Review: Ender Magnolia Blossoms Into a Beautiful Adventure

Making a sequel to a beloved indie game is a balancing act. With new expectations set, how do you go about improving the previous title or making any changes? The through line in Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is a more refined game than its predecessor. Instead of making things larger or adding new layers of complexity, the developers took what they learned from Ender Lilies, polished all its systems to be as immediately fun as possible, and expanded on the game’s strengths to great results.

Ender Magnolia leans into its 2D action RPG and Metroidvania roots. The sequel leans into both of them in significant ways, such as introducing more significant traversal abilities to unlock and adding more varied combat options for players. While Ender Lilies had some variations in how to approach fights, you inevitably ended using very small variations of the most convenient and powerful Spirits, making some options overwhelmingly more popular to the point of other Spirits not being worth your time. With the Homunculus overhauling the way combat works as your new “weapons,” players are encouraged to be more creative and try out different loadouts. This doesn’t mean all issues are gone, but it does a great job at evening things across the board.

In the sequel, almost every single Homunculi is noticeably strong and there are a lot of combinations that work for dealing with enemies. Every Homunculi has 3 different abilities they can alternate with, but players are restricted to equipping only one ability per Homunculus, being able to have up to 4 active in your loadout.While your Primary Homunculus and starter Nola is the star of the show, which of her abilities you favor changes how you approach combat. Do you stick to the sleek and balanced rapier, or do you opt for a scythe that deals more damage in a wider area? Or maybe you prefer hitting hard with a powerful axe that deals devastating stamina damage?

These choices apply to all Homunculi and kept me constantly changing loadouts depending on the situation, something I don’t usually do with most games once I’ve found a method that clicks. I appreciate that heavier and slower weapons have been buffed compared to its prequel, where fast combat was heavily prioritized over selecting your preferred fighting style. Similarly, automatic Homunculi are actually rather useful this time around. While not dealing as much damage as active abilities, they offer a solid option for players that are not as versed with action games, and one particular Automatic Homunculi ability is extremely useful against some bosses.

I don’t mind the new limitations that Homunculus introduce, and increasing the number of tools you can use from 3 to 4 in the sequel feels very necessary. However, I miss the option to have two different loadouts like you had in its predecessor. Additionally, Primary Homunculi can only be used by themselves or with a Cooldown Homunculi mixed in. Meanwhile, the two Pressure Homunculi available can be used at the same time. While at a first glance they feel situational, this makes them extremely useful and a very powerful endgame combo that shreds boss health bars. This doesn’t make Primary Homunculi useless, but I would have liked to see this level of freedom expanded, maybe allowing only 2 Homunculi on screen at every given time, adding some strategy to your choices of which buttons to press.

Exploration in Ender Magnolia makes the subtle trade-off of including more areas, while making them smaller and easier to navigate. There are only a couple of areas that are frustrating to explore, these being the sewers and the maze-like red forest, both of which you encounter somewhat early on in the game. While I had to put up with the swarms of rats in the sewers killing me over and over, this has already been patched, reducing the amount of frustration in this area. Because of areas being smaller, it’s easier to feel like you’re making progress and advancing through the game at a breezy pace. Unlocking equipment and various relics feels nice, and they generally feel more useful and powerful in Ender Magnolia. You also unlock Homunculi or obtain upgrade materials at a really fast rate. However, the second Primary Homunculi you can find in the game joins the party way too late in the game, by the point where you have your preferred team locked in and you have only the final boss to beat. It also doesn’t help that he doesn’t feel strong, his attacks are slow, and his damage output is low. Which is a shame, because his design is fantastic.

While abilities have changed, combat is still pretty much the same. You have a handy dodge with pretty strong invincibility and you unlock a parry button early on. This system has been expanded upon, with a specific equipment slot that changes the effects of a successful parry. Depending on your equipment, protagonist Lilac will either fill her special ability meter or summon magic fireballs that pursue enemies on a successful parry, among a handful of options available. While the parry window feels similar to Ender Lilies, bosses in Ender Magnolia feel tighter and less erratic, with their moves being well telegraphed. I can imagine beginners to the genre would have a decent time learning the moves and patterns for bosses and find great satisfaction in beating them. The various fights with Gilroy are a highlight of the game, reminding me of the boss fight against Julius in the first game.

Like its predecessor, Ender Magnolia is more interested in crafting a perfect vibe rather than overcomplicating things with an overcomplicated plot. The world is fleshed out enough while keeping things vague and mysterious, lending the Land of Fumes a strange and ethereal vibe much like Land’s End in Ender Lilies. Both are places that have been consumed by the Rain of Death and the Blight that comes with it, seeping deep into the heart of the land, rotting and corrupting everything and everyone it touches. The main different with the Land of Fumes in Ender Magnolia is that magic-based technology has given an edge to its inhabitants, thwarting the corruption of the Blight and offering a better quality of life and protection to its people. This is reflected in the more advanced technology level when compared to Land’s End.

The inclusion of a lot of varied dialogue between Lilac, Nola, as well as the Homunculus and characters you meet along the way, fleshes out the characters and makes for a rich tapestry of connections. I was a bit sceptic at first of this extra level of characterization in Ender Magnolia, as I really enjoyed the quietude of Ender Lilies, but the sequel pulls this off rather well. The story is also a bit more active and involved this time around. You can experience Ender Magnolia without having played Ender Lilies, but the game rewards returning players by having pretty substantial references to the first game, especially in Ending B. What’s more, the main conflict in the story differs from that of Ender Lilies, while still having the same context of the Rain of Death and the Blight as its framing. The clash that Lilac and Nola head against the nation’s Homunculi administrator Gilroy is compelling and the mystery behind everyone’s identities is solved in a satisfying climax.

Another thing that carries over in the sequel is the beautiful combination of 2D visuals with subtle 3D models for characters and enemies, perfectly blending both elements. The larger variety of biomes and maps in Ender Magnolia makes for an even more impressive game visually. The use of parallax is even better as well, with a lot more details appearing on screen when compared to the more medieval setting of Ender Lilies. Environments have a lot more moving parts and complexity without adding clutter or reducing visibility. The gorgeous visuals go hand in hand with the understated and relaxing music composed once again by Japanese music group Mili. In essence, the artistic department of the sequel remains as stunning as always.

Ender Magnolia is a great time from beginning to end. The sequel takes what the first game offered and gives a more refined experience in a new setting. Similar to the first game, the inspirations in this Metroidvania are immediately apparent, and both games avoid taking any massive risks. However, it is the developer’s own take on these inspirations and the commitment to fun combat and exploration that keep me coming back.

Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist is now available for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam.