Ender Lilies Review

Ender Lilies reminds me of one of my top 10 games from last year Cyber Shadow, in that, on paper, it reads like a retread of games before it, but the execution is where it really shines. The Demon/Dark Souls and Castlevania SOTN DNA is so explicit, from enemy designs, jumping mechanics, the healing system, and I could swear it takes the exact same blood splatter effect from Demon's Souls, but it differentiates itself by making different choices. Things like corpse runs have been taken out entirely, and dying only is a set back as it throws you back to the last respite, and you keep all your items, experience, and map reveals. The map has issues (it could really use a cursor you can mark places with, and a way to just point to the save point you want to fast travel to), but being able to see if there are items you haven't collected in an area and what paths you haven't taken yet makes finding where to go next never an issue. The game ends up feeling like a mixtape of good game ideas and mechanics that make it when you are stuck on a hard boss or area, it never gets too frustrating. It ends up clearing the path of the story, which through music, notes, and cut-scenes after each boss, enraptured me to find out what exactly happened here. If you played Dark Souls or Hollow Knight, nothing will be a big surprise, but that is where the execution comes in again. How the notes inform who you will be fighting, or who you fought, combined with their often somber, sad boss themes (I loved the boss themes, especially since I found myself having to retry bosses several times, the more low key themes just sounded better than if the themes were trying to pump you up every time) paints a sad world that you are trying your best to set right again. The multiple endings do a good job of informing the final ending which honestly made me tear up. If you are looking for a 2D action romp through a sad, beautiful world, then Ender Lillies is the flower you should pluck.