Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist Review

Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist is an action RPG sidescroller developed by Binary Haze Interactive and serves as the sequel to the sleeper hit Ender Lillies: Quietus of the Knights. Set in a dystopian future, the game follows the journey of Lilac, an Attuner who awakens in a world devoid of memory of past events. The once-thriving kingdom is now overrun by frenzied mutants and rogue homunculi, who were once servants of humans.

As Lilac embarks on her quest to uncover the truth of this world, she befriends these rogue machinations to assist her on her journey. As fragments of her memory gradually piece together, Lilac faces the reality that what she discovers at the end of her journey may either set them all free or doom them to further despair.

Immerse yourself in this dark fantasy adventure in Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist and uncover the fate of Lilac and her allies!

More Than A Little Girl

We previewed Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist last year when it was released in Early Access. Our experience was enjoyable, albeit short, as it introduced a fantastic world with challenging gameplay and much to explore in its first five chapters. Now in its full launch, the game is packed with more content that excels at every turn.

The full version of Ender Magnolia has been a joy to play. Enemy balancing has been fixed, and character movement is now much smoother. There are no bugs to speak of, and the experience feels as complete as ever. One minor point of contention is that the default difficulty is a tad too easy than we expected, even when compared to similar titles. However, the good news is that you can increase or decrease the difficulty at the cost of your reward modifier.

Unlike other Metroidvanias and Soulslikes of its type, Ender Magnolia does not punish you when you die. You’ll respawn at the nearby respite with none of your rewards taken away. This mechanic may not appeal to hardcore players, but it is a welcome feature for most gamers, adding to the game’s accessibility.

Reflecting on our previous experience, Ender Magnolia is a significant improvement over Ender Lillies. The exploration, combat, menus, and player interface have all been fully overhauled to deliver the best possible experience for fans of Metroidvania action games. Instead of consumable skills, they are now replaced with a cooldown system, allowing the player to chain combos and have greater freedom of movement.

As with many games of its type, opponents’ health is divided between their HP and the Break Gauge. Once the break gauge is depleted, the opponent is staggered, allowing you to deliver punishing blows. In addition to power attacks and counters with cooldowns, there are also pressure attacks, which serve as projectiles dealing chip damage and adding to your strategy to deplete the opponent’s break gauge quickly.

I also appreciate how skills are now streamlined onto your Allies, who join your cause after defeating them in battle or when they offer their service. They fight by your side like Stands or Personas and allow you to explore deeper into the game by enabling wall climbing, double jumping, or breaking through seemingly impenetrable walls that impede your progress.

Elemental damage and status effects also add to Ender Magnolia’s already robust gameplay. You can deal with or suffer from burn damage, which depletes health over time, and the same applies to opponents. Frost and shock damage can impede movement and performance, affecting your movement speed, damage dealt, and damage taken. If you’re not careful, these effects can end your round prematurely.

You can bind your allies’ skills to four button types, serving as your primary and secondary set of attacks. This customization allows you to configure your character as a standard type, a speedy type, a powerful counter type, or even a twin-stick bullet hell build. As your allies grow stronger through upgrades or story-based improvements, they can use Attuner Arts as Ultimate attacks that deal massive damage or provide powerful buffs.

Fast travel is available to places of Respite where you can heal, equip items, and utilize relics that grant conditional benefits for your quests. You can also return to town to craft items using materials or upgrade your relics with scrap. Some residents provide better items by collecting quest items or engaging in conversations as you progress deeper into your journey.

The addition of equipment significantly enhances your gameplay. Bracelets can improve your defense and incrementally boost healing. Carapace can add a shield function where a successful parry triggers additional effects. Finally, Totems can activate passive effects when conditions are met, such as fully healing you when your life falls below 15% or reducing damage when you’re hit for the first time by an enemy.

Lilacs and Gooseberries

Ender Magnolia has significantly improved how the character interacts with its world, opening up numerous possibilities beyond the iconic boss battles and mysterious story.

Ender Magnolia retains what made Ender Lillies a sleeper hit, creating an uncanny atmosphere with beautiful visuals that compare favorably to similar genres of its time. It evokes a NieR Replicant vibe, depicting a world in despair while holding onto a sliver of hope through its characters. Even the muted piano score adds to this NieR-like ambiance.

The backdrops in Ender Magnolia are diverse and ever-changing. While the overall atmosphere has a uniform darkness that envelops the world, there are moments to appreciate the scenery once you’ve cleared it of enemies. The destroyed architecture, remnants of disaster, and nature’s overgrowth invading what was once a prosperous civilization all contribute to painting a truly living world with its visuals.

The best set pieces in Ender Magnolia are the boss battles. Whether you’re facing mini-bosses that hinder your progress or engaging in a showdown with one of the mutants, figuring out boss patterns and customizing your character with the most effective attacks make Ender Magnolia an addictive action game. Some boss fights stand out, especially an underwater battle where the interface shifts from an action game to a twin-stick shooter.

As you progress through its various biomes, exploration and area traversal also shine in Ender Magnolia. Some areas require nimble platforming, while others present warp puzzles that test your memory or necessitate extensive swimming. You’re constantly applying what you’ve learned in previous areas to explore new ones, and there’s always something new to discover until the very end.

Ender Magnolia takes 16-20 hours to complete, including uncovering most of its secrets, making it a substantial sidescroller. The story follows standard fare with expected tropes. While it may be predictable, the atmosphere and mood more than compensate for its shortcomings.

While Ender Magnolia’s default difficulty may be on the easier side, increasing the difficulty level only affects the damage dealt or taken and slightly raises enemy aggression. Overall, it is well-balanced, but the enemy AI doesn’t pose as much of a challenge compared to Ender Lillies.

Verdict: Buy It!

Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist was well worth the wait from Early Access and represents a monumental improvement over its predecessor. It retains the same atmospheric dark fantasy elements and beautiful visuals reminiscent of titles such as NieR and Hollow Knight. Additionally, it features robust action sidescroller gameplay that can keep Metroidvania fans entertained for many hours.

Although it may not be as challenging as its predecessor, it compensates with streamlined improvements in its gameplay, making it an addictive title that is highly recommended and a must-play for fans of this sub-genre.

Binary Haze Interactive has truly outdone itself with this impressive title. Witnessing its journey from Early Access to a complete game that meets most expectations and delivers a fantastic experience is a delight.

*Ender Magnolia: Bloom In The Mist was reviewed on the PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.