ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights

 PC
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 121 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 96 out of 121
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 121
  3. Negative: 14 out of 121

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  1. kasparius
    Jul 2, 2021
    7
    I don’t want to sound too harsh, as a Metroidvania glutton I enjoyed my time with Ender Lillies, at a time where a lot of us are eagerly awaiting Hollow Knight: Silksong, a game that attempts to do similar things fairly successfully is bound to be warmly received.

    From the start though, I’ve had this nagging feeling that this game was missing something and the reason it’s hard to pinpoint    I don’t want to sound too harsh, as a Metroidvania glutton I enjoyed my time with Ender Lillies, at a time where a lot of us are eagerly awaiting Hollow Knight: Silksong, a game that attempts to do similar things fairly successfully is bound to be warmly received.

    From the start though, I’ve had this nagging feeling that this game was missing something and the reason it’s hard to pinpoint is that the devs are good enough that it’s almost never one major thing. The creators of Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knight, a title so generic it becomes offensive, understand what makes a Metroidvania work. If you go left at the start, as most Metroid fans are wont to do, you will be greeted with a locked door that will nag at you for 90% of the game and that exaltation you feel when you finally open it is exactly what the genre is all about. So if you are in the mood for a decent Metroidvania, read no further and go play Ender Lilies. If you are looking for the next Hollow Knight on the other hand, read on, or stay away from this game. So what makes a Hollow Knight so great? Maybe it depends on who you ask, but for me it’s a combination of true exploration, amazing level design and art direction, areas that feel different enough but part of a whole, great gameplay and combat; satisfying new abilities that make you want to immediately revisit previous areas. I could go on and on, but let’s focus on these for now. Ender Lilies never feels great, the areas are fine, but not memorable. It’s somewhat challenging but not consistently enough to give you a sense of accomplishment, the bosses are pretty good, but don’t feel especially inspired. There is also a readability problem where the fights become a sloppy combination of your flashy attacks and the bosses flashy attacks and you can’t tell when to dodge. The exploration is maybe the most problematic, because the game color codes the map, orange if completed and blue if you need to find something, there are also red dots on the sides if you need to find a new path. It’s helpful, but inelegant and also provides this checklist feel instead of the more refined and mysterious exploration of Hollow Knight. Another apt comparison would be the checklist nature of an Assassin’s Creed type open world map vs Breath of the Wild’s organic and explorative one. The game completely falls apart in the final section, a poisonous uninviting mess of an area that makes you reminisce fondly on Dark Souls’ Blighttown. It’s impossible not to take damage, and you are basically invited to rush through a rushed through environment instead of exploring it, an experience that mirrors development perhaps? It certainly feels that way. Ultimately the bottom line is that Ender Lilies is unoriginal, somewhat generic and if you’ve played Hollow Knight, Blasphemous, Salt and Sanctuary or a SoulsBorne you’ve played a far better version of what’s on offer here. That doesn’t mean the game is without merits, it’s competently made for the most part and will definitely scratch the Metroidvania itch if you are a fiend like me. 7.5/10    … Expand
  2. Splinter
    Jul 29, 2021
    6
    It's an OK metroivania. Just don't expect high quality like Symphony of the Night or any other Castlevania for that matter. It's a pretty bare bones experience from a company I'd expect is pretty green. Not bad, just really not that great either.
  3. Someonon
    Jul 3, 2021
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The majority of the game is great, however, in the end, it becomes a frustrating, unfair, unoriginal **** The final boss is just the worst, it summons these annoying overpowered flies who can 2 shot you if your health is not on the roof.… Expand
  4. Sepherim
    Jul 14, 2023
    6
    Ender Lilies es un metroidvania que cumple con lo que se le pide sin aportar nada demasiado especial. El combate está bien, ágil y dinámico, con una cantidad razonable de variedad de enemigos. Además tienes un buen número de habilidades de combate disponibles de modo que puedes personalizar bastante tu estilo para estar cómodo, aunque con lo caro que es subirlas al final acabarásEnder Lilies es un metroidvania que cumple con lo que se le pide sin aportar nada demasiado especial. El combate está bien, ágil y dinámico, con una cantidad razonable de variedad de enemigos. Además tienes un buen número de habilidades de combate disponibles de modo que puedes personalizar bastante tu estilo para estar cómodo, aunque con lo caro que es subirlas al final acabarás normalmente centrándote en unas pocas. Fuera de eso y las reliquias que encuentras y permiten personalizar un poco más las builds, la progresión no va más allá, ya que la subida de niveles es simplemente mejores stats y no se nota demasiado. El plataformeo cumple bien, sus secretos tiene por ahí escondidos por si quieres rebuscar en el mapa, aunque hablando del mismo para mi gusto es un poco flojo como mapa y no todo lo útil que podría o debería ser. La historia es básica y simplona, demasiado para mi gusto.

    Gráficamente el juego está bien, un poco Dark Souls con algún toque mono aquí y allá. La música cumple para acompañar, aunque me falta un poco de música más épica para los bosses. Los efectos de sonido cumplen aunque no hay voces. Y, al menos en mi experiencia jugándolo, no me he encontrado ningún bug.

    Por todo ello, es un metroidvania decente para los que nos gusta el género. No inventa nada pero funciona. Un 6,5.    … Expand
  5. Methabolica
    Jul 22, 2021
    7
    Solid Metroidvania. But I have to play without music. After 5 oder 10 loops (30 Minutes maybe) it starts to annoying me. Beside that it's negative to get the double jump after 20 minutes.
  6. pillowmantis
    Jul 26, 2021
    7
    To be perfectly clear, the game itself is not bad. Movement is pretty intuitive, with none of the unlockable mobility upgrades feeling hard to use. Combat is satisfying, and offers enough room for personalization that each player can find their own methods. The map could use work, but I appreciate the clarity in communicating which rooms still have secrets to find.

    Where Ender Lilies    To be perfectly clear, the game itself is not bad. Movement is pretty intuitive, with none of the unlockable mobility upgrades feeling hard to use. Combat is satisfying, and offers enough room for personalization that each player can find their own methods. The map could use work, but I appreciate the clarity in communicating which rooms still have secrets to find.

    Where Ender Lilies falls flat, in my opinion, is its presentation. People call it a mix of Hollow Knight and Dark Souls, but it felt more like a reheated meatloaf of the two. Tastes good, but lacks memorable charm. Storywise, I was interested at first, before I knew what was going on. But as I discovered the lore, it turned out to be a lot of reused concepts from its main inspirations. They were executed competently enough, but a copy is still a copy. It simply didn't feel as meaningful the second time around.

    The bosses, with a few exceptions, are generic knights that fail to leave much of an impression. The flash of red that almost every attack in the game is preceded by hurts their memorability, since you spend less time actually examining foes and learning their animations than you do simply reacting to the color red with a quick dodge or parry.

    Despite the plethora of unlockable attack abilities, called spirits, you won't wind up using most of them more than once. Since you need collectable resources to upgrade them, a player will naturally only want to stick to the ones they've upgraded even if they get a cool new one. On top of this, each change in spirit composition necessitates a period of relearning muscle memory. While I appreciate what they were going for with the system, it still ultimately harmed my experience.

    The art style and environments look pretty, but in that generic soulslike gothic way that doesn't stand out. Even now, only a day after 100% completing it, I wouldn't be able to describe most of the locations in great detail. This is despite combing through the world several times to obtain every last optional item and scrap of lore.

    As for the music... I was disappointed. I like MILI, so I was really looking forward to the OST. But even now, looking at the OST on its own, barely any of it actually stands out. I wouldn't be able to tell you when these songs actually play in the game, and most of the boss music seems to be going for the Dark Souls "Gwyn's Theme" vibe. That would be fine, if it wasn't EVERY SINGLE BOSS THEME. When all the music has the exact same feeling to it, no tracks really get a chance to stick in the mind.

    Jumping back to the combat, a lot of the basic enemies are very uninspired. Throughout the entire game there are these slime things that just walk at you slowly and periodically leap forwards. Generic zombie archers shoot at you unerringly, only really a threat when one is busy with another enemy. The unique enemies for each area, meanwhile, almost all fall prey to the simple strategy of dodging into their body when red flashes and then hitting them. Repeat until dead. As I said earlier, if it weren't for the flashes of red it might be more interesting. But since the actual animations barely matter to learning their moves and timing they all end up feeling the same aside from how tanky and damaging they are.

    For someone that wants an easier game in the genre, I would heartily recommend Ender Lilies. In fact, I think it's a great introduction to the genre. But, having played far more interesting titles with far more interesting stories and settings, I can't say I really enjoyed it. Oftentimes I'd find myself wishing I was playing Blasphemous or Hollow Knight instead.

    If I were to rate this game more accurately, I would probably call it a 7.5/10. A fun way to spend your time, but not one that you'd keep coming back to.    … Expand
  7. Eyean
    Aug 5, 2023
    7
    A perfectly serviceable Metroidvania experience. Outside of the somewhat interesting spirit system, the game does little to stand out of from the sea of games like it.

Awards & Rankings

16
#16 Best PC Game of 2021
52
#52 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 26 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 23 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. RPG Site
    Oct 4, 2021
    90
    Ender Lilies is an emotional sidescroller RPG with a well-told compelling story, beautiful music & art, and solid gameplay. Its hauntingly beautiful style and satisfying world more than makes up for some slight combat blemishes, leaving a lasting impression as one of the most remarkable games of its kind.
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  2. CD-Action
    Sep 1, 2021
    90
    Ender Lilies is one of the best metroidvanias of recent years. What immediately caught my attention was its unusual combat system based on summoning spirits that attack your enemies, but I also enjoyed the dark, oneiric and slightly melancholic atmosphere of this beautiful, varied world. Hunting down bosses, discovering shortcuts, and a checkpoint system that resembles Dark Souls’ bonfires give Ender Lilies a distinct soulslike aftertaste. [09/2021, p.64]
  3. IGN Japan
    Aug 30, 2021
    90
    Ender Lilies is a game that might not have any revolutionary mechanics, but its graphics, music, battles, exploration and worldbuilding all contribute to an experience that has more polish than almost any other game in the action RPG genre. While the leap in difficulty near the end can definitely be overwhelming, the beautiful graphics and stellar presentation provide multiple fantastic moments and heart-pounding fights you won’t forget any time soon.
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