for the soundtrack.