I’ve been an Arknights: Endfield fan since the first global technical test in January 2024. Its art style that blended anime with realism and similarities with RPGs I enjoyed like Genshin Impact convinced me to try it. In the process, I found an intriguing world with a layered combat system and building mechanics that set it apart from competitors. Now, with the game’s latest build, developer Hypergryph has reforged and polished those systems to feel even snappier and more accessible than what I remember.
According to developer Hypergryph, the team has redone 80 to 90% of the cutscenes and dialogue, about 50% or so of the structure of the maps, and nearly 40 to 50% of the game’s overall level design–a lot of the game I first played back in 2024 is just not there anymore. But, after previewing Arknights: Endfield again for over five hours ahead of the official beta’s launch, I have no doubt I’d spend another 20 in this brave new world.
When I first booted up this new version of Arknights: Endfield, I was quickly reintroduced to the controls with an action-packed battlefield. The player character, the Endministrator (or just Endmin), harnesses the power of a resource called Originium, which they can use to attack during combat and create and repair Originium-based machines. Later, we learn that the Endmin was the leader of Endfield Industries and the creator behind many of the machines that they control. Perlica, the poster character for Arknights: Endfield, and Chen Qianyu, a counterpart of Ch’en (a popular operator from the original Arknights), come from the same faction.
