Purify the Blight
Story
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights starts with you the player controlling a young female priestess. Lily, who unfortunately has no memories of the events prior. And yet she embarks on a mission to purify the kingdom of Land’s End where all of the inhabitants have been turned into Blighted.
It is a tough task to ask of one so young, but she’s not alone in her journey. A stalwart knight spirit joins her in the beginning, to fight the battles she can’t. The duo isn’t all alone, however. As you progress in the game you will gain the ability to bind more spirits to your cause and help Lily as she purifies the land.
Stay Back, Let the Spirits Handle it
Gameplay
Gameplay in Ender Lilies follows in a 2D Metroidvania Action RPG structure. So you go off into this world with your knight. Defeat bosses, Gain new allies and abilities which can help you backtrack to old areas and overcome obstacles in locations you couldn’t access before.
Inaccessible areas you can’t access are easy to identify with the map system. So you don’t need to worry about remembering the exact place you couldn’t go to previously. I found it very refreshing to go back to previous locations and clean up the area properly. There is even a nifty feature where the map will be colored to let players know there are no more items left in the area.
The flow of combat is satisfying in that you don’t personally fight. You fight by having your spirits that accompany you do the work. Primarily offensive abilities. Your knight will slash enemies with his sword. Another can bash enemies away with a great hammer, one useful spirit can even continuously swing her wrecking ball to smash enemies. It should be noted there are a great many spirits to equip throughout the game. Not just the main bosses. Lesser spirits you may come across can give you their aid in battle. So there’s no shortage of spirits to choose from.
Some abilities you earn from bosses can be used indefinitely while others have a limited amount. You can raise the limit by equipping certain relics which can increase the number of spirits used.
Speaking of relics. There are a bunch to find in the game and each of them can change your status in a myriad of ways. Some are basic like increasing health, attack, and movement. But others like prayer usage increase, a new sp gauge, more experience, among others are really useful. I played around using different kinds of relics. So if you’re having trouble beating a boss, perhaps changing your relic setup might be needed.
There is no penalty for dying. So you don’t need to worry about losing your currency to upgrade spirits.
Finding Hope in a Melancholy World
Final thoughts
Didn’t experience any bugs or crashes throughout my 16-hour playthrough to see everything the game has to offer.
On the criticisms I could say for the game. There’s not much, to be frank. The gameplay was tight and I didn’t have any problems with the combat, tutorial, or navigation. Perhaps, if I were to say something it would have to be giving players more of a direction on what to do to get the last ending. Since I had to look up a guide/walkthrough to know how to get the last ending. And two bosses could’ve been tweaked a bit further to make it slightly less difficult. I could include more, but those are just nitpicking and not worth saying.
I feel all the mechanics and features in the game work well. The music synergizes excellently with the dark fantasy atmosphere permeating throughout the world. The plot is intriguing and doesn’t move too fast for the player to catch up. The pacing felt right. And combat and sheer viciousness of it upon impacting enemies feel satisfying. Didn’t need to grind in the game at all. Environment, bosses, and enemy design are wonderfully crafted to the point I can’t help but stare in disgust as well as admire the art of it.
The game didn’t capture my attention immediately. It took some time, but slowly I was brought on board. To see what happens to Lily in the end, see whether or not she can regain her memories and if she can succeed in her endeavor to purify the land of Blight along with her knight. It’s not something I'd ask a very young individual to do. But her unique ability to gather spirits as allies caught my attention. And seeing her continue to stand against countless adversity and persevere is something worth looking into.
For those looking for a different Metroidvania to sink your teeth into. One with a unique premise, tight controls, an amazing soundtrack, satisfying combat, and easy to understand user interface. Perhaps Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights might just be the game to kindle your interest.
Score: 8.5/10
Story
Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights starts with you the player controlling a young female priestess. Lily, who unfortunately has no memories of the events prior. And yet she embarks on a mission to purify the kingdom of Land’s End where all of the inhabitants have been turned into Blighted.
It is a tough task to ask of one so young, but she’s not alone in her journey. A stalwart knight spirit joins her in the beginning, to fight the battles she can’t. The duo isn’t all alone, however. As you progress in the game you will gain the ability to bind more spirits to your cause and help Lily as she purifies the land.
Stay Back, Let the Spirits Handle it
Gameplay
Gameplay in Ender Lilies follows in a 2D Metroidvania Action RPG structure. So you go off into this world with your knight. Defeat bosses, Gain new allies and abilities which can help you backtrack to old areas and overcome obstacles in locations you couldn’t access before.
Inaccessible areas you can’t access are easy to identify with the map system. So you don’t need to worry about remembering the exact place you couldn’t go to previously. I found it very refreshing to go back to previous locations and clean up the area properly. There is even a nifty feature where the map will be colored to let players know there are no more items left in the area.
The flow of combat is satisfying in that you don’t personally fight. You fight by having your spirits that accompany you do the work. Primarily offensive abilities. Your knight will slash enemies with his sword. Another can bash enemies away with a great hammer, one useful spirit can even continuously swing her wrecking ball to smash enemies. It should be noted there are a great many spirits to equip throughout the game. Not just the main bosses. Lesser spirits you may come across can give you their aid in battle. So there’s no shortage of spirits to choose from.
Some abilities you earn from bosses can be used indefinitely while others have a limited amount. You can raise the limit by equipping certain relics which can increase the number of spirits used.
Speaking of relics. There are a bunch to find in the game and each of them can change your status in a myriad of ways. Some are basic like increasing health, attack, and movement. But others like prayer usage increase, a new sp gauge, more experience, among others are really useful. I played around using different kinds of relics. So if you’re having trouble beating a boss, perhaps changing your relic setup might be needed.
There is no penalty for dying. So you don’t need to worry about losing your currency to upgrade spirits.
Finding Hope in a Melancholy World
Final thoughts
Didn’t experience any bugs or crashes throughout my 16-hour playthrough to see everything the game has to offer.
On the criticisms I could say for the game. There’s not much, to be frank. The gameplay was tight and I didn’t have any problems with the combat, tutorial, or navigation. Perhaps, if I were to say something it would have to be giving players more of a direction on what to do to get the last ending. Since I had to look up a guide/walkthrough to know how to get the last ending. And two bosses could’ve been tweaked a bit further to make it slightly less difficult. I could include more, but those are just nitpicking and not worth saying.
I feel all the mechanics and features in the game work well. The music synergizes excellently with the dark fantasy atmosphere permeating throughout the world. The plot is intriguing and doesn’t move too fast for the player to catch up. The pacing felt right. And combat and sheer viciousness of it upon impacting enemies feel satisfying. Didn’t need to grind in the game at all. Environment, bosses, and enemy design are wonderfully crafted to the point I can’t help but stare in disgust as well as admire the art of it.
The game didn’t capture my attention immediately. It took some time, but slowly I was brought on board. To see what happens to Lily in the end, see whether or not she can regain her memories and if she can succeed in her endeavor to purify the land of Blight along with her knight. It’s not something I'd ask a very young individual to do. But her unique ability to gather spirits as allies caught my attention. And seeing her continue to stand against countless adversity and persevere is something worth looking into.
For those looking for a different Metroidvania to sink your teeth into. One with a unique premise, tight controls, an amazing soundtrack, satisfying combat, and easy to understand user interface. Perhaps Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights might just be the game to kindle your interest.
Score: 8.5/10