In the first few weeks since its launch, Arknights: Endfield managed to earn over $22 million, trigger a wave of bans all the way until 2106, divide Genshin Impact fans, and force players to build nuclear colliders. But behind this facade lies a profound lore rooted in the original Arknights, and a plot that (if you can bear the beginning) just might bring a tear to your eye.
Is this a new milestone in the genre or a half-baked gacha construction kit with waifu and factories? Let’s find out.
Humanity once believed that progress was a straight line upward and that prosperity was assured. But one discovery changed everything: Originium. It wasn’t just a resource, it was a substance that provided incredible energy but exacted a terrible price. Contact with Originium crippled bodies, causing the disease known as Oripathia, devastated society, and provoked catastrophes.
The world it appeared on (planet Terra) wasn’t destroyed overnight, but slowly withered away. This is the world of the original Arknights. Endfield takes place on the planet Talos-II. Approximately 152 years ago, the people of Terra, fleeing endless crises, passed through the spacegate to colonize a new world with rich Originium deposits.
However, Talos-II turned out to be a living hell. Continents are crumbling before our eyes, the climate is unstable, gravitational anomalies and unexplored phenomena are everywhere. The planet seems like it was designed to kill. But the people were held captive by the Originium—its deposits beneath the surface were too valuable. And then the unexpected happened: the spacegate stopped working. Communication with Terra was lost, and the colony found itself trapped.
This is where the real fun begins for fans of the original game. Originium has a terrifying property: it absorbs all information about the surrounding world and creatures. When an operative (a character) comes into contact with the mineral too often and becomes infected with Oripathy, Originium receives a complete copy of their personality and memories and sends this “cast” into a subspace.
On Talos-II, the researchers discovered a phenomenon: this accumulated information began spontaneously forming into fully-fledged personalities. Just imagine receiving such a “hello” from the other world. Scientists managed to extract these entities and materialize them in our world and called them Reversions.
Reversions are literally the same people as the originals, but with an important difference: they may have memory lapses, and their life path and goals may be radically different from the original. This is a brilliant lore move, explaining how beloved characters from the first game (like Laevatain) return in the sequel while remaining new and distinctive.
The game greets players with an insane level of detail. Operator models contain between 80,000 and 100,000 polygons—three to four times more than competitors. This is evident in every detail: a shiny tail dripping with water, splashes on an operator’s leather armor… waifu hunters immediately began hunting. People began searching for interesting locations to find beautiful angles. For example, a plant farm became a VERY popular spot, as our waifu girls would often bend over there to collect and water seeds.
The visual style is distinctive and cohesive. A region that fans simply call “China” deserves special mention. It’s so aesthetically pleasing and realistic (especially the urban infrastructure) that you just want to wander around it. This is the first region in gacha games in many years that makes you want to visit it in real life. The characters’ reactions to attempts to look up their skirts aren’t just a joke, but part of the immersion. They shield themselves from the camera, wave us off, become embarrassed, or even try to beat us up, commenting on it, which truly breaks the fourth wall.
EACH operative reacts differently; just imagine the level of immersion in such interactions. And every character requires a thorough examination upon acquisition, as you can see interesting and detailed details; each Waifu even sits differently on an ordinary bench! And it’s tempting to simply compare the Original and New Reversion characters, while they shy away from us.
Character design is a matter of taste. The abundance of beastmen may not appeal to everyone, even though it’s explained in the lore. The paradoxical reaction to the characters’ “shyness” sparked a wave of hate among the Chinese audience, who considered it a limitation, as many wanted to take panty shots with the game camera and create desktop wallpapers of their favorite waifus.
The beginning of the game is its worst part. The plot, interspersed with guides, is written as if the player is an idiot that never played a single game before. You’re awakened from cryosleep (with amnesia, of course), declared a messiah, and then endlessly taught how to press buttons. The peak of absurdity comes with the plant tutorial: you’re shown the same thing three times. It’s frankly, just bad. But if you can push through it…
The first part of the plot is formulaic to the core: the problem is presented—you help NPCs—kill mobs. The dialogue is flat. Only little Theta saves the day. But with the arrival of Yvonne (a genius with a knack for getting things done), the narrative comes alive. The delivery becomes more enjoyable, and the plot begins to accelerate. After completing the first arc, the player is in for a shock. This is the best Chinese region ever created in a gacha game. The plot here feels like it was written by other people. We’re immediately greeted by a charismatic and mysterious man (a great attention-grabber—and his image reminds me very much of young Virgil from DMC).
The city is meticulously crafted. A date suddenly appears, which, unlike in the HoYoverse games, doesn’t cause you to cringe, but is presented with humor and life. It all ends with a beautiful cartoon. The level of storytelling here is head and shoulders above the beginning. Suddenly, the characters became much more lively and dynamic, new, cheerful ones were added, and they dispelled all the boredom, making the plot so engaging to follow. Not only was it engaging—I couldn’t tear myself away. Perlik’s character suddenly and imperceptibly shot to the top of my character list, and I only realized it too late.
But the best part begins when you get to the city. I’ve never seen such a large city in a gacha game in my life. It’s pure joy. Perhaps, I was well-hyped by the plot beforehand, but unlike Genshin, the city feels alive. I saw how the NPCs weren’t just extras, but actually doing something.
Ah, and the loot… it’s pure heaven for people with ADHD. By the time you reach one point of interest, you’ll spot three more along the way, then move on to the next one and spot just as many more. It’s simply impossible to stop. Upon entering the city, I only had to walk a measly 200 meters to the next quest, but I lost myself for an hour running around and collecting shiny things. And while I was doing that, I realized it was time to admit it to myself. I like this game. If before, I could justify my 8-hour-a-day grind by saying it was for a review, to get it over ASAP, now I realize I play because I want to.
There’s even a chest under the waterfall. And more than one!
The Laevatain character quest is the best thing in the game. Laevatain’s story is down-to-earth, relatable, with problematic and character-building aspects. She searches for her memories in the Originium. The protagonist (Endmin) has the same problem. This creates a powerful chemistry—they are kindred spirits. During this search, Endmin also sees their past. And here the existential drama unfolds: the Endmin can’t accept their past self, wondering if that Endmin was a better person.
This is a story in which many can find themselves. Recommended to be played in quiet and with great attention. If the beginning is a 3/10 at best, then the new region and the Laevatain quest are a solid 10/10. The main drawback is the generic dialogue and the terrible integration of the tutorials, but the screenwriters have enormous potential, since half of the “Chinese” location is still undiscovered and the plot ends on an interesting note.
One of the game’s key mechanics, upon which a huge part of character development is built, is impossible without a properly built factory. The idea of automating production is brilliant. Set up resource extraction and battery/capsule crafting, and you’re ready to go. But to do this, you first need to connect a huge number of power towers to the mining deposits where the mining devices are installed, then set up the processing of everything from the simplest to the most complex parts… And also maintain the power level at the base to keep everything running.
The factory provides you with resources, which you’ll sell to NPC outposts for currency. Resources with which you’ll craft equipment sets for your characters, and many other useful and less useful things. The developers likely understood that the average gacha gamer’s brain isn’t particularly cognitively capable, and they need to somehow build a factory. So they created a very meticulous tutorial, with a ton of text accompanying every click, which, given its volume, will naturally be skipped by everyone.
They also introduced millions of abbreviations that you immediately forget as soon as you read them. Ultimately, it irritated me more than it helped. But overall, they did a great job of making sure even the youngest kids understood what needed to be done. Although, specifically for this kind of user, the modders created a utility that allows you to build factories in one click by copying other people’s blueprints.
Firstly, there are special models—blueprints with ready-made resource bases—that immediately make it clear what the final product will be. It’s convenient. Secondly, players have started sharing their blueprints. There are websites specifically designed for blueprints, with in-browser factory modeling and selection of electrification options for your factories. And believe me, what these geniuses have come up with is simply divine. How about a highly accurate calculation that allows you to use a minimum of batteries (essentially the most expensive resources to sell to outposts, which require hundreds of thousands to level up—no joke) and optimizes your electricity consumption to perfection? Players have calculated ideal factories that consume maximum resources, with the highest possible output of resources for sale and crafting… and simply SHARE it with the community. Free, no nonsense—that’s the level of kindness and love for the game.
But there are also some weaknesses. For example, the integrated factory tutorial is atrocious. However, there is a separate tutorial available for gems—it’s useful, showing interesting blueprints and their proper use. I sincerely advise against skipping it.
The irony of the factory is that even if you configure it perfectly, it won’t give you a critical advantage. You’ll simply level up your outposts faster, but by the end of the patch, everyone will still catch up. Deep optimization isn’t rewarded. Resources for leveling up characters (mushrooms, etc.) still need to be collected on foot. This is absurd: there’s a factory, but you can’t automate mushroom collection. Ultimately, it’s easy if you figure it out, but there’s little point in perfectionism.
Outposts, where your additional units will be located, need to be developed and defended against waves of enemies with tower defense (which isn’t used anywhere else—a shame). You’ll complete their quests, sell them resources crafted in your factories, and fill the outposts’ experience bar. You’ll also sell and buy resources, crate scanners, gifts for your waifus, and more from post stations.
Exploring-wise, the world is very dense. You loot a chest, and immediately there are mobs, a riddle, a miniboss with three more chests, and flying things. It’s never boring.
Cons:
- No climbing. The game is open-world, but you can’t climb walls. It’s a huge brain lag: your brain is used to parkour in other games, and here they put up invisible walls. Yes, there are ziplines—a kind of means of fast travel along ropes—but they a) need to be placed first and b) powered.
- The compass. It exists, but it’s a one-time use and can be purchased with currency. Once you’ve lit up one chest, go buy a new one. There are nearly a hundred chests per location. In 2026, the game forces you to sit with an interactive map on the second screen, just like it’s 2021 again.
- Map. It doesn’t show any activity except for the points for upgrading the factory.
When it comes to battle, Arknights: Endfield has a cool concept, but poor execution. We have a squad of four characters. They’re always on the field, chasing you, and you activate their skills from your “pocket” by spending skill points (SP). There are combo skills when certain conditions are met.
Problem: The combat feels clunky. 90% of the time, you’re just left-clicking and dodging enemy attacks. Even event characters (like Yvonne) can be dull. The concept of rotations and reactions is interesting, but the execution and responsiveness are still poor. The same thing can be said about the daily activities that actively eat your time. The game isn’t at all time-friendly. Resin drains slowly. There’s a x2 booster, but it requires tickets. To get free tickets, you need to develop the factory. After draining the Resin, you need to give gifts to characters, trade at outposts, and repair the factory. This takes at least half an hour a day, and that’s not counting events.
The Beacons (signs) originally designed to help in world exploration have become a trolling tool. Players force each other to jump off cliffs or fall into traps. However, sometimes useful information does come up, for example, that a wall is an illusion, or that there’s an interesting spot ahead that’s incredibly photogenic.
After the release, many were banned until 2106 with the citation “Violations.” They were later unbanned, but the reason was not explained. iPhone users also suffered due to background services, which the anti-cheat considered a threat.
The developers are opening new events even earlier than planned—after all, players want the endgame and complain about it on the forums. Unfortunately, the endgame isn’t enough at first. Using up your Resin is sometimes difficult and annoying, and getting weapon spheres is very random and tedious.
Going to the local “Simulated Universe” where you have to find resources for mini-quests also quickly gets boring, considering that in 10 runs I’ve memorized where all the necessary boss machines and enemies with resources are assigned by access level. Oh yeah, you can deliver mail packages for Outpost money, with the following conditions: deliver without jumping, teleport, or take damage—the price of the package will drop for these actions. As for the technical part, I can only say that the game is beautiful; I can play it on maximum settings without any problems or crashes or errors.
But there are some issues with gravity: you can drown in a tree if you jump the wrong way, and you can fall into an “abyss” just by jumping onto a small ledge. I’d especially like to highlight the game’s Battle Pass. It has three parts: Part 1 is free, where you loot a few resources and useful items. Part 2 requires game currency—and you even get a full refund in this pass.
And level 3 Battle Pass costs money, it costs $10, and…it has the best part: extra currency, a resource that can “accumulate” Resin—you can ONLY get it in the paid BP (players have already complained about it on the forums), and a bunch of other expensive and interesting things for upgrading your 6★ guns and Waifu. A very clever psychological trap—but I still fell for it…
To sum it up:
- World: 8/10 – Beautiful, dense, but navigation and climbing are a bit tricky.
- Story: 8/10 The beginning is awful, China and the Lavatain quest are a masterpiece. But there’s a lot of watery, meandering dialogues.
- Design: 9/10 – Unique, technologically advanced, the “China” region is incomparable.
- Gameplay (Factory): 6/10 – Easy, but pointless striving for perfection.
- Gameplay (Combat): 6/10 – The concept is good, the implementation is crude.
- Exploration: 5/10 – The world’s density is excellent, but the usability is completely lacking.
- Pay-to-Win: 9/10 – Generous at the start, but the system is confusing.
Final mark: 7.3/10
Who’ll love it: Those willing to tolerate a dull beginning and archaic exploration for the sake of a stunning ending and deep (if imperfect) lore. This is a game for fans of the Arknights universe and for those who seek narrative in gacha games, not just action.
Who won’t love it: Those short on time. Those who aren’t ready to spend time with a map on their phone. Those who expect revelations from the combat. This is a game of contrasts: in some places it’s brilliant, in others it falls into the abyss, but it has colossal potential. It’s worth waiting to see where it goes in the future.
