Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Review – Covet and Aggress

In a world brimming with countless metroidvanias and souls-likes, it’s surprising that a standout presentation is enough to warrant attention. 2021’s Ender Lilies actualized that concept tenfold with a vibrant anime-like art style that contrasted strongly with the typical fantasy depictions fans were used to. And while Ender Lilies turned out to be characteristically grim, its smooth gameplay feel and creative metroidvania implementations made it a beloved output for the genre.

Now, we’re seeing the team back at it again with Ender Magnolia, a stand-alone follow-up with a new protagonist and setting. Considering my love for the original release, I was all hands on deck for playing this sequel, which delivered triumphantly.

A World Shrouded in Fumes

Ender Magnolia occurs in the Land of Fumes, a region that once thrived with magic driving progress. Homunculi were a core landmark of this prosperity, but the titular Fumes somehow became toxic, turning the artificial creatures into irrational threats. Years after this tragedy, the protagonist, Lilac, awakens. Suffering from amnesia but learning she possesses the capabilities of an Attuner, one who can save the deranged Homunculi, she sets out to discover the truths surrounding her and the world.

A Narrative Shift with a Stronger Focus

What stands out the most about Ender Magnolia compared to Ender Lilies is its tone and narrative. Ender Lilies had a silent protagonist, and while the story was undoubtedly present, it was not constantly in your face. Ender Magnolia has elements of ambiguity. However, the plot is told much more directly, with a speaking protagonist with clearly communicated goals and personality. Additionally, there are a plethora of interactable NPCs, creating a distinct atmosphere that diehard fans of the original may not immediately warm up to.

Building Bonds and Community

Ender Magnolia has a sense of community among its cast, with a genuine effort to build relationships between Lilac and her allies. Besides the main story, these bonds are shown through optional exchanges at rest spots. The cast discusses various topics, ranging from the core plot to their own histories and relationships; there’s quite a bit of material to ponder.

Gameplay Evolutions and Combat Mechanics

Regarding gameplay, Ender Magnolia is much the same, except it is more competently designed. For wholly new players, this series has the protagonists wield other beings in combat, and Lilac uses Homunculi. These creatures can serve explorative or combative roles, with plenty of variety depending on your playstyle. For instance, those more inclined to action gameplay may prefer the manually performed abilities that require precise timing to get the most out of them. On the other hand, newcomers or those who’d instead stick to thinking about one Homunculi at a time can use types that damage enemies passively.

Between the capability of equipping multiple Homunculi simultaneously and each having upgradeable variations, there’s a healthy degree of growth and customization that doesn’t feel over the top. Lilac herself can also equip Relics, Totems, and Bracelets, essentially self-explanatory equipment with several avenues of benefits related to stats or tangentially related facets. Put simply, countless playstyles can be embraced here, and the numerous rewards you discover feed into an addictive loop of considering whether they fit your build. Specifically, I loved how this title sometimes focuses on status ailments significantly, making specific battles and areas worth changing your setup for.

Swift Movement and Boss Encounters

Moreover, Ender Magnolia’s seamless movement favors reflexes above all else, allowing you to cancel out your healing mid-animation. This design choice feeds into the title’s relative swiftness that, while demanding a developed understanding of enemy behaviors, needs you to react on a dime, doubly so in group encounters. Generally speaking, the boss design of this sequel is comparable to Ender Lilies in terms of polish and move variety. They’re all thrilling bouts to learn the ins and outs of, though none are particularly drastic challenges. That would be a critique if not for the fact that you can customize the game’s stats to your liking, with there even being a pre-set hard mode. These options make the title welcome to newcomers and hardcore veterans, which I’m thankful for since the latter crowd is usually dismissed in favor of overt approachability.

Exploration with Familiar Mechanics

Exploration is the other central avenue in which Ender Magnolia excels, though it is admittedly at a cost. Amid progression, Lilac allies herself with new Homonculus, and some grant new movement options that open pathways in previously inaccessible areas; typical metroidvania fare. However, the techniques you gain, such as a shockwave to break weak ground, a double jump, and sticking to walls, are ideas simply taken from Ender Lilies.

Regardless, considering how cathartic it is to fully complete areas in this entry, I’m not disappointed outright. There are some clever and satisfying puzzles that require genuine thought without being massive leaps in required skill, a great improvement from the previous entry; I was just hoping for more innate newness.

Granted, the applications of these maneuvers in Ender Magnolia are more consistently satisfying than in Ender Lilies, which had noticeable ups and downs in quality. Still, the lack of unique mechanics makes this evolution feel like a hesitant walk rather than a confident stride.

Visuals and Soundtrack

Following precedent, Ender Magnolia boasts sublime art direction. Despite the game’s tone differing from Ender Lilies, there’s a nostalgic comfort in the similar visual appeal that keeps the sequel’s identity in check. Further, the soundtrack is outstanding, with a Nier-like melodic chanting that sells the weight of a collapsing world. Lastly, as a bit of an offhanded note, I should note that despite the marketing selling this game as 35 hours, it only took me 20 to complete everything, meaning you should expect a similar length to Ender Lilies.

Final Thoughts

For as early as we are in 2025, Ender Magnolia stands out as an all-time great that will likely be the cream of the crop for this year’s releases. Even though there were a handful of minor performance hiccups regarding framerate, and the gameplay often feels fundamentally more of the same as what came before, there’s a definite quality here polished to a sheen. With brilliant boss battles and marvelous metroidvania exploration in tandem, this well-realized adventure to complete all there is to offer is a must-play for fans of either genre.