If I was forced to prefer my best-loved type of game , I ’d in all likelihood go with the Metroidvania . When done well , there ’s little in gaming that I observe as fulfil . Whether fork over in 2D or 3D , my preferred game in the genre hook me with freeform exploration that rewards my curiosity with well - hidden mystery . That love comes with some high standards , though . I have a very defined idea of what makes a great Metroidvania . I can be picky about games that do n’t to the full adapt to those rules if they are n’t bending them in a meaningful means . But when a game hits all the right notes , there ’s nothing better .
Only one month into the new twelvemonth , Ender Magnolia : Bloom in the Misthas already delivered exactly what I thirst . It ’s a fantastic sequel that understand what makesthe best Metroidvaniastick , all while threading in its own discrete voice and RPG system . If you ’re still impatiently count the mean solar day untilHollow Knight : Silksong ’s deep tone ending escort , consider popping into one of the best Metroidvanias I ’ve play this decade .
Ender Magnolia : Bloom in the Mistis a sequel toEnder lily : Quietus of the Knights . Ender Lilieswas a bit of a furore hit when it left early access in 2021 . It was the kind of concealed jewel that hardcore genre lover would take any chance they got to verbalise your ear off about it . It ’s a 2D natural process RPG occupy with tough boss battles , inscrutable customization , and memorably moody artistic creation . I really enjoyed my clock time with it back when it launched , but I had my nitpicks as a genre purist . It matte a bit more adorn in combat than geographic expedition , almost teetering intoSoulsborneterritory .
It ’s as if developers Adglobe and Live Wire heard my bitch , becauseEnder Magnoliaaddresses every issue I had with its predecessor . That start out with its tone . Ender Liliestook place in a dark fancy setting filled with muted grays that did n’t do its art style justice . Ender Magnoliadelves deeper into sci - fi , make more coloured biomes poking through industrial decline . Its story , centered around a race of Homonculi driven to madness in a post - apocalyptic world , remains a complicated lore salad that I struggle to get invested in . To its credit , though , the sequel wiretap intoNier : Automata ’s surreal pure tone to give the series a more palpable melodic phrase of whodunit . That same spirit is one that ’s present in many of my preferred Metroidvanias , fromMetroid PrimetoAxiom Verge .
Ender Magnolia submit the veracious note from that lineage when it come to its refined gameplay . The sequel is far more balanced between combat and exploration , with the latter playing a much bigger role this prison term around . too soon on , I ’m given a mission prompt to explore the Lower Stratum , but no marker appears on my map . I begin poke around every itinerary I can , only to let out several clear-cut biomes that I ’m costless to explore in a nonlinear fashion . It accept some of the rigidity out of the genre , as it feels like I can stumble on upgrades and bosses in any purchase order ( even if that ’s not totally dependable ) . It ’s a little overwhelming at first , but I come to love the exemption I have to poke around .
For me , the good Metroidvanias are ones that encourage curiosity , not penalize player for it . I ’ve always struggled to click withHollow Knightfor its punish corpse run system . Whenever I get deeply into a winding country only to die and drop all my resources , it crap me scared to travel off the beaten path . Ender Magnoliadoesn’t adopt that voguish idea , or else have me freely explore to my heart ’s content with a variety of irregular ability , long enormously gamey jumps , that eventually let me reach shoes that seemed impossibly far off . There ’s a lot to witness , too : Shop up-to-dateness , token , lore snippets , wellness boosts , and more can be find in secret passageways that require sharp spatial reasoning to find .
For those who sleep together scour every niche of a map for collectibles , Ender Magnoliamakes certain that your time never goes to permissive waste . All of these tools feed back into the multilayered action RPG side of the escapade . Like its predecessor , this is still a plot sate with challenging gaffer with devastating attack patterns . Vanquishing them is n’t just about pure accomplishment , but about crafting a powerful build out of everything you ’ve scavenged through the world . There are several weapons that can be slot into four attack slots and then upgraded with rare materials . Relics provide passive buffs , and more can be equipped at once depending on how many Magic Vials players discover . immediate payment can be spent on equipment like stat - altering ring . There ’s a tidy sum of room to grow outside of standard floor ups .
I palpate the power pull in through open-eyed exploration by the end of my playthrough . With a full set of relics and full upgraded weapons , I had craft a harm heavy build that could distribute foe quickly with high powered ground and aerial attacks that also healed me . I had plenty more options to toy with too , from carapaces that granted me defensive barrier to entirely different inwardness artillery skills that I never concern . The experimentation that opens up once player have a full suite of options wee-wee all that exploration worthwhile .
All of this makesEnder Magnoliaone of the finest Metroidvanias of the 2020s so far , ranking up there withAnimal WellandMetroid Dread . It ’s a mystify sci - fi fantasy loan-blend that get hold a more symmetrical remainder between its genre breathing in . It all make out together in an eerie , beautiful continuation filled with rich 2D prospect that are sure to stick with me for a long time . Do yourself a party favour and try it for yourself before a busy February Begin .
Ender Magnolia : Bloom in the Mistis available now on PS4 , PS5 , Xbox Series X / S , Nintendo Switch , and PC .
