Ender Lilies analysis, the big surprise of the genre.

Binary Haze Interactive bring one of the big surprisess this year, Lily of the ender. The track drinks from the best of the genre “metroidvania” and mixes it with artistic design and “soulslike” development, in an almost perfect mix at a time. There are titles that create a genre in themselves, and there is no shortage of imitators looking to repeat their formula. The best example of recent years is the saga Dark souls, from From Software, although there were others long before …

With the explosion of the last years of independent development, there are a specific genre that gives us a lot of joy, the so-called “metroidvania”. Lily of the ender This is one more sample of the good health of the genus, although it is not one more, since stand out for yourself in a game style heavily populated with titles these days.

The last white maiden

Lily of the ender tells us the story of the kingdom of Finisterre, disgraced by a disaster called “the flood”, an incessant rain that turned all its inhabitants into unclean beings. We are the last white girl, Lily, who wakes up from a dream without knowing what happened and without memories, and will become the kingdom’s last hope. But Lily is not alone, since will have the help of various “spirits” They provide him with the skills he needs to do his job.

The story is told to us through short scenes and conversations, and also by describing the different objects that we find. Don’t expect long cgi or anything like that as they are short for never hinder the rhythm obtained of the title. Little by little we will unlock the memories of Lily and what happened until we reach the starting point of the game, leaving us some scenes to remember in this tragic and melancholy story.

A very clever mix of genres

The title knows very well how to mix all the genres he drinks. We have a really worked level design, where the whole card is interconnected, and where little by little we will unlock different areas. But it is not a question of moving forward without more, like a good metroidvania, going back will be essential To advance. As for the combat system, to say that there is little Lily can do for herself in such a dangerous task, and will have the help of spirits and souls of the different enemies that we are going to defeat.

At the start of the game, the spirit of the dark knight accompanies us, with which we can strike swords. As we beat the various “bosses” and “mini bosses”, we will purify them and obtain their power For our good. Some of these powers can be the “double jump” or the “slide”, which will be unlocked well after entering the title. This will allow us to go back to open that shortcut or reach those areas that we couldn’t before, and thus access new rooms. It is also an intelligent, flexible and very strategic system, because we will be limited in the number of skills we can carry at a time. Due to this limitation, we will have to choose very well that we equip ourselves according to the area, the type of enemy or boss that we are going to face.

To manage all this we will use the banks that we find by mapping, which play the role of “bonfires” what we see in the Dark souls. From them we can rest, with the relevant respawn of enemies, and equip or exchange the skills and relics that we will obtain by exploring every nook and cranny of its cartography. They also serve us for improve these skills by spending souls that we will get to defeat the enemies and explore the environment.

A superb setting and artistic design

We are faced with one of those games which penetrates through the eyes seeing its different elements moving. Loaded scenes clear a tragic and dark setting worn with great taste. As soon as we start the game and take our first steps his art reminded us of Vanillaware’s best works.

After taking our first steps, seeing Lily and the first enemies, who have a very worked and varied design, we get an idea that we are not facing one more title. How could it be otherwise, this book places particular emphasis on the appearance of bosses and mini-bosses, here he absolutely recalls the Souls for the staging of the apotheosis. Your routines and attacks will need to be learned to be successful, and the difficulty curve is very tight and the trials will be more and more difficult.

In addition, everything comes with very spectacular animations, both in its protagonist and in its enemies, and with special attention to the spirits that help us with their abilities, with unique animations for every possible movement. Particle effects help visual staging with a very good result to complete a round section in all its aspects.

A sound section with style

The work of the sound section deserves special mention. If the good animations are just as well accompanied by sound effects depending on what you see on the screen, better than better. As in the rest of the sections, there is a lot of care and good work, and the whole provides a superb narrative and visual force.

Soundtrack it’s simply spectacular, with a great presence of piano, violin and choirs, all in a minimalist tone. There are no great orchestral rumblings, no loaded themes, the whole soundtrack is very melancholy and sad, to accompany at all times what we see on stage. In addition, the music is well differentiated, with a specific theme for each scenario, and, again, special work in boss confrontations, where the most spectacular pieces are located.

Ender Lilies, final conclusions

The Japanese of Binary Haze bring us their particular vision of “metroidvania “, with a big” soulslike “dressing. We are facing a great job, which knows how to mix these two sub-genres almost perfectly. With a very well adjusted difficulty curve, agile combat mechanics, which strategy and competence prevail also. The mapping is huge and interconnected throughout, with a lot of backtracking use to be able to continue to advance in its rooms. Her most memorable moments are clashes with bosses, with authentic musical nuggets to represent it. A big mid-year surprise that it can keep us glued to the screen for fifteen to twenty-five hours, depending on the time you want to devote to it. If you are a genre lover, you loved it Hollow Knight, or the most recent Narita boy, Lily of the ender It is a job that should not be neglected.

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