When done right, dark fantasies can be some of the most unique takes from a reader's perspective, offering a desolate view of pain and darkness, with a small amount of hope throughout. In Ender Lilies case, it gives the best of both worlds through it's setting, protagonist, and gameplay!
Story wise, it does follow a lot of the same beats as most grimdark fairy tales, but thankfully it's all done nicely that's easy to follow even with all the lore. Lily's appearance greatly stands out brightly not just from a gameplay perspective, but from a story arc as well that does have proper reasoning outside of being a cute little girl. It's engaging enough to care about the fate of the land, especially for Lily and the "knights" at your command.
On that note, the gameplay itself is very solid too as with any great metroidvania, giving you many options for combat and exploration. Each main boss and spirit you free gives you abilities to explore the world, and prepare for the enemies ahead of you. It's so unique to have those same souls help you towards your journey, and they all have their own strengths, even if some may outshine others. With relics and a special power meter, you have a large number of strategies to better suit whatever comes your way!
There are a few critiques that were bothersome and may upset other players however, with a common one being the map. I don't mind it being just a square/rectangle per area, but there should've been proper pin markers to know exactly what to come back for; since like most metroidvanias, there will be doors and places you can't access just yet. The sound design is good but it lacks satisfying impact, and as a result, combat does feel a bit floaty but nothing too bad. There's also a massive difficulty spike in the later half of the game if your not prepared, as bosses, enemies, and later stages will wreck you if your playing too passively.
While it may take a bit to truly open up and the issues might make the journey a little tedious, this is a fascinating metroidvania that does everything right in terms of gameplay, visuals, story, and challenge! With a unique take of having the spirits of those you defeated be your means of progression, battle, and purpose, I can definitely agree that it's one of the greater metroidvanias that's worth your time!
