KEY POINTS

  • "Ender Lilies" is a 2D action RPG mixed with elements of "Dark Souls" and "Castlevania"
  • The game is set in an apocalyptic, dark fantasy world filled with monsters
  • Steam users praised the game for its phenomenal art and music

After five months in early access, dark fantasy 2D action RPG “Ender Lilies: Quietus Of The Knights” has officially released its full version, featuring a complete experience that managed to blow away the expectations of many players.

Ender Lilies” combines the brutal difficulty and dark fantasy tropes of “Dark Souls” with the Metroidvania aspects of “Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night” and “Castlevania.” The game is set in a bleak world where cursed rainfall transformed all living people into undead monsters called the Blighted.

Players will take the role of Lily, a blessed child with the ability to commune with spirits and cleanse the blight from the world’s many hapless victims. Lily isn’t capable of fighting on her own, so she relies on the power of deceased knights to battle enemies in her stead, similar to the Stands in the “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventures” series of manga and anime.

Ender Lilies is a 2D action RPG with Souls-like combat and Metroidvania-style exploration
Ender Lilies is a 2D action RPG with Souls-like combat and Metroidvania-style exploration Binary Haze Interactive

The game is a 2D side-scroller in the same vein as “Hollow Knight” and “Salt And Sanctuary.” Players will need to explore areas, fight enemies, take on difficult bosses and unlock new abilities to progress through different parts of the world in true Metroidvania fashion.

“Ender Lilies” recently released on Steam and was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Many players said that the game’s visual art style and music were superb. “Ender Lilies’” art is highly-detailed with its harrowing portrayals of a dying world.

The bleak and somewhat monotonous color palette is compensated for by the thematic implications of the main character’s purpose in the world; the game’s grim and depressing environments are often bathed with rays of purifying light.

Players also praised “Ender Lilies” for its gorgeous music, with some comparing it to the likes of “Nier.” The game’s music was crafted by Mili, a Japanese musical group who also worked on the soundtrack for games like “Cytus” and anime such as “Goblin Slayer” and “Gleipnir.”

However, some players weren’t as impressed with the game’s overall feel. Some Steam users said that the combat in “Ender Lilies” is weak in terms of feedback despite the overall smoothness and responsiveness of the controls, while others complained about the game being too easy.