Review

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is my new favourite Metroidvania

21/1/2025

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist already had me under its spell last year in Early Access. The finished Metroidvania has now well and truly won me over and makes me forget I’m still waiting for Silksong.

Confused, Lilac wakes up in a faulty capsule. Her surroundings are also bleak. What’s happened? She lost her memory and thinks she’s forgotten someone. I steer Lilac through the seemingly deserted rooms at the test site ruins. There’s something beautiful about how dilapidated they are. Grotesque creatures stand in my way. As I’ve got no way of taking them out, I have to dodge them.

Lilac wakes up. What’s going on here?
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

Not long after that, Lilac encounters a homunculus, an artificial life form, sitting on the floor. They talk to each other and join forces. From then on, the homunculus called Nora fights for Lilac.

During its first few minutes, the setting, music and even the characters in Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist seem familiar yet strange at the same time. Familiar because a lot of it reminds me of the brilliant predecessor Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. Strange because, like Lilac, I don’t know what’s going on. The game hooked me straight away and had me under its spell for the next 23 hours. Ender Magnolia is a more than worthy successor to my favourite Metroidvania.

New kingdom, similar tragedy

Ender Magnolia is set in the Land of Fumes, a superpower of magical energy. Huge deposits of underground magical reserves meant the kingdom once flourished and was known for its research. The pinnacle of its creations being the artificial, magic-powered homunculi. However, toxic smoke rising from underground drove them mad and turned them into destructive monsters.

Together with Nora, Lilac fights a homunculus gone mad.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

The Magnolia setting is similar to that of Lilies, which is also apocalyptic, but the story deals with different themes. I also get to meet people in cities as well as the homunculi. Lilies depicts a broken world that has yet to recover, whereas the universe in Magnolia is at a crossroads.

So-called attuners can bring the homunculi back to their senses. This makes Lilac’s task clear: find as many of these artificial creatures as possible to recover their memories, and ultimately remove toxic smoke from the Land of Fumes.

Parts of the Land of Fumes have already been destroyed. What does the future look like for this kingdom?
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

The premise of Ender Magnolia may be hackneyed given that Lilac has partial amnesia, but on the whole it makes sense. The strength of the story lies in the way it’s told rather than how it starts. As is customary for a Metroidvania, we get a lot of information about the surroundings. For instance, the Land of Fumes is divided into three population levels: the lower, middle and upper sectors, with the wealthy at the top and poor at the bottom. The areas are set out on the map and the surroundings match them accordingly.

I also learn more about Lilac and the Land of Fumes from different NPCs. For example, there’s adventurous girl Ruby who I run into in all sorts of places – most of them incredibly dangerous. How she gets there and, most importantly, how she survives isn’t explained, but she keeps giving me artefacts that reveal further mysteries. I get the final details explained via hidden notes, some better concealed than others. This ultimately results in an exciting and well-told story that I have to piece together myself from fragments.

Locations and a soundtrack that make me shudder

The Land of Fumes world and its background music create a wonderfully eerie, apocalyptic atmosphere. The soundtrack is from the Mili music project, the only thing not upgraded compared to its predecessor. However, that’s difficult given the score is already close to perfection in the first game. So, Magnolia doesn’t do anything to change it. I was particularly taken with Shackled Beast 02.

The set pieces are wonderfully grotesque no matter where they’re used, such as here in a boss fight.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

The 2D backgrounds are works of art in their own right. Ender Lilies already looked devilishly good, but Ender Magnolia has managed to top it. From the gloomy magic stone mine, to an estate reminiscent of feudal Japan and the sumptuous upper sector where the well-heeled live, locations offer plenty of variation.

Or in a sewer.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

Individual areas are well structured and cleverly interconnected. There’s plenty to discover all over the place. As is typical of the genre, new areas open up through new skills. Compared to its predecessor, I get the classic double jump and a decent dash within the first few minutes of the game. I enjoy exploring, and the controls are incredibly precise and intuitive.

Suitable for genre fans and newcomers

The mini-map or large map in the menu helps with exploring. Once I’ve gone through everything in an area, it turns blue on the map. This is practical for people looking to completely finish the game. If you’re a purist who prefers to explore everything on your own, you can also hide the mini-map.

The mini-map helps you navigate, but you can also deactivate it.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

Adglobe and Live Wire studios have worked on the game’s accessibility. The predecessor wasn’t easy for newcomers to the genre. As well as being able to set the difficulty level to easy, normal or hard, you can also personalise it to your own abilities. I played on normal on my first playthrough, which I found challenging. I kept dying while exploring or had to fight bosses several times and adjust my strategy accordingly.

Fights feel dynamic

Like Lily in the first part, Lilac doesn’t fight herself. Instead of ghosts, Lilac joins forces with the homunculi, who act as her weapon. There are fewer companions in Magnolia than there are in Lilies. In my eyes, that’s not a bad thing as I use them all once in a while – which I never did in Lilies. They can all learn a maximum of three skills that they can improve on. For instance, Nora can attack with a sword, scythe or axe. Yolvan, on the other hand, specialises in ranged attacks with pistols.

Lilac with her homunculi.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

I can equip four of these abilities at the same time and assign them to buttons. This allows me to adapt Lilac to my playing style and, above all, to that of my enemies. This tactical approach is also necessary, as I can’t get past bosses in particular with just the same moves over and over again.

In contrast to its predecessor, fighting is a lot smoother in Magnolia. Ender Lilies was sluggish, while Ender Magnolia plays more like the genre’s top of class Hollow Knight. Battles are fast and fluid. I never feel like the game is to blame for my virtual demise. It’s clear that it’s down to me and my (lack of) ability.

Fights are really fun.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

Lots of RPG elements

As well as attacking, I can also dodge enemies, either by running away, jumping or standing there. By default, I don’t have the option to block. Fortunately, I have access to it via equipment. For instance, I can equip a shell, two bracelets and an aid. Bracelets improve my status values, aids provide special effects such as complete healing when my health points drop below 15%, and shells allow me to block. Depending on the shell, it can also execute a counterattack straight away if well timed. The Shackled Beast homunculi also lets me block and counterattack. What’s more, I can equip relics that give me additional advantages.

Equipment gives me advantages over enemies.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

So do relics.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

I have to go to a quiet place to make these modifications, that way there’s no threat of enemy attacks. It also lets my three healing protective barriers replenish, regenerating some of my health. However, enemies I’ve already defeated respawn. One nice detail is that I can talk to my homunculi at resting places and learn more about their world.

At resting places, I equip Lilac, talk to the homunculi or save my score.
Source: Binary Haze Interactive

Levelling up by defeating enemies, progressing through the story and finding items round off the role-playing elements. Overall, the game offers a lot of variety.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is released on 23 January 2025 for PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series and Xbox One. Binary Haze Interactive kindly provided me with a copy of the game for PC for testing purposes.

In a nutshell

A more than worthy successor

I loved Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, and I love Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist even more. The game isn’t a revolutionary Metroidvania in terms of gameplay, but it is a highly polished one. The same goes for presentation. Its soundtrack and the 2D world make me shudder and enrapture me at the same time. The apocalypse rarely looked so beautiful.

There’s very little to criticise. If I had to nitpick, I’d say that Magnolia doesn’t offer much new compared to Lilies. Or that I’d have liked to have spent more time with Lilac and the homunculi. At 23 hours of playing time, I’ve almost seen everything.

But if you like playing Metroidvanias or are still waiting for Hollow Knight: Silksong, I can highly recommend Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist. It’ll also be a hit with fans of dark fantasy settings. The adjustable difficulty makes this title suitable for beginners and hardcore gamers alike.

Pro

Highly polished Metroidvania
Dynamic combat system
Fun to explore
Lots of options for individual gaming styles
Gorgeously gruesome fantasy world
Outstanding soundtrack

Contra

Not much new compared to predecessor
Could be a bit little longer

Header image: Binary Haze Interactive

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Kevin Hofer

Senior Editor

kevin.hofer@digitecgalaxus.ch

From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.

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