Review | Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist

A short review

Did you play Ender Lilies? I did, and I was mostly okay with the game. It was not ground-breaking, it was not something new, but it was a hearty adventure with awesome music and a perfect melancholic tone that I love the most.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a 2025 Metroidvania video game developed by Adglobe and Live Wire and published by Binary Haze Interactive, and as such, a direct sequel to the first game. You can play it on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, and Microsoft Windows.

The game is beautiful, features one of the best quality perks a game like this can offer, and technically it's flawless. If you like the genre and want more of the same, it will fit your needs perfectly. I'm a sucker for these NieR-like soundtracks, and this one hits almost the same (from a musical standpoint).

I love the art, the characters and everything I see in general. 

Story and the characters

Ender Magnolia takes place decades after its predecessor Ender Lilies in the same world. The game is set in the Land of Fumes, where "machine-like artificial life forms" called Homunculi are built to serve the kingdom, but they have become corrupted from an underground toxic gas, causing them to become violent and insane. The protagonist Lilac is an “Attuner” with the ability to purify corrupted Homunculi. Lilac teams up with one of the first Homunculi named Nola and sets out to rescue the kingdom.

Even though the story is quite basic in this genre, I love the tone that the music constantly keeps in your guts, and because of it, I was more involved in this dark world. Nothing spectacular, let me be clear, but a sad and heartwarming adventure filled with lost souls and corrupted entities is what occupied me alongside the gameplay loop, which I consider really good.

I love how some sceneries sticks out. Eveything is just nice and warm, even though the tone is dead serious.

Game design, exploration

We have another Metroidvania game on our plates. You know the drill: defeat bosses, collect upgrades, collect new skills, and progress the map until you reach the top. This part has been seen millions of times already, but if I were to point out what makes this game great, I would go with smart skill placement, quality features such as fast-travel that is always active (you can visit the shrines from any room or moment), and room completion reveal on the map (when you collect all there is in some room, it turns blue, meaning you are done with it).

Everything above is related to your own findings, meaning that the game will almost never hold your hand, but it will help you note down what you've completed. I love this—every game should follow this example. And the instant fast-travel from the start is really awesome. Combine that with early double jump and cool skills you use as you progress, and you will experience a 20-hour fun adventure that respects your time and nerves.

It gets more fun as you unlock more skills. It's definatelly one well-planned game

Combat

Combat was a hit and miss in the first game, at least for me. It has that weird, almost slow movement pace, which puts me down a bit, but having an option to shift between 4 attack moves at the same time (that come with their own combos and ways in fights), and more than double other spirit helpers—is what makes the combat dynamic and really fun. You even unlock special moves with spirits that can help you out in more ways than you already have at your disposal.

The challenges are also tough at times, and some boss fights really want you to learn at least basic moves so you can conquer them. You can always grind a bit and gain some levels, equip different rings to boost your attributes, or raise healing power/healing flasks, with even more customization that can help you out. It's not complicated, but well-crafted and serves the purpose.

The only bad point here is the underwater movement and fighting—I am not really a fan—but everything else felt just right.

The animated short clips are really sad. I love them.

Side Content

Side content is mostly collecting 100% of what the game has to offer, plus following quests that even lead to a true ending. Nothing you do is redundant, so you might as well do it and experience the game as a whole. I strongly recommend it.

It's not hard to collect everything, and it's fun. When it's fun, why not do it? You can't miss a thing, and by getting more rings you can make the game a bit easier. I also love setting builds, so I love having options.

How can you resist such a vibrant colors? I can't

Conclusion

Ender Magnolia is better than the first game in every aspect. It follows the same art direction and similar soundtrack that hits hard. If you love games that cherish your time, give you help in terms of noting what you've discovered, I can't recommend it more. At the end of the day it's yet another game in an already convoluted genre, but what's the harm of playing it if you enjoy it? I sure do.