Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist Review (Tricky)
I am going to make this clear. I am not stating that ender magnolia is trash. The only reason why I put this review as negatative is that i have some important criticism that I feel needs to be changed for this game to be able to rival Ender lillies. Now lets get into it
The first thing I have to say is that gameplay wise this game has improved a lot. The different categories the different allies are put into are really helpful to differentiate between them. Another new and really good update is the upgrade system for each ally so that they can serve 3 different function depending on what the situation calls for. Really adds a lot of strategy and planning to the game which is really good. Personally I did not think contact damage was an issue in the previous game but since a lot of people complained its good that it was removed in this one. I also like the addition of the difficulty setting even though these kinds of games dont really need them.
Now lets get into the critizism. First things first I feel like the story telling isnt as good in the previous game, The cutscenes you get for each character goes by way too fast and doesnt cover as much of their backstory as they did in the previous game. You dont really grow on your characters in the same way nor do you get as much infromation. Of course its made up by the small conversations that you have with each ally. The second problem is the worldbuilding. Deciding to put all the collectibles in really obvious spots and also allowing you to get basically all of them as soon as you go to the area removes the exploring aspect of the game. I also feel like the shop function destroys the exploring aspect as well since now you just buy most collectibles. This game also lacks the feeling of dread and that you are getting closer to the truth that the first game had.
In summary I feel like the creators have sacrificed the good story telling, atmosphere quality and the exploring aspect of the game which were all VERY important to ender lillies and made it the masterpiece that it is. I dont really think better gameplay mechanics are going to be able to carry the game to the same heights as ender lillies if this goes on. Its still going to be a game worth playing but its not going to reach the emotional heights that ender lillies did.