This article is from the WeChat public account: Chule (ID: chuappgame), authored by DLS_MWZZ
The improvements in gameplay and details are noteworthy, making a 'continued brilliance' almost certain.
The global bestseller 'Galactic City' series title 'EnderLilies: Quietus of the Knights' finally launched its sequel 'Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist' after three years. In the ever-evolving and highly competitive 'Galactic City' genre, 'EnderLilies' as a newcomer, achieved remarkable sales figures. This sets high expectations for its sequel, 'Ender Magnolia'. How will it perform based on the already excellent predecessor?
In March, 'Ender Magnolia' was launched on Steam as an Early Access version. Given the current version, its performance is still impressive. Therefore, I recommend that interested friends buy it directly, as, based on past experiences with the series, the full version may see a slight price increase.
At first glance, 'Ender Magnolia' shares many similarities with its predecessor 'EnderLilies', seeming like the typical sequel, but a deeper look reveals several player-friendly designs. These are not coincidences, but the result of the right attitude and approach by the production team.
For example, the map color changes after fully exploring and collecting items in an area, a considerate feature for 'Galactic City' type games that focus on collection rates. However, 'EnderLilies' had a less mature map design making navigation within individual areas overly complicated even for experienced players, which was frustrating combined with the collectible elements.
'Ender Magnolia' introduced a detailed terrain map while retaining the full collection color change indicator—a straightforward solution, but important as it improves player experience rather than just mimicking others.
The game design also shows an understanding of map navigation. After smoothly completing an area, I realized that the map design encourages minimal repetitive movement, reminiscent of the 'Dark Souls' series but well-decorated with appropriate branching paths to enhance exploration pacing. This approach reduces wasted time for players, emphasizing the careful attention to detail that is not easy to achieve.
Additionally, the sequel includes dialogue options at save points, allowing interaction with companions. Although from the current previews, there’s no interaction among the companions at save points, main story interactions provide much room for narrative play—even seemingly mundane conversations provide a warm response to the minor disappointments of the predecessor.
Not just that, combat experience in 'Ender Magnolia' has also improved, with updates bringing attack mechanics up to modern standards, such as companions automatically adjusting shooting angles—providing a smart, continuous shooting capability that doesn't hinder movement and can adjust aim over a wide range, maintaining a slight attack stickiness to extend range slightly if an enemy moves out of the initial range.
'Ender Magnolia' also introduces many thoughtful details, like excluding collision damage to accommodate less skilled players, but innovatively slows movement speed when overlapped with an enemy to maintain tension.
However, the Early Access version is criticized to be too short, a relative term, for the map size and content are already much richer than ‘EnderLilies'. The sequels make sure players don't get stuck or lost and enemy difficulty is very well matched to pacing, showing developer confidence in content provision.
On another note, the narrative hasn't ignored the successful worldbuilding of ‘EnderLilies,’ but since the time settings aren’t close, the world feels quite different. While it presents bold innovation, repetitive descriptions can be observed in the Early Access content.
Musically, the game also offers pleasant surprises. The use of a Mil i soundtrack as a theme for the new April event in 'Arknights', which seamlessly fits into the 'EnderLilies' universe, reflects a deep connection between the imagery and storytelling of both games, bringing them closer in the minds of players.
In conclusion, from the Early Access alone, 'Ender Magnolia' significantly enhances gameplay and details, making it worthwhile to look forward to the full version. Like the transition from 'Lily' symbolizing purity to 'Magnolia' representing nobility, the sequel carries forward its legacy impressively.