Apparently, this is the month where I decided to jump out of my comfort zone. First I did a preview of The Last Spell (Strategy/defense Roguelike), and now I’m covering a Souls-like Metroidvania. Basically, this month is where I play genres I like, mixed with genres I generally don’t apparently.

Somehow, Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights, managed to captivate me with its somber, melancholy aesthetic and world. You play as a young woman named Lily, who awakens sometime after an event known as The Rainfall, a rain that turns humanity into undead monsters known as The Blighted. Lily is known, revered, and referenced as The White Priestess, and has the ability to purify the Blight at an unknown cost to herself.

She wakes with no memories, and you will find that as you travel through the ruined kingdom, you will face people from her past. These people that once were friends and even family are now ravenous blighted creatures that suffer a fate worse than death. After defeating them, you can choose whether or not to purify them. I am certain that this has some sort of significance to the various endings available, but I haven’t confirmed that for sure.

Lily fights using spirits, who act in her stead as she commands their power. You gain new capabilities and spirits by fighting bosses and mini-boss enemies, who have their own stories. It feels a little bit like Valkyrie Profile in that regard, being able to see the past of those who have succumbed to the Blight. Most of Ender Lilies’ story is dictated through memories or text that you find as you explore.

Lily can attack, roll, use her spirit abilities, and can pray to heal. Initially, you can only pray three times per rest, unless you hit a white flower to restore a use of your prayer. If you rest at benches, you can strengthen spirits, replenish prayer uses, and fast-travel, as well as equipping relics that impart beneficial effects.

However, as in most Souls-like games, resting at a bench will cause the enemies you have defeated in the area to come back. This method of refreshing the enemies is useful if you want to grind for levels. Bosses are difficult but not overly punishing as long as you take your time to learn their patterns and methods. If you die, you don’t lose progress, you just travel back to the last bench you rested at, which is nice.

The best part of Ender Lilies in my opinion though is its atmosphere and aesthetic. The dark fantasy setting, paired with a beautiful, almost mournful soundtrack, is a perfect marriage of style and substance. You can feel the regret from characters who were unable to save their loved ones. You can feel the quiet silence of a world ravaged by undeath and disease. It feels very reminiscent of Hollow Knight honestly.

Yet there is beauty in this world too. There are beautiful environments, beautiful music, and all sorts of things to find and collect. My only real complaint is that there is no voice acting. I think the lack of voice acting causes a sort of inaccessibility for people with issues reading dialogue. Plus, it would add an extra layer of beautiful immersion to the game’s world.

Overall, I can’t really fault Ender Lilies that much. It is an Early Access title that has increasingly improved each time I’ve seen it. Now that it is out for full release, I think everyone should try and get their hands on it. Support beautiful indie games like this y’all! If I can play it and enjoy it, so can you!

A PC review copy of Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights was provided by Binary Haze Interactive for this review.

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Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

$24.99

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Beautiful Aesthetic
• Smooth Combat and Controls
• Forgiving, Yet Challenging Difficulty
• Lots of Exploration and Secrets
• Intriguing Story

Cons

• No Voice Acting
• Minor Framerate Issues