Have you played...? Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
I’ve recently completed Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights and it was a great experience, so I wanted to share it here.
Ender Lilies is a metroidvania with excellent atmosphere and world-building. It’s a dark, gloomy, and tragic game right from the get-go. The kingdom, once lively and peaceful, was overrun by a mysterious rain that blights people and animals, turning them into mindless, violent monstrosities. The kingdom is now bleak and in ruins, as almost everything was taken by the blight. In this dreadful world, you control a small, pale girl who awakens and is befriended by the spirit of an ancient swordsman. You’re a White Priestess, and you have the power to purify the blighted by absorbing their suffering, finally putting them to rest.
The story is told through short, quite beautiful cutscenes, as well as notes and pieces of text scattered around the world. I like this kind of storytelling, where you have to piece things together until you finally get the bigger picture. It’s a sad story, not about heroism, but about tragedy, sacrifice, suffering, and salvation.
The girl is frail and can’t fight on her own, so she attacks by using the spirits she purifies along her journey. You can equip three different spirits to attack, each mapped to a different button. This reminded me a little of the soul system of Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, though the implementation there was different. There’s also equipment, called relics, that boost your stats, working in a similar way to Hollow Knight. In classic metroidvania fashion, when you defeat certain bosses and obtain key items, you gain new abilities that let you explore more of the world.
Gameplay is precise and responsive. The girl is nimble and can jump and grab ledges, so exploring the environments is fun and there are many secrets scattered throughout the world. I’ve never played a Dark Souls game, but I think the combat here was probably influenced by it. You can easily get killed, even by weak enemies, if you aren’t careful or if you’re outnumbered. You’ll have to dodge and parry attacks if you want to survive, making battles engaging and not just mindless button mashing.
Graphics are dark, moody and taciturn, and at the same time gorgeous. Though the game is usually dark, it’s always easy to distinguish important elements like platforms and enemies. The environments and biomes are varied and all very beautiful, with a handmade feel to them, even though everything is 3D (I believe). Your character and enemies are detailed and well animated, and everything blends together so well that it can look like an animated movie at times. The taciturn presentation reminded me a little of Minoria, which shares a somewhat similar vibe, though Ender Lilies is much more somber and refined overall.
The soundtrack is just phenomenal. It’s just as melancholic and subdued as the rest of the game, but incredibly beautiful and even moving. It uses a lot of piano and strings, usually in a very somber way, with clear influences from classical and baroque music. I had actually listened to some of the tracks before I even heard about the game. And I just realized now how much the music helps convey the tragic story, bringing out the emotions of each area and boss battle. Hearing the music again now even makes me emotional, I really think it’s that beautiful.
The exploration flows really well, and it’s never too hard to find where you need to go next (which can be a problem in this kind of game). I really appreciated the map system in particular: it’s not a tile-based map like in Super Metroid, but instead shows the different areas and how they’re connected. But, crucially, it also shows whether there are still undiscovered secrets in each area. I love when games do that (another one that did it was Momodora: Moonlit Farewell), showing respect for the players’ time. Finding all the collectibles can be challenging, and some of them are well-hidden. I love how this game doesn’t underestimate players’ intelligence by giving more hints than needed.
Overall, the game is not too difficult, especially depending on the relics that you equip. It can be challenging at times, particularly in some boss fights, but I was able to beat each one after a few tries. I think the challenge level was just right. The last boss, however, was kind of underwhelming and easier than I thought it should be, especially compared to final bosses in similar games.
This is a straightforward game in a positive way. It’s not complicated, and does everything well. I clocked in around 20 hours to finish and get everything, including the good ending and all collectibles. It was a wonderful experience, and worth every minute. I give this a 9/10: it’s a very solid metroidvania with great exploration and a hauntingly beautiful presentation and soundtrack.
Details:
- Name: Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
- Genre: 2D platformer metroidvania
- Developers: Adglobe ⤴ and Live Wire ⤴
- Year: 2021
- Site: https://en.enderlilies.com/
- Available on Steam ⤴, Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
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