Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a thrilling Metroidvania for the ages

★★★★ | Flowers in the slums

Reviewed on: PC (Steam)
Distributor provided a review copy.

Bloom in the Mist is a sequel to Ender Lilies, released in 2021. I never played the first game in the series, but luckily that isn’t a requirement. Even if you’re a first-timer like myself, Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist proves to be a captivating Metroidvania that’s one of the finest 2D sidescrollers in recent memory.

The Story & Gameplay

Set decades after the first game, Ender Magnolia takes place in The Land of Fumes, a kind of post-apocalyptic vision of the industrial age, where artificial lifeforms called Homunculi roam the kingdom in search of a purpose. The noxious fumes of the decaying world have caused them to turn violent, leaving the remnants of humanity scattered in the devastation.

A young girl, Lilac, wakes up in an abandoned lab with no memories of who or where she is. She quickly realizes that she can attune herself to the lost Homunculi, lending their powers to survive in the wild. With the help of the souls she liberates, Lilac and her friends set out on a quest to the heart of The Land of Fumes in search of answers.

The story plays out like a dark fantasy fairy tale, full of references to the works of The Brothers Grimm and folklore. Much of it is told in a storybook fashion around a campfire, or through scrolls and diaries left behind by the dead. You can learn as much or little of the world as you want, yet the experience remains as captivating no matter how you approach it.

Ender Magnolia is a traditional sidescroller in the style of Castlevania. It doesn’t do anything particularly new with the material, but it doesn’t need to. Instead, this is a solidly crafted and finely tuned experience that is a joy to play.

The levels are reasonably small, but they’re packed with things to discover. They capture that same sense of wonder the genre is best known for. The moment you realize you’ve stumbled onto your first collectible that you can’t reach just yet, there’s a spark of excitement because you know that sometime, hours later, you’ll return here much better equipped. For me, it took tens of hours, and the victory felt that much sweeter.

Combat, likewise, is familiar but with a twist. Lilac isn’t a fighter, so she relies on the Homunculi to fight for her. Each button is dedicated to one of her attuned companions, and each has a distinct style of combat. To succeed, Lilac must figure out which attacks and defenses work best together in most situations. It’s a fun balance between min-maxing and strategy, though Ender Magnolia is luckily forgiving enough that you can play through the campaign without too much stress on the loadouts.

If there is some frustration in Ender Magnolia, it’s that the game follows the Dark Souls -style gameplay mechanics a little too closely. Each area has rest points, which serve the same function as bonfires in FromSoftware’s series. Enemies hit hard and fast, and you’ll die often for the first ten or more hours. At that point, you lose the souls you collect, which help with leveling up, and return to the last rest point.

It’s a tried and tested system, one that most games in this genre utilize, but I can’t help but feel that after nearly two decades of it, we should finally move on.

Accessibility

Ender Magnolias is a budget title, and as such, it has barely any accessibility settings. You can adjust some buttons in the control scheme, audio, and the most basic visual settings, but apart from that, you’re on your own.

It’s to be expected for an indie title, but it is a tough pill to swallow for anyone who needs even minor assistance in their gaming experience.

Who’s It For?

Despite complaints and the lack of accessibility settings, Ender Magnolia is a terrific action adventure title for fans of the genre. I wouldn’t recommend it as the first of its kind for newcomers, but anyone with at least a Metroid or a Castlevania under their belt, or even a passing familiarity with games like Nine Sols will find plenty to love here.

The presentation is top notch, with a gorgeous game world and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack to boot. The story is barebones, but it hits some high notes towards the end that make the long and often bleak adventure worthwhile. I found myself more than once caring deeply about my compatriots, and there are a couple of twists at the end that really tugged at the heartstrings.

At its price point, Ender Magnolia is a terrific game. It won’t reinvent the genre, but that’s hardly a knock at it. Sometimes it’s enough to just be one of the best.