Arknights: Endfield is an upcoming real-time gacha 3D RPG with strategic elements by HYPERGRYPH. The game follows the Endministrator, a highly regarded hero among the people of Talos II, a region stricken with chaos from malicious creatures known as the Aggeloi. After fighting alongside Endfield Industries as a unique specialist, the Endministrator was frozen in a hibernation state. However, after a series of events, the Endministrator is awoken yet again in an incomplete state with amnesia. It’s now up to them and other operatives of Endfield Industries to find a way to fix their amnesia and find a way to solve the Aggeloi threat plaguing Talos II.
An Intriguing But Slow Narrative
The Arknights: Endfield alpha test hits the ground running in all the right ways. The game starts by slowly introducing players to Talos II, presenting a little exposition about its current state but not in a way that gets too overwhelming. The introduction felt especially great for someone like me who hadn’t played an Arknights game.
The actual narrative progresses like any other RPG. Players move from one location to another, fighting progressively tougher enemies, meeting characters, and revealing more information about the world. However, while the narrative was far from bad, most of the start is rather uninteresting and even mundane. At least until players start finding more interesting characters later on in the build. Before that, nothing really stands out in the narrative.
Additionally, while the alpha build was fully voiced, the voice acting was all over the place. Some characters sound both serious and playful in moments that dont call for it. Some characters also sound like they were given the complete opposite direction for their scene, while other characters just sounded really awkward regardless of what they said.
Captivating Visuals
Other than that, Arknights: Endfield has really unique and attractive visuals. The title sports a melancholic aesthetic with levels filled with intricate and mysterious sci-fi objects. The models are detailed, and the visuals are crisp. However, while I’m a fan of the game’s melancholic, drab, and moody aesthetic, the entirety of the alpha is set in one location with the same aesthetic. As such, it gets old pretty quickly.
In terms of gameplay, Arknights: Endfield offers players a variety of different features. In moments of combat, the game shifts focus from its third-person perspective to an isometric view. While I much prefer a third-person view in any game, the isometric view lets players fight all enemies in their surroundings much easier. Players can use both basic attacks as well as special skills in combat. Basic attacks have no cooldown but are weaker, while special skills have cooldowns but are much stronger. Additionally, players unlock several powerful skills as they progress in the game, as well as elemental attacks that deal devastating damage to many opponents.
A Mixed Gameplay Experience
Additionally, as a gacha game, players will recruit several characters into their parties, each with different abilities and playstyles. You can also switch between these characters on the fly. This allows for more strategizing, and thankfully, because each skill has a cool down, switching between characters makes combat much smoother and seamless. Characters can switch and combine skills for maximum efficiency. It’s worth noting that without party members, the combat becomes incredibly stale and more daunting, as running missions solos will only result in fights taking much longer and feel less enjoyable.
Outside combat, the alpha included other gameplay features, including base constructing features. These features have players build facilities with resources found around the world. These facilities range from machines that make equipment gear for operators, to large items for traversal, like zip lines. There are also power facilities, crafting facilities to gather more materials, transport devices, and more. The base-building elements work shockingly well and make the gameplay unique and fun without being too tedious. As such, it makes gameplay much different from other gacha games.
Final Thoughts
Overall, for now, Arknights: Endfield is a mixed bag. The alpha featured good gameplay elements but a mundane start to its narrative and an odd voice direction. The overall experience was far from awful, but the game obviously has much to improve.
