Nice video. IMO Ender Lilies is a masterpiece and the best metroidvania with Hollow Knight. BTW did you play NG+? it gets even better especially the bosses, they become more aggressive and some of them have new attacks.
I also agree. Hollow Knight was my first Metroidvania and I absolutely loved it. After playing it… it seemed like none of the other Metroidvania games I tried didn’t really compare. Ori and the Will of the Wisps was fun.. but it didn’t compare to Hollow Knight. Exploration was good and graphics were great… but the immersion in the world, sound track, and boss design just fell way short of Hollow Knight. The combat was simple and forgiving in Ori… while Hollow Knight really forced you to improve by fighting bosses that were actually difficult. But this actually led to an immense satisfaction when you improved to the point to where you beat the boss. Ender Lilies was/is by far the closest in quality in the for-mentioned areas…. The sound track was incredible like Hollow Knights. It seriously added to the immersion and emotional resonance of the game, similar to Hollow Knight. Not only this, but the relic system was similar to the charm system in Hollow Knight also. While not really allowing such significant gameplay changes, it was a relatively unique take on the charm system but has its own flair. The story was beautiful… in my opinion more so than Hollow Knight even. The combat and the way the mini and major bosses you defeat actually becoming spirits who help you, increasing your combat abilities was an amazing reward for progressing through the bosses and game. It allowed serious diversity in how you approach combat and gave these bosses with tragic and often heroic histories reduced to mere shells of themselves, mindlessly aggressive towards any living thing. By defeating them, it’s as if you’ve given them the peace they deserve. I learned about this game from Rusty’a video. I played it once by myself… then I played it again on NG+ while my friend simultaneously played it for the firs time…it was incredible on both playthrough. The difficulty definitely increased on NG+ despite the health, relic, and spirits carrying over. It was awesome nonetheless. I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s beautiful, fun, and extremely satisfying to see through. I hope this video gains some viewers! Your retrospective was insightful and gave anyone watching a good idea what the game is like. Thanks for the retrospective!
I had a very different experience with Hoenir. I fought him after Ulv and before Julius (though I at least visited the Stockade for upgrades before Ulv after I heard he was very difficult). I struggled more against the other bosses than you did, but I beat Hoenir on my first try. To be honest, after dying so many times to Ulv, having a surprise one-shot victory felt like a relief, especially since the difficulty ramped back up when I went after Julius.
Nice video. IMO Ender Lilies is a masterpiece and the best metroidvania with Hollow Knight.
BTW did you play NG+? it gets even better especially the bosses, they become more aggressive and some of them have new attacks.
Glad you enjoyed the video. Also yes I did play new game plus in ender lilies and I agree that it gets better.
I also agree. Hollow Knight was my first Metroidvania and I absolutely loved it. After playing it… it seemed like none of the other Metroidvania games I tried didn’t really compare. Ori and the Will of the Wisps was fun.. but it didn’t compare to Hollow Knight. Exploration was good and graphics were great… but the immersion in the world, sound track, and boss design just fell way short of Hollow Knight. The combat was simple and forgiving in Ori… while Hollow Knight really forced you to improve by fighting bosses that were actually difficult. But this actually led to an immense satisfaction when you improved to the point to where you beat the boss.
Ender Lilies was/is by far the closest in quality in the for-mentioned areas…. The sound track was incredible like Hollow Knights. It seriously added to the immersion and emotional resonance of the game, similar to Hollow Knight. Not only this, but the relic system was similar to the charm system in Hollow Knight also. While not really allowing such significant gameplay changes, it was a relatively unique take on the charm system but has its own flair. The story was beautiful… in my opinion more so than Hollow Knight even.
The combat and the way the mini and major bosses you defeat actually becoming spirits who help you, increasing your combat abilities was an amazing reward for progressing through the bosses and game. It allowed serious diversity in how you approach combat and gave these bosses with tragic and often heroic histories reduced to mere shells of themselves, mindlessly aggressive towards any living thing. By defeating them, it’s as if you’ve given them the peace they deserve.
I learned about this game from Rusty’a video. I played it once by myself… then I played it again on NG+ while my friend simultaneously played it for the firs time…it was incredible on both playthrough. The difficulty definitely increased on NG+ despite the health, relic, and spirits carrying over. It was awesome nonetheless.
I can’t recommend this game enough. It’s beautiful, fun, and extremely satisfying to see through.
I hope this video gains some viewers! Your retrospective was insightful and gave anyone watching a good idea what the game is like. Thanks for the retrospective!
I had a very different experience with Hoenir. I fought him after Ulv and before Julius (though I at least visited the Stockade for upgrades before Ulv after I heard he was very difficult). I struggled more against the other bosses than you did, but I beat Hoenir on my first try. To be honest, after dying so many times to Ulv, having a surprise one-shot victory felt like a relief, especially since the difficulty ramped back up when I went after Julius.