Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights

The key visual of the game, featuring Lily (right) and the Umbral Knight (left)

*In a decayed world, they fight against a cursed destiny.*[src]
Official website

***Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights*** (**エンダーリリーズ: クワイタス オブ ザ ナイツ**), stylized as ***ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights***, is an action role-playing game from Binary Haze Interactive, developed by Adglobe and Live Wire, featuring a dark fantasy Metroidvania fairy tale.

The story follows Lily, the last surviving priestess in a land devastated by an endless and oppressive rain that transforms living things into undead. Awakening in a church with no recollection of recent events, Lily turns to exploring beyond the safety of the sanctuary to find the source of the rain. Along the way, Lily can summon the spirits of purified undead to protect her.

The title debuted on Steam Early Access on January 21, 2021, and was subsequently released on June 22, 2021 for Windows through Steam and Nintendo Switch. Other console launches followed on June 29, with Xbox One and Xbox Series releases, and later with the PlayStation 4 release on July 20. It received positive reviews from critics.

## Plot

### Synopsis

> Long ago, in the distant reaches of Land's End, an unforeseen rainfall transformed all living things into frenzied undead monstrosities known as the Blighted. Faced with a calamity far beyond their understanding, the kingdom fell into ruin with no end to the accursed rain in sight. Meanwhile, in the remnants of this devastated land, a young girl named Lily awakens in the depths of a church...
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### Summary

*Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights* begins after the Blight has destroyed the entire kingdom of Land's End and turned all of its inhabitants into the Blighted. The protagonist and player character is Lily, the last surviving descendant of the White Priestesses, who has the ability to cleanse spirits of corruption. Lily is accompanied on her journey by the souls of spirits who have been purified of the Blight.

She is welcomed by the spirit of a knight, who had sworn allegiance to the previous White Priestess, who managed to bind the spirit of the faithful knight to Lily for her protection as she is quite young and defenseless. The knight will help navigate through the scourge kingdom, to find the way and recollect memories together, and, above all, to fight for the young priestess.

## Gameplay

*Ender Lilies* uses two-dimensional side-scrolling gameplay. The player assumes control of Lily from a third-person perspective. The title is heavy on combat, puzzle-solving, and item collecting in a lost kingdom which the player must explore and uncover the mystery of as the game progresses.

Lily does not engage in combat directly. Although she can jump, roll, and dodge, the actual combat is performed by Lily's guardian spirit allies. The first spirit is one of a swordsman, the Umbral Knight, who can unleash swift sword slashes around a small field, both above and below her, with no cooldown timer. Defeating enemies will gain the player experience points called blight. Special opponents can broaden the player's repertoire by discovering and defeating them, granting newfangled abilities on the basis of their chosen offensive; aiding her both in combat and exploration, which is rife with secret areas, optional bosses, and revelations that help clarify the narrative. The combat has the player equipping three different spirits, each of which is unique in their ability. The player can be equipped with two different loadouts and can switch seamlessly between them. Skills are not unlimited, and when they run out the player either needs to find a red flower or a place to rest. Along the way, Lily finds resources, shards, relics, and other items to synergize with the guardians' skills and give her added health or healing. To equip more relics, players will need to find Chains of Sorcery. There are multiple other upgrades that players might find scattered throughout the world, but blights are needed to enhance their skills, which will make them stronger and more potent. The main attack skill, helmed by the Umbral Knight, utilizes ancient souls, which are rare materials collected later in the game. Amulet fragments will increase maximum health points. The player can use the power of praying to restore their health, and can only pray three times before needing to rest. White flowers will restore one prayer. To upgrade the potency of Lily's prayers, players will need to find clones of the White Priestess. There is no real penalty to death, and save points are relatively common.

There are also three different endings, all of which are dependent on whether the player completed certain actions and choices. Once the game has been completed, however, the player is able to reload the game from the point before the end. This allows the player to attempt the end of the game again and potentially see one of the other endings that they have not acquired yet. The "A" ending can be achieved by reaching the Land's Edge respite and going to the rightmost area where red and white lilies grow, and purify the gigantic white lily at the edge. The "B" ending can be achieved by defeating the final boss without the Aegis Curio equipped. The "C" ending, also known as the true ending can be achieved by defeating the final boss with the Aegis Curio equipped.

## Production

### Development

On September 10, 2020, *Ender Lilies* was revealed with a trailer during PAX Online 2020. The exhibitor behind the game, Binary Haze Interactive, was established in June 2020 by Hiroyuki Kobayashi. Director Keisuke Okabe helmed the story and game direction for this first entry of the studio's three upcoming titles.

On December 14, 2020, Binary Haze Interactive announced with a trailer that *Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights* will be arriving on Steam Early Access on January 21, 2021. Alongside the launch, the developers had stated that players were allowed to participate in the development of the project through the Steam Discussions, and that they would be listening to the feedback from the community and implementing it into the final release.

On April 14, 2021, during Nintendo's Indie World Showcase, Binary Haze Interactive released a trailer announcing the full release of the game.

### Music

The music from the game was composed and performed by Mili, a classical Japanese indie group consisting of Yamato Kasai, Cassie Wei, Yukihito Mitomo, Shoto Yoshida, and Ao Fujimori. The musical band has a host of anime credits including *Ghost in the Shell* and *Goblin Slayer*, as well as rhythm games such as *Cytus* and *Deemo*. Sound effects are provided by Keiichi Suigiyama, a former Sega producer with credits on franchises like *Rez* and *Skies of Arcadia*, completing the game's moving audio section.

## Release

*Ender Lilies* was originally scheduled for release in December 2020, three months after its announcement; however, the game was delayed to Summer 2021.

The first build of the alpha version was released an Early Access on January 21, featuring three of the eight stages in addition to the alpha stages. The final version launched for Microsoft Windows through Steam and Nintendo Switch on June 22, 2021. It later released for Xbox One with Xbox Series X and Series S on June 29, 2021. A PlayStation 4 port of the game launched on July 20, 2021. The version 1.0 update offers new enemies, bosses and abilities, optimized gameplay balance, and character's maneuver and appearance. It also includes the five new areas to the game and complements the previous three, bringing the storyline to its conclusion.

The soundtrack came to Spotify and Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon Music, and Steam as a DLC at a later date.

The developers have reportedly been tracking the number of people interested in physical editions of *Ender Lilies*; although bug fixes, balances, and community feature requests for the digital edition remain as their primary focus.

## Reception

### Critical Response

A few days after entering Early Access, *Ender Lilies* was met with great enthusiasm from fans of the title's main genre. According to review aggregator, Metacritic, *Ender Lilies* received "generally favorable reviews" for the desktop version of the game. It was one of the top selling releases in January 2021 after launching in the second half of the month on Steam. In September 2021, it sat as a top-rated PC game of 2021 on Metacritic. The game gained praise regarding its art design and ambiance, which is stated to bear resemblance to *Salt and Sanctuary* and titles by Vanillaware, as well as its fighting mechanics that appear to have been inspired by *Hollow Knight* and *Monster Sanctuary*. The orchestral, primarily piano-based soundtrack also garnered critical acclaim, with some stating they only listened to the music in the trailer and decided to purchase it. Kazuma Hashimoto of *Siliconera* declared *Ender Lilies* "has the potential to be an indie darling. All of the right elements are there, and they come together splendidly." Austin Suther of *TechRaptor* previewed *Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights*, and concluded it "seems like a very promising game." For *Capsule Computers*, "*Ender Lilies* shows that when care and passion is put in a game, something truly special might come out," and rated the game a 9.5 out of 10. *RPGFan* found *Ender Lilies* "so overwhelmingly positive that I found myself struggling to pinpoint things I didn't like." *TheGamer* ranked the game as one of the ten best "soulslike games of all time," and thought it "manages to carve out its own identity through a unique art style." *Nintendo Life* gave the game a 9 out of 10, and found it to be "one of the strongest Metroidvanias of 2021, and easily one of the best examples of the genre."

### Sales

As of March 2022, the game had sold a total of over 600,000 digital copies worldwide.

## Future

In June 2022, the official *Ender Lilies* Twitter account shared a cryptic post celebrating its first anniversary with a rather unusual picture included. Fans have managed to decode the message as "*Ender Lilies* next project."

## Trivia

* The developers considered stylizing the title as ***ENDER LILIES ~QUIETUS OF THE KNIGHTS~*** before settling on ***ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights***, as all caps are very distinct in Japanese in the native character sets.
* The lily motif throughout the game is a lotus, or water lily.

## References

1. ↑ twitter @EnderLiliesGame (ENDER LILIES) on Twitter: "what game engine was used to build the game?"
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 *GameSkinny* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Slices Its Way Out of Early Access" by Carcasole, David. Published April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *WordPress* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights – First Impressions" by ScouseGamer88. Published February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
4. ↑ *The Metroidvania Review* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights – Early Access" by Jacobson, Darren. Published February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
5. ↑ *Human Game Collective* – "You Should Wishlist Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights" by Gehring-Nobbe, Bennet. Published January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 *FULLSYNC* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Preview" by Camilleri, Chris. Published February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
7. ↑ *The Indie Game Website* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Early Access Review" by Gehring-Nobbe, Bennet. Published January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *GameRant* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights Wears its Inspirations on its Sleeves" by Carvalho, Jared. Published January 14, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 *PCInvasion* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is revealed with a trailer" by Karignan, Kevin. Published September 10, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
10. ↑ *Bloody Disgusting* – "Dark Fantasy Game 'Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights' Heads to Steam Early Access in January" by Wilson, Mike. Published December 14, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 *store.steampowered.com* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights on Steam". Publish Date unspecified. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
12. ↑ *My Nintendo News* – "Indie World roundup showcase for 14th April 2021" by Sickr. Published April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 *TheGamer* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus Of The Knights Reveal Trailer Sets A Haunting Atmosphere" by Glagowski, Peter. Published September 10, 2020. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 *BunnyGaming* – "Dark fantasy metroidvania – ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights Enters Steam Early Access alongside consoles announcement" by Tart, Pun. Published January 23, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
15. ↑ *The Digital Fix* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights (Early Access) Review" by Blain, Wren. Published February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
16. ↑ *steamcommunity.com* – "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Published November 5, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
17. ↑ *Metacritic* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights for PC Reviews". Publish Date unspecified. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
18. ↑ twitter @EnderLiliesGame (ENDER LILIES) on Twitter: "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights was one of the top selling games on #Steam in January!"
19. ↑ *Metacritic* – "Best PC Video Games for 2021". Publish Date unspecified. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
20. ↑ *Game Rant* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights Wears its Inspirations on its Sleeves" by Carvalho, Jared. Published January 14, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
21. ↑ *Siliconera* – "Ender Lilies Has the Potential to Be an Indie Darling" by Hashimoto, Kazuma. Published January 16, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
22. ↑ *TechRaptor* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights is Both Bleak and Beautiful" by Suther, Austin. Published January 20, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
23. ↑ *Capsule Computers* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Review" by Meira, Claudio. Published September 11, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
24. ↑ *RPGFan* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights" by Steighner, Mark. Published July 31, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
25. ↑ *TheGamer* – "10 Best Soulslike Games Of All Time, Ranked" by Salter, Jack Kieran. Published July 10, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
26. ↑ *Nintendo Life* – "Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights Review" by Reynolds, Ollie. Published June 26, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
27. ↑ *Gematsu* – "ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights sales top 600,000; PS4 and Switch physical edition pre-orders open March 8" by Romano, Sal. Published March 7, 2022. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
28. ↑ twitter @EnderLiliesGame (ENDER LILIES) on Twitter: "Thanks to you, ENDER LILIES was able to celebrate its first anniversary. Please look forward to future developments."
29. ↑ twitter @EnderLiliesGame (ENDER LILIES) on Twitter: "Fun #CapsLockDay fact: we considered stylizing #EnderLilies as ENDER LILIES ~QUIETUS OF THE KNIGHTS~ before settling on ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights. In Japanese, all caps stands out well amidst the native character sets... but we thought it's a bit much in English!"